a proud history
Then and now...
During the 55 years that we were open to the public with a large collection of birds of prey we were the first dedicated birds of prey centre in the UK and by 2022, the oldest dedicated birds of prey centre in the world.
The Centre was started by Philip Glasier and his family in 1967. We had to close for a short time in 1968 because of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease very nearby. After reopening, the Centre grew to be a popular visitor attraction, allowing us to open the eyes and minds of visitors to the beauty and wonder of birds of prey, which at that time were a relatively unknown group of birds to the public.
We provided hundreds of thousands of visitors the wonderful experience of seeing some truly amazing birds of prey flying free. Priding ourselves on helping those visitors to gain an insight into just how important birds of prey are and why we need to protect and to conserve them.
As a team, we led the world in the captive breeding of birds of prey, having successfully bred over 70 species in our long life. It is this experience that we have used and are still using to assist in the conservation of vulture species in South Asia, various species of raptors in Europe and now in the UK the Hen Harrier. Conservation breeding is hard work, often a last resort, and have many ups and downs until success can be achieved. It does not always work but generally we have managed to breed birds that we wanted to breed, and not breed those that did not require assistance.
Our wild bird hospital, through various incarnations and improvements over the years, took in 1000’s of injured wild birds of prey, treating and rehabilitating them back to the wild where possible. This in turn helped to train vets and scientists alike, thus gaining valuable information and understanding for the future.
We also taught people the art of falconry and the husbandry of birds of prey through courses both practical and academic and through writing books and guidelines on too many subjects to list. We feel rightfully that we can be very proud of our history and our achievements to date.
But probably its least known achievements are the many and various conservation projects the ICBP were, and are, involved in around the world. It is these aspects that we are now focussing on.
We are pleased to say that all the staff found new jobs with birds of prey, using the experience they gained here. The birds have gone to wonderful new homes, we gifted them and ensured that they went to the best places. It does seem strange and at times a little disconcerting, even distressing, to have the birds all gone, and many of the aviaries taken down, but it was the right thing to do for the right reasons and the right time to do it. Those of us left (just two of us) and the remaining dogs (the dogs particularly miss stealing picnics regularly!) miss the staff and public but we have plenty of much-needed conservation work still to do.
Why ARE we closed to the public?
There were a number of factors that influenced our decision. Covid hit us badly as it did many zoos, then add in Avian Influenza which with a zoo dedicated to just birds was a huge problem. We still have to be careful in that respect.
YOU CAN HELP
None of the above would be possible without the help and support of others. You can make a difference and help us to help them. Whatever you can afford is much appreciated.
We are eternally grateful for those who leave a legacy to the ICBP, as they make a huge difference to our conservation work. For further information please contact us
