late husband But when Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries came booming from the Birmingham venue’s music system, Rocky froze and remained glued to the spot, gripping the perch tightly. Despite constant pleas of ‘come on’, the Eurasian eagle owl refused to move – and appeared increasingly anxious as the audience erupted into laughter.Mr Charlton, 53, eventually moved Rocky on to the stage floor and again urged the bird to run through a canvas tunnel. Come out Rocky: Owner Andrew Charlton tries to coax the visibly anxious Rocky into the canvas tunnel Pressure: Mr Charlton, 53,Nike Air Max 2013 Grey Silver, eventually moved Rocky on to the stage floor and again urged the rocky to run through the tunnel Criticised: The RSPCA has called the performance cruel, saying it did not take Rocky's welfare into consideration But Rocky instead turned away from the stage – triggering more laughter from the live audience, with hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly getting the giggles backstage too. After numerous attempts,Nike Air Max 2013 Volt Black UK, the owl was finally coaxed through the obstacle, but the judges had already sounded their buzzers and voted the pair off the show.Viewers took to Twitter to complain that Rocky looked terrified by the ordeal. Animal experts said the owl clearly seemed anxious, and was probably not used to the bright lights and noisy buzzer used by the judges. The roar of clapping and laughter is also believed to have added to the bird’s stress. RSPCA senior scientific officer Ros Clubb said: ‘Considering the flashing lights and loud noises from the audience and buzzers it is not surprising this owl didn’t perform as the owner expected.‘Welfare of the animals should be paramount and it is disappointing to see this not being given due regard. ‘If people are unhappy, we would urge them to contact ITV directly to let them know the strength of their feelings.’ Laughing out loud: Presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were keeling over with laughter backstage Lin Murray of the Hawk and Owl Trust said: ‘An owl, like all living creatures, deserves respect. It’s sad that people were laughing at it and probably unknowingly adding to its anxiety.‘The guy handling the bird would have been stressed about having to go on stage in front of so many people and owls are incredibly sensitive – it would have picked up on that.’Viewer Paul Evans tweeted: ‘Shocking start to #BGT poor Rocky the owl looked terrified, nothing worse than a chained up bird of prey.’ Mr Charlton, of Bourne in Lincolnshire, says on his website that he has been rescuing owls for more than 20 years.In a statement released by the show, he said: ‘If I had considered Rocky to be in distress I would not have put him on stage. And if he had been distressed in any way he would have taken flight and left the stage. Throughout the process the show was very supportive and accommodating of Rocky’s needs.’ The episode ended with salsa dancing grandmother Paddy Jones, 79, wowing the judges and being awarded the golden buzzer – a ticket straight to the semi-finals.A BGT spokesman said: ‘We take the welfare of all of our acts, including any animals, incredibly seriously. For Rocky’s performance we dimmed the lights and lowered the sound of the buzzers, as well as freezing the graphics on the screen on stage.’
391 shares 442 View comments Vicious taunts: Thandie Newton, 41, was taught to keep a low profile when she was growing up - to try and protect her from horrific racist abuseShe has dazzled audiences with her on-screen appearances and is used to being the centre of attention on the red carpet.But actress Thandie Newton was taught to keep a low profile when she was growing up – to try and protect her from horrific racist abuse.The 41-year-old star of Crash,Air Max LTD uk, who was raised in Penzance, has vivid memories of her family being bullied because of their race.She said her father Nick, who is white British, tried to protect them – but her mother Nyasha, a Zimbabwean, wanted her daughter to avoid attracting attention to minimise the amount of verbal abuse her family were subjected to.The British actress recalled: ‘It was a beautiful environment, but very backward when it came to racial politics.‘I was getting good grades, I was a really happy, sparkly child and she [Thandie’s mother] was aware that the more I was achieving, the more resentment there was from other people. But I didn’t understand, I was only little.’She added: ‘Just walking through the town was drawing attention to ourselves – so of course that has an effect on how you want your kids to be.’Miss Newton, who was born in London and spent the first three years of her life in Zambia, said she and her younger brother Jamie were the only black children in the area and were treated as outsiders. More... And so it begins! Racist man, 62, ordered by judge to hold 'I'm a bully!' sign for tormenting neighbor and her disabled children for 15 YEARS starts his street corner sentence Canadian college student experiments with wearing a hijab and finds people are NICER to her When she