Douglas Petrie: Beloved Yorkshire falconry centre owner dies as Settle Falconry pays tribute

Douglas Petrie, the owner of Settle Falconry, passed away this week.

Prior to owning the falconry centre, Mr Petrie, affectionately known as Doug, was also the director of Southport Zoo in Lancashire.

Settle Falconry posted a tribute on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we hear yesterday of the passing of our boss and falconry centre owner, Douglas Petrie.

“He certainly taught lots of young zookeepers a lot at the start of their careers, giving many their first shot at working with animals.

“Doug was loved by so many in the zoo world. He was the Director of Southport Zoo in Lancashire for 36 years, giving David a dream school leavers job at 17 of an apprentice Zookeeper, working with Chimpanzees, big cats and Tapirs.

“This followed by a move to the Yorkshire Dales and a long stint running The Yorkshire Dales Falconry Centre from 2004. There he also employed Kieren as a budding school leaver, where we worked up until Doug’s retirement in 2015.

“Condolences to Carole and the rest of the family. RIP Doug.”

There were also some tributes paid in the comments.

“Very sad to hear this. We visited the YDFC several times where I regularly got kicked in the back of the head by Gonzo and the bateleur eagle. Loved watching Doug with the vulture's walk of doom.” - Alex Hillier

“Sorry to hear that David. I’m grateful for the opportunities he and Carole gave me too.” - SJ Bakewell