About Us.
The Raptor Centre was founded by Eddie Hare at Chilham Castle near Canterbury in 1977. Eddie is the owner, and for many years he has worked The Centre alone. In 2002, I joined him and I have shared the work with him ever since, April 2007 saw the arrival of our first child, and then our second child was born in May 2009.
The Raptor Centre is the oldest sanctuary for Birds of Prey in the country that is still open to the public!
Eddie and Helga the Bald Eagle.
Eddie had been flying Birds of Prey for a good few years before The Centre was founded. His very first bird was a little Owl called Diddly. A neighbour had felled an Apple Tree and then realized that there had been some Little Owls nesting round the back in a small hole. One of the babies was killed when the tree fell, but the other survived. As Eddie was well known to have an interest in Birds of Prey, the baby was given to him to look after, soon everybody was talking about Eddie and his Owl. News of this soon ended up at the local Police Station and a Police Officer arrested him under the 1954 Protection of Birds Act, Eddie was keeping a protected species which was against the law. The Police Officer visited Eddie at his parents home, after he left, Eddie, at the time a 17 year old lad, went marching down to the Police Station to proclaim that he had been wrongfully arrested! The Act clearly states that it is illegal to release a Bird of Prey if it has been imprinted (hand reared by human beings), because there is little chance of the bird surviving on it's own in the wild. Therefore by releasing the bird, you are sentencing it to death. The Police Superintendent checked the Act, and he was suprised to see that Eddie was correct, in fact he had almost quoted the Act word for word!! The Superintendent asked Eddie if he would do it again, Eddie replied 'under the same circumstances, yes I would'. In which case you give me no choice said the Super', he picked up the telephone and called the local RSPCA, "Do you have anybody down Dover way who takes in Birds of Prey, no? Well you do now" and he handed the phone to Eddie - and so the concept of The Raptor Centre was born . . . !!!
V' and Rags the Bateleur (Snake Eagle).
Unlike Eddie, I didn't have a long standing interest in Birds of Prey, it just arrived - quite suddenly!! I visited a Centre called The Hawk Conservancy. I had the most amazing day. I marvelled at the beautiful birds. When I came back to Kent I searched the internet for as many Bird of Prey Centre's that I could find. After finding a good selection and falling head over in heels in love with Helga (you thought I was going to say Eddie didn't you?! That comes later!!) I visited The Raptor Centre, and was privileged to be able to hold Helga the Bald Eagle and Fuzzball the White Bellied Sea Eagle. On my visit to Eagle Heights, I was allowed to handle Alaska the Bald Eagle. I also did some voluntary work at The Hawking Centre, before finally coming back to The Raptor Centre to settle down. I got my first bird - a Kestrel who I named Gollum (pictured below with Talen).
Our Son Talen with a baby Tawny Owl.
Talen 'hatched' out 10 weeks premature on the 12th April 2007. He weighed 3lb7oz and spent the first 7 weeks of his life on the Neonatal Unit at Pembury Hospital. On the evening of May 29th, Talen finally came home, he has been a little terror ever since!!!! At the age of 2 years and 4 months, he starred in his first demonstration. It was the August Bank Holiday Monday!! On one of our busiest days, more than 2000 people, Talen walked out into the middle of the arena with his bird, like he had been doing it for years! The bird in question was a White Faced Scops Owl called Johnny5. The crowd was so large that J5 refused to fly to Talen's glove, Talen however was not phased, so he picked J5 up on to his glove and walked him round the arena so that everybody could see him. Talen has never looked back!
Our daughter Yaska with Roadie the Burrowing Owl.
Yaska 'hatched' out 5 weeks premature on the 8th May 2009. She spent 3 weeks on the Neonatal Unit at Pembury Hospital. On the evening of May 29th Yaska was allowed to come home. Did you notice that it was exactly the same date as Talen, only 2 years later?! It wasn't planned! Yaska has recently started to handle the birds, during this season, we will give her the opportunity to fly a few of the smaller birds.
We are strictly a sanctuary for Birds of Prey not a 'Falconry' Centre. Falconry is the sport which involves hunting with trained Birds of Prey ('Raptors' - to give them their proper name), falconry is possibly the oldest 'sport' in the world - dating back to around 2000 BC! At The Centre our only concern is for the welfare and survival of these magnificent birds in the wild, not in the sport of Falconry.
To this end we give regular flying demonstrations for the visitors of Groombridge Place, which allows us the opportunity of getting the birds close to you in order to illustrate that they are not aggressive creatures and are not a danger to anyone. Flying demonstrations take place at 12.30 & 3.30 and last for about 20-40 minutes, depending on how many birds are taking part. We try very hard to give the birds a simple opportunity for exercise and not to turn it into a 'circus act'. We fly Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Owls, (see our Picture Gallery page for a better list) so there should be something for everyone. After demonstrations (or instead of in the case of rain) we open the 'Weathering Ground' which is nearby so that you can meet some of our other birds sitting on their perches.
We also run a 24hr rescue service for sick and injured Birds of Prey that covers the South-East. If you should find a sick or injured Raptor and you live in the South-East of England please give us a ring on 01892 861175. The Centre has constantly worked in conjunction with RSPCA and RSPB since it began in 1977, providing a safe haven for thousands of sick and injured Raptors.
