Animal Welfare Policy

 
 

Our animal welfare policy describes the standard behaviours and actions that all Birdman employees or those representing Birdman as consultants are expected to demonstrate to respect the needs and feelings of animals and birds involved with any aspect of our work.

We recognise that animal welfare is a concept which applies to all animals and birds.  It includes both physical and mental components which are influenced by :

  • The environment in which the bird lives and works;

  • Human attitudes and practises

  • Available resources

Birds have the capacity to enjoy positive emotions and to suffer from negative ones.  Animal welfare will remain poor if comfort, health and life sustaining needs are not met.

Employees and relevant third parties must receive theoretical and practical training relevant to their role before working unaccompanied with birds.  They must be competent and confident to meet our expectations and manage their personal health and safety risk. They must be attentive and non-threatening to the bird at all times.

Our Mission

The Birdman’s mission is to educate children about the importance of conservation of the different species.  This is done by providing talks and displays, generally to schools and by teaching children. The birds that we home came from Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation of which Alan Ames was a founder with over 40 years’ experience in handling birds of prey.   He also set up a wildlife foundation in Gambia. He has now been joined by Karen Thomson who has previously worked in animal rescue and who graduated in Animal Behaviour studies at Southampton University with a focus on enriching the lives of captive animals. 

Using birds for educational purposes

Handlers must have

  • the necessary skills and experience to teach the material

  • Know when the bird’s welfare is being compromised

  • Create a safe environment for the birds, staff and audience

  • Check the birds prior to a session to ensure they are fit for inclusion

  • Supervise those interacting with the birds to ensure welfare-friendly handling

  • Remove birds from a session if welfare becomes compromised

  • Never perform veterinary procedures on birds unless it is necessary and proportionate for diagnosis or treatment of the bird

  • Provide the same level of care for all birds regardless of ownership or purpose

  • Not delay treatment that will relieve the bird’s suffering

There is much more awareness now of the needs of animals and birds in captivity.  Every animal in human hands has to be cared for properly with no difference between ‘wild animals’ and ‘domestic animals’.   The criteria for animal welfare cannot be how long an animal or its ancestors have been kept in the hands of man but whether it is possible to fulfil the demands of the animal while it is being kept.  This translates to a regular review of whether for example the housing conditions are suitable for the adaptability of the bird and to ensure there is no evidence of ethological damage or any suffering or pain.

All of our equipment, transport boxes etc meet or exceed best practise recognised throughout the international falconry community.  Each individual bird is meticulously trained and socialised to be happy in this environment and our birds are constantly monitored when on display to the public.  Any bird that shows any discomfort or stress would be immediately removed from any display.

All our birds are kept in excellent condition physically and mentally and have been legally held and bred in captivity or rescued and nursed to health.  They are trained and maintained to the highest possible standard using positive reinforcement methods. Birds of prey, no matter if they are living freely or together with humans, do not hunt unless they are hungry or mating or rearing offspring.  Birds of prey, like all predators, are capable of eating much more than their actual nutritional demands for one day, if they have the luck to hunt successfully. The falconer has to control the food intake of the bird carefully to keep it strong and motivated to fly.  If this food management is done carefully, the bird is in the same condition as its conspecifics in the wild. Like many domestic animals and indeed, humans, a controlled diet contributes to a maximum rate of fitness. 

 Each individual bird is registered with the proper authorities and where required, holds an EC cites certificate for commercial use. None of our birds are used for hunting but cooperate in flying as a positive learning experience.