Legend has it that King Charles II (1660-1685) heard a prophecy that if the ravens left the tower on the banks of the Thames, it would one day collapse and take away the kingdom of England.
Since then, members of the Yeoman Warders, the body of guards responsible for protecting this medieval castle that houses the Crown Jewels, have been keeping an eye on the birds and ensuring that there are at least six sites. the king
Since March, 57-year-old Michael “Barney” Chandler has taken the role of “Master of Crows” very seriously at the helm of this mission. Dressed in a black and red uniform and famous for his round, flat-brimmed hat, he leads a team of four, feeding, tending and watching over the tower’s birds.
The former Royal Navy commander, who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arctic, wasn’t particularly interested in birds before arriving at the Tower of London 14 years ago.
“What attracted me first was the legend, I believe. Then, when working with them (…), it was natural”, he explains. “I fell in love with crows,” says Chandler, who admires the birds’ “extreme intelligence.” “They have their personalities just like us.”
Currently, seven crows live in the old prison, one more than the six crows, the master says, to be safe from unforeseen events.
That morning, the crows Edgar and Harris were in no hurry to eat breakfast: Michael brought two dead chicks through the fence wires to the meadow near one of the walls, where the birds spend the night.
His companions Poppy, Georgie, Jubilee and Rex (the last to arrive and named after King Charles III) aren’t there, and they fly among the tourists of the old prison, which receives three million visitors each year.
There is also the seventh Branwen, who has refused to sleep with her companions for years, but never leaves the place.
“They are very homely. This way, even if they are free during the day, they don’t go out,” explains Michael, who also highlights the good treatment they receive.
However, many feathers are clipped from a wing so they cannot fly very high. In captivity, they can live up to 20 years, compared to between 10 and 15 in the wild. The oldest crow lived in the tower for 44 years.
*By Mary Hueglin/AFP
