VOLUNTEERS at Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary have appealed for support from the public to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic.
The sanctuary operates entirely from donations and fees from demonstrations, and has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, having been closed to visitors for the majority of the past ten months, and not being able to tour local schools.
“We had to close down for months and months and months,” said owner Malcolm Jones, who has worked rescuing birds of prey for 52 years.
Malcolm Jones at Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary. Picture: Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary
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“We had just spent around £12,000 repairing the walkways when we had to close down.
“It’s been tough, but people have been very good to us.
“Some people have sent cheques in the post, which we have been very grateful for.”
Baby great grey owls at Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary. Picture: Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary.
Jo Edwards, who also works at the sanctuary, said they had been struggling with the number of volunteers due to the restrictions on travel, as well as funding.
“During lockdown we don’t have any visitors, so don’t get any donations in the bucket,” she said. “We can’t go into schools either as they are closed.
“We also don’t have volunteers. A lot of our volunteers are under 18 so can’t travel in. It’s been two or three members of staff running it for almost a year.
“The birds all still need cleaning and feeding and health checks every day. But we all do it for the love of the birds.
Carol the Kestrel at Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary. Picture: Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary.
“The food bill for the birds of prey is over £350 a month. Then it’s around another £7 a week for the smaller animals. Then you have the electric bill on top of that – we have to keep the birds’ food refrigerated.
“Every time there is a storm, we get damage that we have to repair. Yesterday, we had to buy 14 tonnes of sand to put down after that was washed away.
“And we are having to buy mesh for the enclosures as bird flu is on the rise again, so the mesh is to stop small birds from getting into the enclosures.”
Mr Magoo, a vermiculated eagle owl at Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary. Picture: Ebbw Vale Owl Sanctuary
The sanctuary’s volunteers have set up a GoFundMe page to help mitigate for the loss of donations.
“[The reaction] has been really good,” said Ms Edwards. “Within three or four hours of it going up we reached £500. And within a few days we reached £1,000.
“But we are always desperate for volunteers with skills - like electricians, builders, roofers - to give us their time, even if it’s just half a day.”
You can find out more, or donate, via gofundme.com/f/owl-sanctuary-festival-park
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