Outrage as damning report reveals hidden reality behind valleys owl ‘sanctuary’

Stephen Price

A new investigation by a national animal welfare charity has revealed serious animal welfare concerns at a Welsh bird of prey centre which labels itself as a ‘sanctuary’, raising questions about industry practices and regulatory oversight.

The report from Freedom for Animals was released last month, focusing on three locations in England and Wales – with the Owl Sanctuary located at Festival Park, Ebbw Vale the only Welsh location investigated, alongside Turbary Woods Owl and Bird of Prey Sanctuary and the English School of Falconry (ESOF).

Through site visits, direct observation, and analysis of inspection reports and licensing documentation, Freedom for Animals, which campaigns to end the exploitation of animals for human entertainment, identified systemic and persistent failures in animal welfare, regulatory compliance, and ethical practice across all three sites.

The report, “A Behind-The-Scenes Investigation into Birds of Prey Zoos,” was released as part of the charity’s ongoing Tether and Torment campaign.

An undercover investigator volunteered at three bird of prey facilities, spending a week at each site, documenting conditions and practices often not immediately visible to the public. The investigation also analysed inspection reports and licensing documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests.
The findings highlight a range of concerns, including:

Birds kept in barren or unsuitable enclosures

• Limited access to clean water and adequate shelter in some areas
• The routine use of tethering in both housing and public display settings
• Training practices that may compromise animal welfare
• Minimal opportunities for birds to fly or express natural behaviours
• Issues identified in inspection reports that appear to remain unresolved
• Concerns around consistency in regulatory enforcement
• The continued breeding and sale of birds into private ownership

According to the charity, birds of prey are highly adapted to life in the wild, with complex behavioural and physical needs centred around flight.

The report raises concerns that these needs are not being consistently met in captive settings, with birds being primarily used for public display and entertainment and their welfare not prioritised as a result.

Freedom for Animals states that the findings also highlight potential gaps in the regulation and monitoring of bird of prey zoos, which are licensed and inspected by local authorities under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

Key findings reveal that many of the serious welfare concerns highlighted in 2018 remain unresolved. These include poor and deteriorating aviary infrastructure, insufficient environmental enrichment, inadequate protection from the elements, inconsistent hygiene, underfeeding, and limited or absent access to clean drinking water.

Although the scale of tethering has reduced since 2018, the investigation confirms that tethering of birds of prey continues, including prolonged and, in some cases, overnight tethering. Many birds were observed to be confined for prolonged periods with little opportunity for flight or natural behaviours.

The report also documents coercive training and handling practices, close-contact public interactions that pose risks to both animals and visitors, and a clear prioritisation of visitor entertainment and commercial interests over animal welfare.

The report found that many birds of prey – fundamentally wild animals with complex behavioural and physiological needs – are routinely managed in ways that severely restrict autonomy, movement, and species-appropriate behaviours, raising serious ethical and welfare concerns.

Crucially, the investigation highlights a number of regulatory failings, including inadequate inspections, repeated non-compliance with licence conditions, and weak enforcement by local authorities. In several cases, issues previously identified in official inspection reports were found to be ongoing, indicating a failure of oversight mechanisms intended to safeguard animal welfare.

Ebbw Vale Owl ‘Sanctuary’

Freedom for Animals’ undercover visit to the centre in Ebbw Vale was undertaken in late 2024, and held over five working days.

Although marketed as a ‘sanctuary’, and contrary to the 2021 inspection stating that “little or no breeding takes place” (Appendix 4), the zoo has been evidenced via volunteer testimony, and evidence of chick feeding, on camera to breed animals according to the report.

Whether to produce offspring for display or to sell, or for any other purpose, this does not meet the definition of a sanctuary.

The site is heavily reliant on volunteers, mostly from local work or college placement schemes, and throughout the investigation it appeared that very little direct supervision is offered to these individuals by the more “senior staff” who largely seemed to be longer-running volunteers.

According to the report: “Volunteers stated to members of the public during the investigation, that some birds have been abandoned by people who were no longer able to care for them, however, from internal conversations the investigator had with the same individuals, this account was contradicted – with them telling the investigator that the majority of birds there have been bred on-site.

“The centre does, however, occasionally take in injured birds from the wild when they are brought in by the public; a practise which has been criticised by official government inspectors – as noted in the 2021 inspection report due to the lack of appropriate records kept, knowledge offered, and on the level of veterinary care the birds receive when on-site.”

Controversially, and at odds with their claims to be a sanctuary, the charity found that the centre also breeds birds, who are then crèche-reared by volunteers, to ensure that they have birds who are more easily able to be handled when they reach adulthood.

The report adds that the centre is situated in a largely wooded location. The majority of infrastructure on the site is made of wooden materials, all of which was noted to be visibly deteriorating by the investigator.

The report continues: “It was clear that a significant amount of maintenance is needed, as enclosures and public walkways were noticeably rotting away in parts. The investigator found that some areas of the site were also dangerously slippery and hazardous when wet, yet there were no safety notices clearly displayed to warn the public or volunteers of this risk during the investigation – breaching the Zoo Licence Act 1981 (section 8: Public Safety).

“This was an issue that inspectors previously gave 12 months to be rectified within, as far back as the previous inspection in 2021 (Appendix 4).

“Furthermore, there are no toilet facilities on-site for the public to use, which again would appear to be a breach of the Zoo Licence Standard Conditions (Section 11).

“The site was visited as part of the 2018 Tether and Torment campaign report, and the above issues were similarly noted as areas of concern during that visit; as it was clear even then the site had had very little financial investment put into it for some time, with infrastructure deterioration evident, and a lack of clean water and poor enrichment clearly visible in many enclosures.”

Community anger

Local Facebook pages, including one for nearby Brynmawr Community Page, have seen a number of people post the report’s findings with one resident sharing: “This is so upsetting to read. I tried to warn them several years ago. Looks like nothing has changed. Those poor birds.”

Another wrote: “Used to volunteer there a few years ago – So many horror stories.”

One Ebbw Vale resident told Nation Cymru: “I visited the so-called sanctuary in its early days and was disappointed in myself for having my photo taken with a barn owl, watching children line up one after another for a shot with this helpless, tethered bird.

“Walking around the area, I saw majestic birds in tiny pens barely big enough stretch their wings fully. let alone fly around. It was truly heartbreaking.

“I chatted with one of the volunteers who was proudly telling me about breeding birds, which left me sick to my stomach and I’ve avoided them ever since, however I’ve taken my grandchild to a number of community events with loud music, huge crowds and the like – such as the Brynmawr Town Centre Beach Party last year and I’ve been saddened to see their poor birds being brought along as ‘props’ and entertainment.

“This report has given me some hope that something will be done and that other people will see the ‘sanctuary’ for what it actually is – a sad, sad place for birds who deserve better.”

Laura Walton, Co-Director at Freedom for Animals, states that: “This investigation reveals a hidden reality behind bird of prey zoos – one that visitors rarely see.

“These are wild animals with an innate need to fly, yet many are kept in conditions that restrict their natural behaviours and compromise their welfare.

“We are calling for urgent action – from both DEFRA and the local authorities in question – to address the concerns identified in this report, and for birds to be better protected.”

The charity is urging DEFRA and local authorities to review the welfare conditions and licensing compliance of bird of prey centres in their areas.

Read Freedom for Animals’ Tether and Torment report in full here

The Owl Sanctuary and Blaenau Gwent Council have been asked to comment.