Petitions over animal displays at events go head to head in Leighton-Linslade

A campaign calling on the town council to ban animal displays from its events has been started by Chris Hines – who protested the Birds of Bray attraction at Linslade Canal Festival on July 25.

But a counter petition has been started by Darren Burley to encourage the town council to keep booking "bird of prey displays and other licensed, educational animal experiences".

A town council spokesman said it is "aware of the level of interest this has generated" and added the petitions will be given "careful consideration in due course".

On the ethics of wildlife attractions, Chris said: “Animals are individuals. They are not here to be used, displayed, handled, or tethered for human amusement. Our community events should celebrate kindness, respect, and coexistence.”

The campaigner’s concerns about the Canal Festival attraction included dogs present in the same display area, a rope-only barrier, and dogs continually passing nearby.

He also claims a snowy owl and a European eagle owl were panting, while a European eagle owl had ‘drooping wings’.

He said: "The wider concern is that naturally nocturnal, crepuscular, secluded or wide-ranging birds were placed in a static public display where they were denied control over rest, distance, cover, movement and retreat. And The Hawk Board states that 'dog and childproof fencing' is 'a minimum requirement' for static displays.

But he added: "I want to make it clear that this is not an attack on the individual's business – they [Birds of Bray] just happened to be the ones who were there on the day."

Chris and Sue Mitchell, of Birds of Bray, said: "As far as we are concerned, the petitions are freedom of free speech, and we have no comment to make regarding these.

"However, we would like to say all our birds are captive bred and much cherished members of our family. Their health, care and wellbeing are of utmost importance to us at all times. On the day of the event, we made sure the birds were well back from the public.

"There was no handling whatsoever of the birds [by the public, with the exception of one posed photo for the media] and they had heavy shading and copious amounts of water available while sitting calmly on their bow perches and blocks."

They added dog owners are asked to keep pets on a lead and back from the display and the barrier is manned, while the dogs in the display area belonged to them and "do not worry the birds in any way".

Chris and Sue said: "The birds which were seen to 'pant'; [this is] called venting and is a perfectly natural process for birds of prey when warm.

"The bird seen to drop one wing is exactly the same as you stretching your arms – our birds are seen to do this throughout the day.

"For the duration of the display, the birds were relaxed to the point of standing on one leg – which is a sign that they are relaxed – and showed no sign of any signs of stress, overheating or discomfort.

"We do have the facility to place them away from the public if required. It is our objective to educate and inform about birds of prey."

Darren says he started his petition because he “felt there needed to be a balanced voice”.

He said: "My aim is not to support poor animal welfare practices, quite the opposite. The focus should be on improving and regulating responsible displays, not removing educational opportunities altogether."

On the Birds of Bray display, he added: "From what I saw, the focus was on education, conservation and helping people understand these incredible birds."

A father-of-two, Darren says that he has seen first hand the positive impact these displays can have – providing children with "a rare opportunity to connect with nature in a way they may not otherwise get the chance to."

But Chris argued "children love dinosaurs, despite never meeting one", and suggested alternatives to animal displays – including wildlife talks, habitat-building activities, conservation stalls, nature crafts, and more.

He is currently preparing a report to share with the town council about Linslade Canal Festival's Birds of Bray display.