The British Wildlife Centre is Raving about Ravens!

20th July 2018

Summer is an exciting time at the Centre as this is when the season’s new cubs, kittens and calves are out and about. This summer the British Wildlife Centre is displaying Ravens for the first time. The largest member of the Corvid (crow) family, ravens can have a wingspan of up to nearly 5ft, and they make the second largest, the crow, look positively dainty! 

In spring the Centre acquired two ravens as 4-week old hand-reared chicks. The Centre’s Head Keeper, Matt acted as surrogate parent, building a close bond with them. For the first few weeks they took over his small office with demands for attention and food.

Even as youngsters they were an impressive size, since they’ve thrived and grown even bigger and are now full size. To some they may have a sinister appearance, but Matt reports that these curious and intelligent birds are gentle giants. 

The ravens’ aviary was constructed with help of the Centre’s regular visitors, Ditchling (St. Margaret’s) CE Primary School who made a substantial contribution through their generous fund-raising efforts. 

Reared by humans from such an early age, the ravens are content to be around people and like ‘chatting’. When you next visit be sure to pop by and say ‘Hello’ to Huginn and Muninn (named after the talking ravens belonging to Norse God, Odin). Whilst visiting you will see other new season arrivals. In the Deer Park, delightful fallow deer fawns and red deer calves are grazing alongside their mums. The young polecats are out on display, as well as three young badgers. And it’s been a bumper year for owlets, with Little Owl, Tawny Owl and Barn Owl chicks growing fast.