London (AFP)

The responsibility is heavy on the shoulders of Chris Skaife.

"Master of the crows" of the Tower of London, he watches over eight birds on which the survival of the United Kingdom depends, and his task is not facilitated by the pandemic.

According to a firmly held legend, if all the crows were to leave the tower, the kingdom would "collapse" and the country would be "plunged into chaos".

They are eight ravens in captivity within this historic fortress on the north bank of the Thames, where the British Crown Jewels are stored: Merlina, Poppy, Erin, Jubilee, Rocky, Harris, Gripp, and Georgie.

According to a royal decree, which was said to have been issued by Charles II in 1630, there must be six at the site at all times, but Chris Skaife, who has looked after them for 14 years, keeps two "spare, just in case. or".

To prevent them from flying too far, lest the legend come true, some of their wings are slightly shortened.

The containment put in place in the spring to stem the spread of the new coronavirus has placed Chris Skaife in front of an unprecedented challenge.

He had to redouble his efforts to entertain the birds, who found themselves without visitors to play with or to steal food from, sparking fears that they would stray to find something to eat elsewhere and thus endanger the centuries-old legend.

At the start of containment, the Tower of London closed its doors to visitors.

Chris Skaife was on short-time work for a while, but continued to come in and take care of the crows from time to time.

His three assistants took turns watching over them in his absence.

“They didn't see anyone during this time and I started to notice changes” in their behavior, he explains.

In their enclosures, he arranged different toys to "stimulate" them: balloons, ladders and even mirrors.

- Clipped wings and empty bins -

At breakfast time, Chris Skaife, dressed in the red and black uniform of the "Yeomen", the guardians of the tower, hands them a cocktail of chicks and mice, which the crows cheerfully shred.

"The best is Merlina," he reveals, a smile on his face.

He often posts photos and videos of her on his Instagram (@ ravenlogy1) and Twitter (@ ravenmaster1) accounts, which have more than 120,000 followers.

Once the crows are fed, he opens the enclosures, located on the south lawn, to allow them to stretch their wings.

The tower reopened its doors on July 10, but the pandemic had a devastating effect on the number of visitors.

According to the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the association that manages the site, the Tower of London received around 6,000 visitors a week in October this year, ten times fewer than a year ago.

According to Chris Skaife, the crows did not seek to move away during the lockdown but were given more freedom of movement to explore other corners of the site.

To take absolutely no risks, Chris shortened their wings a little more.

And he keeps them in their enclosures more often to make sure they eat enough: without visitors, the monument's bins, which crows used to use, are empty.

He admits to having taken this decision with regret: "Their house, it is not the aviary, it is the Tower of London and I do not like to keep them locked up".

Since the reopening of the tower, "our crows have regained their routine and are doing very well," he says.

Very attached to these "majestic" birds, he did everything not to let confinement disturb their daily lives.

Out of affection for them, but also, he adds with a solemn air, because "above all we do not want the legend to come true".

© 2020 AFP