Live owls no longer kept at centre after backlash

An owl centre has confirmed it will no longer have live birds on show, after receiving backlash from York residents.

Owl Adventures Education Centre opened a shop in Goodramgate at the beginning of April, offering visitors the chance to hold owls for a £5 fee.

Residents expressed concern about the centre on social media, prompting Huntington resident Shane Sayner to launch a petition calling for the city council and RSPCA to investigate.

The company said after some reflection it would reopen the centre as an owl-themed retail venue but would not host live birds.

The petition garnered more than 2,500 signatures in four days, with York MP Rachael Maskell also expressing her concern.

"As an animal rights activist, I was deeply disturbed to see the opening of a new store displaying captive birds of prey including baby owls in the window," she said.

"I wrote to the business owners to ask that they cease trading in this capacity.

"They have responded to say that they have closed and will reopen in future as a retail-only shop."

The MP also asked the RSPCA to investigate, and for City of York Council to review its licensing policy.

Previously, Ryan Stocks, from Owl Adventures, said the organisation adhered to all regulations relating to the welfare of the birds.

He said: "The owls don't live in the venue, they live in aviaries that are purposely built and we do a lot of care home and school visits, and displays.

"We have to charge if people want to hold them, because if we do a donation-based free-for-all loads of people want to hold and it's too much work for the birds so it slows down that handling."

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the group said its owls would no longer visit the shop, in the interest of everyone's safety and wellbeing.

It said: "Sadly, in recent days, our team has been the target of online hate campaigns, and personal information has been shared, leaving our staff feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

"No one should ever experience this for simply doing the work they love.

"As we take a few days away from the centre to reflect and regroup, we remain committed to our mission: to provide inspiring, educational and magical experiences which help people connect with the incredible world of owls."

The spokesperson thanked people for their continued support and said they looked forward to reopening a retail venue with owl-themed gifts, books and creative activities for children to enjoy with their parents.

"A place to learn, play and make memories - without our feathered friends, but still full of owl magic," they added.

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