World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year on the 3rd March. Recognised by the United Nations, it is a day to celebrate wild animal and plant species across the globe. With more than 1 million species now estimated to be threatened with extinction, wildlife conservation has never been more important.
2025 also marks the 50th anniversary of the enforcement of CITES. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the trade of endangered animal and plant species.
At Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we are always happy to celebrate our incredible species both in the centre and those that we look after in their native habitats. The work we do for our native species begins in the field, with our Wild Owl Nest Box project. With a network of nest boxes providing a safe and secure environment for our vulnerable species, it is important that they are maintained regularly by our team to ensure their suitability for the breeding season, making sure they are cleaned out for the next inhabitants and making any repairs and positioning new boxes. The provision of this alternative accommodation means that wild raptors whose native habitats have been destroyed or lost, have safe places to live and breed.
(Left) A little Owl seen flying out of a nest box, (Right) A Barn Owl seen flying out of a nest box.
One of our hack pens that was used for the re-wilding of 3 young Kestrels.
Not only do we work on this project, but we are consistently helping raptors in need in our hospital. Once they have received treatment from our dedicated staff, the journey of rehabilitation begins. For some birds, this involves building up fitness and condition in a large aviary out of view from the public and for other, typically young birds, they go through a process of re-wilding.
Hack pens are a way of soft releasing raptors back into the wild by letting them acclimatise to the environment whilst also encouraging them to hunt for themselves although, we do visit every few days to provide supplementry food to ensure they are eating well. Built in remote locations to limit disturbance, the behaviour of the birds is monitored using trail cameras. Reviewing this footage tells us when they are suitable for release, we will also look for evidence of the birds hunting for themselves using their pellets. Monitoring the hack sites even when they are not in use gives us an idea of how the local flora and fauna are faring. See below for some visitors we’ve spotted!
A young Red Fox seen entering an empty release pen and using it as shelter.
A European Badger seen exploring around the hack pen.
A Muntjac Deer seen grazing alongside the hack pen.
Our native wildlife can be supported in many ways, and at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we do our best to do our part wherever we can. Alongside our larger projects, in the centre we have our butterfly garden that will hopefully produce some beautiful blooms as we head into spring, and a bug hotel located in our woodland walk. We are also looking forward to our wild meadow growing back in our flying arena providing a habitat for many species of invertebrates. Conservation efforts come in many forms with projects helping species big and small.
Of course, we cannot celebrate World Wildlife Day without also mentioning the incredible 42 species we hold in our collection. From our native Barn Owls and Red Squirrels to our Hooded Vultures and Porcupines, they all bring something unique to our zoo.
📝 Avian Trainer Hannah