On January 13, 2021 the Tower of London announced that Merlina had not been seen at the Tower grounds for several weeks, leading the Ravenmaster to believe she has passed away.
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Originally Posted by Tower of London - Twitter
A statement released on Twitter reads:
We now have 7 ravens here at the Tower — one more than the required 6, so we don’t have any immediate plans to fill Merlina’s vacancy. However in time we hope that a new chick from our breeding programme will be up to the formidable challenge of continuing her legacy.
— The Tower of London (@TowerOfLondon)
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During the WW2 Blitz, all but three of the ravens died from either bombing or stress, the survivors were Gripp, his mate Mabel and another raven named Pauline.
After this, Winston Churchill, then prime minister, ordered more ravens to bring the flock back to the correct size. The Tower ravens are enlisted as soldiers of the Kingdom and were issued attestation cards in the same way as soldiers and police. As with soldiers, they can be dismissed for unsatisfactory conduct.
In 1986 George the Raven, who had served for 11 years, was dismissed for "unsatisfactory" conduct after he destroyed five TV aerials in a week. He was banished to Wales for the offence.
Hugine and Jackie were dismissed after "going rogue". The pair refused to settle down after their mating period and were official excluded in 1996 for “conduct unbecoming to Tower residents".
Bran, who was described as an “absolute brute of a bird who hated all humans”, was discharged around a decade ago. Bran even attacked a television Camera man.
In September 1960 Grog was reported AWOL after 21 years as a guardian. He was last seen at the Rose and Punchbowl pub in the East End.
And on August 23, 1995 The Evening Standard reported that raven Charlie had been murdered by a police sniffer dog – a spaniel also named Charlie.
Other birds have been reprimanded for acts ranging stealing tourists smacks through to swooping down and stealing the ribbons from girls hair.
They generally have their wings clipped to keep them in the Tower, the Tower having large green spaces are areas for them to peacefully reside, whilst they often strut around the inner castle walls mimicking the voices of those around them.
The Ravens are fed extremely well with approximately 6 oz of raw meat a day and a bird formula biscuit soaked in blood.
Why are ravens kept at the Tower of London? Everything you need to know about the medieval fortress’ flock - Evening Standard
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