A BIRD sanctuary has named the first endangered species chick born this year Rishi - after the chancellor, whose wage promise saved the conservation centre from closure.

The National Centre for Birds of Prey in Helmsley welcomed the baby Steller’s Sea Eagle, which weighed just 105g, into the world on Sunday, March 22.

Christened Rishi, after chancellor Rishi Sunak, the tiny chick was joined just days later by another baby - which was named after the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The adorable pair belong to the largest species of eagle in the world and will weigh up to 7.3kg as adults.

But it is on the list of threatened species, with fewer than 5,000 in the wild.

And when the government introduced social distancing measures to combat coronavirus, the sanctuary was forced to close.

With no visitors and no income, bosses feared they would have to lay their staff off and shut the conservation centre for good.

But under the chancellor’s Furlough scheme - his plan to bailout businesses and pay up to 80 per cent of staff wages - has saved the centre and its six workers.

Charlie Heap, director at the sanctuary, said: “We called him Rishi after our chancellor - a guy who I had never heard of until a few days ago.

“The coronavirus outbreak has been catastrophic for the NCBP - all our income comes from our visitors and no visitors means no income.

“We were faced with making all our six staff redundant until Mr Sunak came up with his wage guarantee programme.

“He saved us - we would never have survived otherwise.

“I can’t pretend that we are out of the woods yet - but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

“I didn’t even vote in the last election for the first time ever.”

Rishi was born in the early hours of Sunday, March 22, and was the centre’s first chick to hatch in 2020 at the centre in Helmsley, North Yorks.

The centre is part of a global effort to save the Steller Sea Eagle species, which live on the coastline of North Eastern Asia and are declining at an alarming rate.

Mr Heap said: “There’s not much to smile about at the moment, but I’m not embarrassed to admit I shed more than a few tears of joy when this little chap hatched in one of incubators.

“Our staff are furloughed now - but we have many other costs that don’t stop.

“The coronavirus outbreak hasn’t affected our birds’ appetites.”

The National Centre for Birds of Prey first opened its doors in March 2013.

Animal lovers who want to help the centre with its work and help with the upkeep of the birds during its enforced closure can adopt a bird.

Visit www.ncbp.co.uk for more information.