Never today? The crow „Queen“ of the Tower of London has disappeared and is feared dead

The royal palace announced today, Thursday, that one of the crows in the Tower of London, a bird plot whose fate is said to be intertwined with that of Britain, is missing and fears his death.

The tower declared on their website: „We have some really unhappy news to share.“And the Referring to the lost raven as „the queen of ravens tower.“ „Our beloved crow, Merlin, has not been seen in the tower for several weeks, and her constant absence indicates to us that she may have unfortunately died.“

Crows are native to the region, and can grow over two feet long with a wingspan of up to 51 inches. According to folklore, if fewer than six crows remain to guard the tower, both the kingdom and the country will collapse.

But Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster Chris Skaife, who looks after the birds, has assured Britons worried about the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit that the nation is safe – for now.

He told BBC Radio: „Obviously, as head of the ravenmaster, my concern is with the welfare of the kingdom.“

„But we have seven crows here in the Tower of London, six are by royal decree and of course I still have an extra crow, so we’re fine for the time being.“

The decree, allegedly issued in the 17th century, stipulated that there should be six at one time. the tower website The ravensmaster notes that cutting off the flight feathers of large black birds to „encourage them to stay in the tower“.

Skeeffy told AFP in an interview in October last year that he usually kept two items as „spare parts,“ „just in case,“ and that Merlena was his favorite.

Merlena, described by the tower as „the undisputed ruler of the roost,“ was last seen in the historic mansion on the banks of the River Thames several weeks ago.

„Just before Christmas, before we went into lockdown, we were putting crows in bed, and they didn’t come back,“ said Skeeffy.

He described Merlena as „a lively crow that has been known to leave the tower campus on numerous occasions.“

But he added, „She usually comes back to us, but this time she didn’t. I’m afraid she isn’t with us anymore.“

Merlina became an internet favorite from Skaife’s frequent posts and videos His Instagram And the Twitter Accounts with more than 120,000 followers.

The seven crows remaining in captivity are Poppy, Erin, Jubilee, Rocky, Harris, Gripp, and George. The location of the tower indicates that crows are intelligent birds with distinct personalities that can imitate sounds, play games, and solve problems.

Skeeff, a former watchdog and drummer for the Royal Regiment of the Princess of Wales, faced an unprecedented challenge to entertain the birds residing in the tower during lockdowns caused by the Coronavirus last year.

The birds suddenly found themselves without anyone to play with – or steal food from. It raised concerns that the birds would fly away in an attempt to find food elsewhere.