Railway museum axes its free family birds of prey display after vegan activists and animal right groups complained eagles and owls would be ‘forced to perform unnatural behaviour’

A free bird of prey exhibition at the railway museum has been canceled under pressure from vegan and animal rights groups.

Hopetown Darlington, Walworth had planned for the Birds of Prey team to hold a demonstration on July 31 but the event was canceled after concerns were raised by local campaign groups.

Animal rights groups expressed satisfaction with the decision after calling on the museum to cancel the event, which would feature eagles, falcons and falcons.

Darlington Vegans, North East Animal Rights and Animal Liberation organizers called for the event to be canceled and for the venue to not use live animals.

Hopetown Darlington said ‘appropriate welfare, accreditation and safety standards are in place’ but they were listening to local concerns.

A spokesperson for Darlington Vegans said: BBC that the incident was ‘force'[s] to wild animals performing unnatural behavior, such as flying according to human signals… purely for the spectacle of the crowd.

They added: ‘Rather than developing a true understanding of raptor ecology, it reinforces the harmful idea that wildlife exists for human exploitation and processing.’

The flight demonstration saw expert instructors giving talks about bird habitats, food chains, life cycles and conservation, as well as photo opportunities.

Hopetown Darlington had planned to hold an exhibition by the Walworth Birds of Prey team on July 31 but the event has now been canceled after concerns were raised by local campaign groups.

Laura Walton, Co-Director at Freedom for Animals, said: ‘From the beginning, our communication with the organizers was focused solely on the welfare of the birds involved.

‘Whether or not they are bred in captivity, birds of prey remain highly specialized wild animals with complex behavioral and welfare needs that cannot be fully met when in captivity or when used in traveling shows.’

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for North East Animal Rights said: ‘We are delighted that this event has been canceled and thank Hopetown for making this decision.’

A spokesman for Hopetown Darlington said: ‘Whilst all appropriate welfare, accreditation and safety standards are in place, we have listened to the concerns raised by local campaign groups and taken the decision to cancel the planned Birds of Prey flying display.’

Following the announcement, Darlington Conservatives claimed on social media that the Green Party was behind the decision.

They claimed that ‘Hopetown Darlington has been allowed to fail by this Labor Council and needs every foothold it can get’ and that ‘Labour should not bow to the demands of the Greens’.

‘When subsequent dogs give paws as rewards, it is considered non-dog-like behavior,’ they added.

A spokesman for the Darlington Borough Greens responded by saying that ‘the decision to cancel the event is entirely out of the Green Party’s control’.

‘We fully support all our members and recognize that they have ambitions and interests outside the Green Party.

‘The Green Party’s policy is clear that animals should only be used for entertainment and public display, but we are aware that zoos and other wildlife rehabilitators fund their work through public support.

‘Hopetown is a fantastic venue and the management team do an incredible job of organizing events throughout the year; We hope no one will boycott this place because of this political demonstration.

‘The decision to cancel the event was completely out of the Green Party’s control.’

The Daily Mail approached Darlington Borough Council and Walworth Birds of Prey.