A PACKED owl sanctuary and rescue service near Witney may have to close if its founder cannot find some urgent financial support.

Chrissie Harper, 66, runs Chrissie’s Owls from her home in Longore, Stonesfield. Currently 60 birds, including owls, buzzards and a crow, are under her care.

Her husband Tom, 80, is terminally ill and with an unusually high number of beaks to feed, Mrs Harper is spending hundreds of pounds of her own money every month on food alone.

She said: “It’s a struggle. I am determined to keep it going if I can but sometimes I can’t see a way forward.

“This is the first year I haven’t been able to do shows and I haven’t got the funds coming in.

“We are in need of a cash injection.”

Mrs Harper grew up working on farms in the area but was deemed unfit to work after a car accident 30 years ago, which has left her with back problems.

She set up Chrissie’s Owls in 2002 after a stint working for another sanctuary. 

She said: “I met someone who had a barn owl and loved it, so decided to learn everything I could. Eventually I decided to have a go on my own.”

On an average day, Mrs Harper gets up at about 7am to wake the owls, who are kept indoors overnight.

Over the next 12 hours she cleans cages and hospital boxes, takes the birds out to fly, holds feeding sessions and takes injured rescue birds for medical treatment.

But as Chrissie’s Owls runs a 24-hour rescue service, she can be called out at any point in the night.

She said: “I’m usually pretty tired, but it’s a labour of love.”

In recent weeks actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, the parents of star Benedict Cumberbatch, invited Mrs Harper to their home after rescuing an injured buzzard.

Mr Carlton, 75, said: “A neighbour was on his way to work and saw this buzzard feeding on roadkill. Another car hit it, making no attempt to slow, and left it for dead.

“We put it in a recycling box and kept it dry so it didn’t panic, and rang Chrissie, who came over to pick it up.

“It’s lucky; it’s in good hands with Chrissie. I can’t believe she is not subsidised by anyone.”

The buzzard, has lost vision in one eye and is being hand-fed by Mrs Harper. She added: “We named it Benedict. I’m not sure how old it is.”

“We have more birds than usual at the moment; I have about 30 ‘long term residents’ and they all know me. One eagle owl is 25 years old.

“I am really worried I’ll have to stop and don’t want to think about what will happen to the owls. I love my birds, all of them, and some have been here for years.”

For more information or to get involved in helping Mrs Harper, visit chrissiesowls.com.