A birds of prey centre that has proved popular with Royalty for decades has closed for good.
The International Birds of Prey Centre, in Newent, Gloucestershire, shut for the last time on Thursday.
Founder Jemima Parry-Jones will continue her conservation work at a new site and 140 birds will be re-homed elsewhere in the country, GloucestershireLive reports.
The centre, founded in 1967, became a popular day out for families as well as bird lovers around the country.
Diana dropped in with a very young Princes William and Harry when she was living at Highgrove near Tetbury with Prince Charles.
Princess Anne has visited four times and was pictured with an Abyssinian Owl to mark the 50th anniversary
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, had also visited the site near the market town of Newent.
But the difficult location and growing numbers of similar centres had led to reduced visitor numbers and the infrastructure needed completely revamping.
Jemima, 72, will keep some of her old favourites such as Pinotage, a white-haired bad-tempered Egyptian vulture she has had for 28 years and Hem, a 20-year-old Eagle Owl.
She said: "It was a heartbreakingly, difficult and sad decision for us.
"It was even more difficult because we had to do it very quickly.
"Although we will no longer open to the public, we will carry on with the breeding and conservation work. I may be 72 but I'm very fit and I have no intention of sitting at home reading and doing jigsaw puzzles."
Her father Phillip Glasier founded what was The Falconry Centre in May 1967 and over the years she has added to the collection and became an internationally recognised expert in the field, travelling the world in a bid to save endangered species.
Covid-19 was the last straw she and is very critical of the Government's response to animal centres. Charity trustees took the decision to close on Tuesday.
"We survived the worst of the pandemic and therefore, were ineligible to receive support funds from the Government’s extensively debated Zoo Support Fund and Zoo Animal Fund she explained
The new facility will be focused on conservation, breeding, specialist courses and lectures. Jemima said: “ICBP has been the whole of my life for its 55 years, a lifetime of commitment to birds of prey.
"Over the years, many other people have also been involved with and assisted ICBP, so this change has been a very difficult decision. However it is vitally important for us not to lose that work, and the ethics behind it all, that has been given so freely.
"We are taking this step in order to consolidate our knowledge and expertise, reduce our workload and costs and look forward to slightly different and exciting conservation tasks ahead.”
The centre has now closed but the remainder of the Owl Evenings and Experience Days up to March 16 will be honoured. All ticket holders, experience days, and gift vouchers are asked to go to the website and check their emails for information
