Shropshire Falconry determined to survive the pandemic and continue looking after one-of-a-kind birds
The country is teetering on the edge of another economic cliff because of coronavirus and businesses have been taking steps to adapt – but furlough is not an option for hungry and sick birds.
That is the predicament facing Shropshire Falconry, which is based near Wem and provides close-up experiences with its wide variety of birds.
As well as the owls, hawks, kestrels and buzzards that were born and raised at the centre to take part in the experiences, the Shropshire Falconry volunteers also look after injured or ill birds taken in by members of the public, with the aim of releasing them back into the wild.
Some of the birds - including Alfie the tawny owl, pictured above - have become celebrities in their own right after starring in television programmes and adverts.
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"Wildlife still carries on. It still needs looking after," said Lisa Scattergood, the enthusiastic centre manager who describes herself as 'PA to the birds'.
"They're all individuals and they're treated as such.
"We're not open to the public. What we do is offer private experiences – we go out to places like care homes, schools, Brownies, wherever people want us to go.
"With the current situation, that's stopped. We can't go out and do weddings and things like that.
"We're limited in what we can do – we do hawk walks at Hawkstone Follies. We're keeping people outside as much as possible.
"But the bills are still coming in. The birds still have to be fed and watered.
"It's 'interesting' at the moment.
"A lot of businesses are finding it just as hard, but what can we do if we have a wild bird brought to us? Vets' bills we still have to pay, and sometimes that comes out of our own pocket because you want to do your best for that bird.
"We know there is going to be an end to this, it can't go on forever. But it is challenging to try and keep an income stream coming in and make sure we are still there at the end."
The centre receives no Government support and relies on its own funding. An online fundraiser has been launched at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shropshire-falconry.
Vouchers for experiences have been made valid until the end of 2021 and the centre has created an Amazon 'wishlist', so supporters can buy some of the things the birds need themselves.
"We don't want to go out with our begging bowl, we know there are so many other organisations that are struggling," said Lisa. "We will do what we can with what we've got."
Learn more at facebook.com/shropshirefalconry
