Educating the young

[The Owl man]

As a Sanctuary owner my take on birds, and owls in particular, is perhaps a little different from that of most of you.

However, I feel sure that in our differing ways we would all agree that the education of the young is so vital to ensure the continuing good work that is being undertaken by amateur and professional alike.

Allow me to share few images with you and just look at the faces to be convinced of the impression a close encounter makes

[Deb London]

Oh, those little faces! (The kids are pretty cute too ).

[davedotcom]

I couldn't agree with you more. Near to where I live there's the North Anston Butterfly House which allows the kids (and adults) to have close encounters with birds of prey and other wildlife. The sense of wonder and awe you see in their faces when they have a barn owl or turkey vulture perched on their hand is brilliant!

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by davedotcom

I couldn't agree with you more.......

Me too

Sanctuaries, Bird/Wildlife Centres, etc are excellent places to introduce children (and some adults ) to the wonders of nature and I'm sure most do an excellent job in doing so. You can see from the looks on the kids' faces what a thrill such close-up encounters are. They'll never forget these experiences and, hopefully, this will generate a life-long interest/respect for nature.
Many also do a good job in helping new/inexperienced nature photographers to practise such skills as bird in flight photography and to see/photograph birds and other creatures they could never hope to get close too 'out in the field'......though it does annoy me that so many photographers market/publish their images of such captive creatures as "wildlife"

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[pammosley]

Lovely photos that tell their own story. It is essential that kids (& adults!) get close up wth all forms of wildlife, from bugs to beautiful birds. These wonderful creatures act as ambassadors for their fellow kind

[Hobjob]

Nicely made point.

The thing that gets WAB going is not sanctuaries per se, but photos of captive animals not so declared

[rossy]

ill take me hat to you owl man and keep up the good work, you have to be dedicated in your job , as its every day of the year, we used to have one near me called the 3 owls bird sanctuary, till the council closed it down, i miss it as id visit regularly, and you always had plenty of young and old folk there. lovely photos. rossy.

[fairplay]

Hello Owl Man,

In another thread you made (I cannot re-find it now !) you asked about white blobs on a stick/log which I tried to identify for you. You also asked is it harmful to the birds, so I said no, harm is more likely to come from keeping birds in captivity.

At the time, I only knew you 'kept birds' and I just assumed as a hobby, and I felt the birds would rather be free to fly in the wild, so that is why I made that comment.

Now I can see that these birds are well looked after and you are bringing happiness to children and educating them, so please accept my apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick.

I still feel it is valid to ask is it right to keep a 'zoo for birds' because we will never know if the birds are happy where they are or would prefer to be free, although we know they will live longer in captivity.

At the end of the day, we have to ask is it right to 'exploit' birds for financial gain and to entertain the public or does that look on those children's faces over-ride these concerns ?
Seeing those happy faces certainly makes me think the latter, but ...... ?

Neil.

[The Owl man]

Hi Neil,
The post to which you refer was "What on earth is it?" and was posted under litchens.

I do understand your concern and a fine balance has to be achieved. My Sanctuary is not a visitor centre. The birds are left in peace in their quarters.

We do go out to Country Fairs, Fetes and adult and child groups. The emphasis is always on education and any entertainment value is coincidental. Further, neither do I make a living from this venture. All monies collected are fully accounted and paid into the Owls own bank account for their sole upkeep.

I am retired and live off of my pension: previously I held a full time occupation as well as running the Sanctuary. So you see I really do try to live up to your expectations.

As to the birds happiness, I can only say that were they not in Sanctuary they would be dead. I can never hope to achieve a "life in the wild" situation for them but I believe their condition and willingness to "work" tells it's own story.

Many thanks for your interest Neil,

Best wishes, Rod

[RoyW]

This is the sort of thing that zoos and collections do have a place for, even if they are not used for captive breeding programs (but they do have to promote the fact that it is the wild animals and birds that are important to conserve, and that conserving species simply as 'exhibits' in a collection is not the same as having healthy populations in the wild).

Seeing birds and animals up close can be the catalyst that leads to people taking more interest in wildlife and/or donating money to conservation and backing campaigns.