Who we are

Charlotte Davis - Owner/Director

I started working as a volunteer at the centre when it opened in 2016. I was one of the youngest members of the KOA team at the time. After being mentored by Mollie and Nigel King, the founding owners of the Academy...I was then employed as Head Keeper until 2022, when the company was handed over to me as the new Owner/Director. Working with these creatures gave me many opportunities, including working on film sets such as 'The Sandman', 'House of the Dragon' and 'The Witcher'.

Ever since my first day, I have been hooked!

Working with these amazing birds and animals is a pleasure. I feel honoured to have them by my side day to day. I also wish to inspire more young people to work in this industry and show them the beauty of it.

My background includes working with livestock and horses; I also took a great interest in exotic animals, such as reptiles and amphibians. To the point, I worked in Madagascar as part of a conservation project studying lots of unique wildlife, such as invertebrates, fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. One of the best experiences I had in Madagascar was going out of my comfort zone by studying marine life. I loved it so much that I became a qualified scuba diver.

My passion for wildlife developed at a young age as I would often travel across the U.K. with my family on hiking and climbing expeditions to look for different species. In time, I started organising my own expeditions, meeting new people to travel with, including taking a trip up Pavey Ark via scrambling up Jack’s Rake in Langdale Valley. Getting to the top definitely made me appreciate what some wildlife must live in to survive, and gave me a great view above the valley, with many birds to be seen over the lake. I often studied garden birds with my dad, which led to birds of prey. My passion has always been said to be in my blood as my family are known as wildlife enthusiasts.

Jess-Head Keeper

Meet Jess, a reliable and dedicated team member who has been with us for quite some time. Always there when you need her, Jess loves assisting during half terms and show season. She has even started running experience days on her own, showcasing her initiative and enthusiasm. Jess's commitment and hard work make her an invaluable part of our team.

Johnathan-Senior Technician

Hi! I am Johnathan.

I joined the centre after visiting and found out that they take on volunteers, I found it interesting and wanted to take on a new hobby and get out more. I have loved the time I have had at the centre so far and I am looking forward to learning more and possibly be able to fly a bird independently and one day talk during shows. I am now the centres senior technician and run all the tech, cctv adn other maintainance you may not notice behind the scenes

Kirsty- Centre Administrative Assistant

I have been at the centre for around 3 years now and absolutely love it!

I enjoy all aspects of the job, including training, feeding and maintaining the health and welfare of the animals.

I'm also a Registered Veterinay Nurse, and am responsible for supporting Charlotte, our owner - director with the running of the centre including bookings, record keeping and administration around the centre

Jess-Volunteer

Meet Jess, one of the newest members of our team who has settled in wonderfully. A keen learner, Jess is known at the centre for her caring nature, especially when it comes to performing cleaning duties for all the animals. Her dedication and attentiveness make her a valued addition to our team.

Emmie-Volunteer

I joined the Kent Owl Academy team after deciding to continue volunteering after a work experience placement, as I found the knowledge and skills I was developing to be both fascinating and useful. Getting to know the animal's unique personalities is one of my favourite parts of working at the centre. In the future I hope to do more talks during our flying shows, continue educating the public, and keep learning.

Special Mention to Mollie and Nigel King

Mollie King- Founding Owner/Director

From a young age, Mollie has always had a passion for wildlife, birds of prey in particular. She has a great deal of experience with all types of animals in established working environments. Mollie has grown up around raptors due to her father being a highly recognised performance falconer. In 2016, she was the owner/managing director of her own bird of prey & exotics centre, 'The Kent Owl Academy' in Maidstone. Mollie has had other jobs and roles in the past, whilst finishing further and higher education, including High Court Enforcement and retail. She holds qualifications in Animal management as well as Psychology and Sociology. However, she has always had an underlying ambition to work with birds and animals within the education sector. Mollie dedicates herself to animals and working with them to both learn and conserve.

She has worked at various zoos/bird of prey centres within the UK, including but not limited to Africa Alive and The Imperial Bird of Prey Academy in Essex, where she held the role of operations manager. She has exceeded her own expectations with the progress at the Kent Owl Academy since opening and has enjoyed watching it go from strength to strength. 2018 has allowed me to reach personal goals as well, including speaking at ZSL London Zoo and forming a lasting working partnership with the Kent Wildlife Trust.

Finalist at the 2017 Kent Women in Business Awards.

#QueenOf Winner January 2018

Please find my LinkedIn profile below:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mollie-king-a2a68292

Nigel King- Founding Director

Nigel's passion for birds and British wildlife started at the age of ten, and by the age of twelve, he was the proud owner of his first Sparrowhawk. This was the start of his fascination with birds of prey, and over the next 20 years, Nigel became an influential and well-respected member of the falconry community. He is well known throughout Britain and Europe, primarily due to his knowledge of accipiters. His dedication to falconry has taken him to different countries around the world, and he has drawn on the knowledge and experiences of falconers from places such as China, the Americas, South Africa, Turkey, Holland, Germany and France.

From 2004 - 2007, Nigel held the position of Centre Manager at a bird of prey centre in Kent and during the summer of 2009 spent the season based at Africa Alive, Suffolk, with a team of African raptors providing flying demonstrations for the general public.

Nigel has also worked for ZSL London Zoo on their Animal Activities Team.

Nigel has featured on programmes with the BBC and Sky One, lectured for schools, colleges and universities and provided entertainment for many different events. One of the highlights of his career so far was the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Charity Ball in 2007.

In 2016, Nigel handed over ownership of his highly successful business, The Imperial Bird of Prey Academy in Essex, to his apprentice, Gary and long-serving volunteer, Faith. He now works for an external and very reputable pest control company.

Please find his LinkedIn profile below:

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nigelking6

See our volunteer team here