When Brendan Murray, co-founder of the Owl Rescue Centre, went to settle his bill for his usual coffee fix in Brits, someone had already paid it. Anonymously.

• Brendan Murray from the Owl Rescue Centre had his bill paid anonymously for the third time in a month. Strangers recognise him from social media posts about rescuing everything from porcupines to pythons.
• The 20-year-old centre handles between four and 10 rescues daily across South Africa using a small aeroplane and tracking dogs to dart and relocate baboons, crocodiles, leopards and monkeys.
• Operational costs reach R60 000 a month for fuel alone, with donations covering only 40% to 50% of rescue costs.

When Brendan Murray, co-founder of the Owl Rescue Centre, went to settle his bill for his usual coffee fix in Brits, someone had already paid it. Anonymously.

It’s the third time in a month that generous, anonymous diners have supported the animal rescue centre staff in this way – a surprise that is the bright spot in the day of a team that spends most of its day on the road, rescuing both big and small critters from tight spots.

“It actually happens a lot,” Murray told News24. “I go out for coffee probably twice a day because I’m on the road all the time. Between rescues, I always stop at a coffee shop for a coffee, then go to the next one.”

But it’s not just coffee bills. The team has had their breakfasts and lunches covered by other diners.

But why do strangers keep picking up the tab? Most likely because Murray and his wife are easily recognisable from the social media content the rescue centre posts, which feature all kinds of critters caught in tough spots.

The centre, which has been running for 20 years, started out focused solely on owls. Now it’s a full-blown wildlife rescue operation that handles between four and 10 rescues a day across the country. Owls now account for only about 30% of rescues.

“We’re permitted for all wildlife,” Murray said. “It’s more of a rescue [operation] than a rehab, although we are a rehabilitation centre. We actually go out and catch animals that are trapped in buildings, caught in snares, or caught in trap cages. We just caught a porcupine that was caught in a manhole cover.”

READ | SSSSEE: 45kg python rescued – and biting again – after brutal attack on farm

Recently, they cornered a large dispersing male baboon in a stable yard, darted him, and relocated him. They relocate crocodiles that turn up where they’re not wanted, as well as monkeys making themselves at home in residential areas.

They also recently rescued a large African rock python that had been caught in a veld fire. The snake is now in rehab with vets for the next two to three months.

Murray said:

“We also have tracking dogs. So if somebody was driving down the road and they hit a leopard and the leopard didn’t die but ran off into the bush, then we would take our dogs out, and we’ll go track the leopard, dart him, and then get [it] medical attention.”

The operational costs are eye-watering. The fuel bill alone is about R60 000 a month, and donations cover between 40% and 50% of their rescue costs.

As for those anonymous restaurant bills, Brendan says the kindness always comes without awkwardness.

“The nice thing is that it’s always anonymous. So people always pay it anonymously so that they don’t make it awkward for you,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”

If you have a feel-good story to tell, email feelgood@news24.com.