After a turbulent few days, a York business that’s been at the centre of an animal welfare controversy has closed temporarily.
The Owl Adventures Education Centre opened on Goodramgate earlier this month, offering customers the chance to hold birds of prey.
Concerns over the welfare of the birds were shared online, with some people calling the business cruel and asking for City of York Council and the RSPCA to investigate.
After a petition that gathered over 2,400 signatures, a planned protest, and a considerable amount of criticism, staff revealed that they will no longer be bringing owls into the shop.
In a statement posted to Facebook, they explained that their decision to close was “in the interest of everyone’s safety”.
They said: “Our team has been the target of online hate campaigns, and personal information has been shared, leaving our staff feeling vulnerable and unsafe.
“No one should ever experience this for simply doing the work they love.”
As YorkMix reported yesterday, staff at Owl Adventures insisted that the purpose of the shop was to educate rather than entertain.
They also explained that all of the birds were well-cared for, and they’d passed all of the relevant inspections from both City of York Council and RSPCA.
Yesterday afternoon, York wildlife group ‘York Hunt Sabs’ said that they were to protest outside of the shop this Sunday, and encouraged people to “think realistically about the horrific ethics involved”.
The post continued: “These animals are forced into lit areas when many owls are nocturnal. This is horrendously cruel. There’s also tiny owlets in a box unattended, anyone could have taken these innocent souls.
“Forced into the busy streets and swarmed by busy crowds in the shop. In the wild, those babies should have been in a nest with their parents, but these poor tiny souls have been bred purely for human gain, at a detrimental impact to their welfare.”
Some of the comments branded the business as “appalling”, “disgusting” and “utterly wrong.”
YorkMix spoke to York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who expressed her own concerns regarding the business.
“As an animal rights activist, I was deeply disturbed to see the opening of a new store displaying captive birds of prey including baby owls in the window.
“I wrote to the business owners to ask that cease trading in this capacity. They have responded to say that they have closed and will re-open in future as a retail-only shop.
“Further to this, I have written to the RSPCA to ask for it to investigate and also to City of York Council to ask they review their licensing policy.”
Owl Adventures has revealed that although they will no longer be bringing the birds into the shop, the staff will be taking a few days away from the centre to “reflect and regroup”.
They hope to reopen the Goodramgate business solely as a retailing venue.
Their full statement reads: “Following discussions with our team, we’ve made the decision that, in the interest of everyone’s safety and wellbeing, our beloved owls will no longer be visiting the shop at the Owl Adventures Education Centre in York.
“Sadly, in recent days, our team has been the target of online hate campaigns, and personal information has been shared, leaving our staff feeling vulnerable and unsafe. No one should ever experience this for simply doing the work they love.
“As we take a few days away from the Centre to reflect and regroup, we remain committed to our mission: to provide inspiring, educational, and magical experiences which help people connect with the incredible world of owls.
“Thank you all for your continued support—we look forward to sharing the next chapter when our shop will reopen as a welcoming retail venue, featuring owl-themed gifts, books, and creative activities for children to enjoy with their parents. A place to learn, play and make memories—without our feathered friends, but still full of owl magic.”