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  Fish is Banjir's favourite dish.

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  Banjir is tame and allows itself to be touched by villagers who are familiar to it.

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  5 years ago, Banjir almost drowned. Now it regards Ali as its' saviour.

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PENANG: An owl that lives in a small village here understands more about debts of gratitude than some people. It loves and watches over its master, and even acts coyly towards him sometimes. Banjir knows that if it hadn't been for its master, it would have become drowned and become fish food 5 years ago. It knows who it should be thankful to, and wants to repay that debt of gratitude.

Its saviour is 40 year old Ali. He didn't shun the owl because it is a "ghost bird", and took care of it out of compassion. To commemorate their meeting during which the owl had almost drowned, Ali named the bird "Banjir" (which means flood). "There was a flood that year, and I saw this little owl fall into the water when I was moving my furniture to safety. It had almost drowned when I fished it out of the water."

5 years later, Banjir has become a part of Ali's family. Every morning, Ali feeds Banjir fish or chicken before leaving to open his store. After it has finished eating, the owl follows its master about, sometimes flying and sometimes waddling along on the ground. The pair make an interesting sight as they go about their daily rounds. At first the villagers thought that Ali had a cat with him, on closer inspection they realised that it was really an owl.

When they reached the store, Banjir doesn't get in its' master's way. Instead it perches on a nearby tree, waiting till its master closes shop before it follows him home. Basically, wherever Ali goes, Banjir follows.

Banjir Knows How To Be Coy

When Ali wants to be alone, he will ask Banjir to go home. Banjir will quietly circle behind him, watching its master walk away before flying home on its own.

Owls also have a strong sense of time. Familiar with its' master's working habits, Banjir often tries to wake its master up for work even during Ali's off days. When his wife opens the door, Banjir will fly in and and try to wake Ali up. Sometimes, Ali will think it is a nuisance and shout at the bird. During those times, Banjir will act like a child that has just been scolded and hide itself.

Sometimes, Banjir will act coy, and squirm into Ali's embrace, begging to be petted. Sometimes, it will also sleep together with him.