World Bird Sanctuary

Reviews 3

HA

Harriette Escapopalis

Hello from Jamaica! Wah Gwann! I am a professor at The University of The West Indies teaching medical sciences. I have come over to Missouri last year to visit my grand daughter who is studying STEM careers. She seemed elated about showing the trails at the World Bird Sanctuary! I decided to give the Sanctuary a call to let them know wed be coming and to be informed about upcoming shows or events. When I called them, a man picked up and was rudely snickering at my accent. (Legally speaking, the phone call was a a form of harassment and discrimination. It is illegal under federal laws to discriminate against characteristics which include race, color, national origin, gender, pregnancy, religion, genetic info. etc.) Then, he hung up almost immediately on me. I was displeased with his tone as well, but I decided it was just a mistake and a bad day. My daughter and I left early the next morning to discover the trails. We immediately fell in love with the nature and all the birds. We even saw deer farther down the trails! Although we saw a disturbing man in a tree, it was a very pleasant experience. There were people riding horses, bike riding, and walking, but further down, it was just us. Amazing trails and recommend it to all. Then, we decided to go into the gift shop area. Thats where things took a turn. The gift shop was filled with a variety of animals such as a bunny, armadillo, python, bats, parrots, etc. And towards the weathering area were birds tied to perches. The animals seemed well taken care of although I could make a few adjustments. We made a donation and enjoyed it greatly. I saw the back of the room and it seemed the Staff were not very dedicated to their job. Most of them, I saw sitting down and the young volunteers were working extremely hard cleaning the owl stalls. I also witnessed a young volunteer almost in tears being yelled at by a woman, whom cursed as well saying the volunteer had better get her "behind" in gear. I love working with children and have a deep passion in working with all ages, but this is NO way to treat young volunteers. The overall experience was amazing, but the Sanctuary does not have the right to treat children in such a manner. Where I come from, this would be considered a hostile work environment and the woman who yelled would be fired right away or at least face a consequence. On your website it states they gain opportunities, but I doubt being yelled at is one of them. I would like to survey several young volunteers to look into how they are being treated. According to the Labor Laws of Missouri, the entertainment/work industry requires breaks and rest periods for youth workers as well. A youth can NOT work more than 5 hours with out a meal break and an additional 15 minute rest period (Which counts towards the work/volunteer time) is required after 2 hours of continuous work for youth. In conclusion, the behavior of 2 staff members I have experienced was stomach twisting and inappropriate. Please reconsider the amount of pressure on young volunteers. But my granddaughter and I did enjoy the nature trails and wildlife and how informative and helpful the staff was. This place would be better off returned to U.S Army as the area of munitions depot.

EL

Elise Adria

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 dont use their feet that birds are the same and dont 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 arent something that should suffer tied to the ground just for our viewing pleasure.

SA

Sandra L

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 dont fly about because its fun. Flying takes a great deal of energy and so if they dont 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 visitors 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 birds needs. Many visitors tend to anthropomorphize birds in thinking that they "look" bored or are "stressed" because they are just perching. They dont 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 birds 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. Its a fact of life. And vultures love deer heads. Its gross but a wonderful teaching moment when you visit and see what the delightful Andean Condor loves to eat.

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