Thousands of birds are forced to endure a miserable existence in bird of prey zoos in the UK including owls, eagles, vultures and many more species.  Tied down, manipulated and starved purely for entertainment -  this is no life for a wild bird. 

Our investigation has shone a light on the daily suffering that birds endure in captivity. Read The Guardian coverage here. 

What we uncovered was shocking: 

• Birds were tied down (tethered) in three quarters of all zoos
• Over a third of aviaries did not meet the recommended size, allowing three wingspans of a bird. Some birds lived in such cramped conditions they could not even stretch out their wings.
• A third of all enclosures did not have access to clean drinking water
• Stress was witnessed in birds including bating (attempting to fly when tied down), chewing at leg straps, body posture changes and beak clapping.
• In one method of training used across the industry, handlers starved birds of food, sometimes for days at a time, to make them perform desired behaviours.
• At the displays watched, birds spent on average just 11 minutes, 18 seconds flying
• Over 40% of zoos did not hold a licence despite meeting the criteria

These are just a few of our key findings. Read the report to find out more:

Click above to read the summary report.

The full report "Examination of the licensing, welfare and other issues relating to bird of prey zoos in the UK 2018" can be downloaded here: Tether_and_Torment_full_report.pdf

Six Ways You Can Take Action to Help Birds!

There are many ways that you can join us in the ‘Tether and Torment’ campaign. Here’s just a few to get you started:

1. Sign the pledge to never visit a bird of prey centre of display.
2. Join the campaign to stop tethering birds of prey - click here to find out what you can do.
3. Contact your local council to demand that they take action on unlicensed bird of prey zoos. Check out this map to find a zoo near you.
4. Order a Tether and Torment Action Pack
5. Order leaflets for your event or protest
   

Donate Take Action!

Report published June 2018.