Lehigh Acres man concerned over safety of burrowing owls

A man is doing everything he possibly can to keep burrowing owls safe from speeding cars in his neighborhood.

Burrowing owls often nest in a field across from David Cintron’s home on Peerless Street in Lehigh Acres.

But Cintron has noticed the number of owls has suddenly dwindled, and he believes some drivers are to blame.

“They’re down to three and there use to be like 8 of them,” Cintron said. “It makes me feel hurt.”

Burrowing owls are a protected species in Florida with nearly 2,500 of them living in the City of Cape Coral.

Cape Coral currently has a plan in place to help the owls by allowing homeowners to dig holes for them.

“It should be our responsibility as human beings to be more sensitive to nature,” Cintron said.

Cintron found an owl dead on the road Monday — that makes the second in three weeks.

He purchased signs that say “slow down” to prevent drivers from hitting the owls.

“You can see how fast people are coming up and down this road,” Cintron said.

Cintron has reached out to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission but said nothing has been done to keep the owls safe.