World Bird Sanctuary — Attraction in Manchester

This was the ABSOLUTE WORST experience I have ever had at a place that very wrongly calls itself a sanctuary. I love lone elk park and frequent it very often and have seen the sign for World Bird countless times always wanting to go there. I was thrilled when my boyfriend and I finally got the chance to stop in. The very first exhibit we walked up to was for lack of better terms- a dirty wood chipped fenced in area maybe a 3rd of the size of a tennis court with about 10 birds in it. Each bird was tied to a post sticking from the ground with with leeway of maybe a foot around them to walk. Birds of prey were stuck next to predatory birds, obviously creating an EXTREMELY stressful environment for all the birds around. And what made me know how mistreated these birds were was that not one was moving. Each had a dead, lifeless stare like they had long ago given up trying to escape or being afraid of the other birds around them. One vulture tried to get off its post and move even a foot on the ground and fell, struggling like something was wrong with one of its feet and one of its wings. Another birds eye looked very infected. As an animal lover I was absolutely HORRIFIED, and decided to ask an employee there about the birds--if they were ever allowed time not tied down, where they went at night, etc. He was an older man and incredibly rude, telling me these animals never get a chance to fly or be untied and are moved to cages at night and in the winter. His reasoning was that since birds perch on trees in the wild that this was a suitable environment for them being tied to a perch and would be "what they do all day in the wild anyway." He assured me that the birds were as happy as they would be in the wild. He compared the birds to the laziness of humans and said since humans sit around all day and don't use their feet that birds are the same and don't feel the need to fly or use their wings all the time. To me for anyone who knows even the slightest bit about wild animals this is TOTALLY wrong. He said that suitable environments "cost too much money" and that if this place closed all the birds within it would be euthanized. This man literally had me in tears at the end of the conversation because of how wrong he was and how frustrated I was with the mistreatment of these beautiful animals and me and my boyfriend left immediately. They would be better off in a zoo environment than this facility which is definitely saying something. I will be contacting as many environmental organizations as I can to close this "sanctuary" or at least create suitable environments for these birds. NEVER bring your children here if you want them to have a real idea of how animals should be treated and that wild creatures aren't something that should suffer tied to the ground just for our...

It breaks my heart to see people say things like "sorry to see the birds tied down" or "this is the worst place". I wish I could take you on a personal tour and share with you what I know. Birds of prey are sedentary creatures. They don't fly about because it's fun. Flying takes a great deal of energy and so if they don't need to flee danger, hunt for food or nesting materials, or find a mate, they are going to perch. This is what the birds at World Bird Sanctuary do. The equipment is more for their and the visitor's safety than for holding them in place. If any of the birds show signs of stress, volunteers and staff are quick to respond to the bird's needs. Many visitors tend to anthropomorphize birds in thinking that they "look" bored or are "stressed" because they are just perching. They don't exhibit facial expressions like people do so the look you see is what you get at any given time. They are cared for around the clock by people that love them. The birds that are on display in the weathering areas are all birds that were either hatched and hand raised in a breeding program (often right at WBS), were permanently injured and can not be released, or were rescued from the illegal bird trade. Any bird undergoing rehabilitation for release back to the wild will never be on display or have any encounters with humans beyond their immediate medical care. The birds that are on equipment have all given their permission if you will and have accepted the equipment. They are not forced to be glove birds or program birds. Birds that do not take to equipment, are not forced to do so but are then placed in open mews or enclosures without equipment (the jesses and leashes). Older birds are taken off equipment and cared for in mews as well. The staff and volunteers are very in tune with a bird's needs and will do what is necessary to make sure that every bird has the best care and creature comforts. I have seen this personally and am thrilled that this wonderful organization exists. Oh. And bird poo happens. Birds go whenever and wherever they like. It's a fact of life. And vultures love deer heads. It's gross but a wonderful teaching moment when you visit and see what the delightful Andean Condor...

My fiance and I decided to try their Owl Prowl night last evening. We was blown away! I love birds and was thrilled to have this opportunity to see around 6 different owls & a raven up close. The staff Tess, Nicole and Kat did a phenomenal job of working with the birds including getting them to fly over the audience. They were also knowledgeable on the different birds and the speech had my attention the whole time, expect a 45-50 min talk. Also I highly encourage bringing some spare cash for at the end! Their Raven Mischief does some adorable tricks if you'll spare even a $1, to help support the sanctuary. The second part of the tour involved going outside to try spotting and hearing wild owls around the sanctuary. Its winter time and we was outside about an hour so dress warmly! We spoted one wild owl and miraculously a young bald eagle! The eagle wasn't what we was looking for but was a pleasant surprise and Tess said that had never happened on an Owl Prowl before! Overall, terrific experience, I definitely want to go back again with my mom so she can experience it as well! Word of advice - when we drove in we didnt see any signs directing us to where we should go. We parked in front of the public bathrooms and ended up wondering down to the bird hospital, simply looking for what lights were on and where to go. When parking, go to your left! Signs would be helpful.

Also, to the people who say staking the birds outside is mean, you must remember this is partially a rehabilitation/hospital for injured birds! Tess explained that they get over 400 birds a year with injuries and if hurt bad enough these birds CANNOT survive on their own in the wild any longer. So most likely those birds either can't fly anymore or sustained their injuries outside the bird sanctuary and are now living their life as best as they can, meaning they're still alive and cared for thanks to the sanctuary! The sanctuary also has a 44% release rate for rehabilitated birds, better then the national average and those that can't be released are provided a home at the sanctuary. A class with the sanctuary might help some people before passing judgement on...