The rare white raven, Blizzard, has taken Vancouver Islandsa国际传媒檚 North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRC) by storm.
Since being brought out to the public for viewing two weeks ago, the leucistic juvenile bird has become a huge attraction that many visitors are eager to see.
Animal care supervisor Derek Downes said they have been extremely careful not to expose Blizzard to the public too soon. They wanted to do it gradually. But since theysa国际传媒檝e started to put Blizzard on the spotlight, Downes said, they were surprised that Blizzard reacted positively to the huge attention he has been receiving.
sa国际传媒淲e wanted a soft transition for him,sa国际传媒� said Downes. sa国际传媒淲e did not advertise it because theresa国际传媒檚 enough people coming through to give him enough stimulation in his new environment. We didnsa国际传媒檛 want to stress him too much. And luckily he responded amazingly. He was willing to come up to the front and interact with people almost immediately.sa国际传媒�
Blizzard, who earned the name for his snow-white feathers, came to the care of the NIWRC a year ago. He was on the brink of emaciation, unable to fly and had infected wounds all over his body. The centre nursed Blizzard back to a healthy state.
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Downes said theysa国际传媒檙e confident Blizzard has transitioned well in his new enclosure located in the public display area at the centre. The centre really wanted to share Blizzardsa国际传媒檚 beauty and splendor with the community.
sa国际传媒淰isitors are taken aback when they see Blizzard,sa国际传媒� said Downes. sa国际传媒淏lizzard is the star of the show. He has transitioned so nicely. I worked so hard with him during the winter to acclimate him to being more comfortable with people and things. And now he just comes up to the front. Certain people he really takes a liking to. Theresa国际传媒檚 been a couple of young folks that stand in front of him and they mimic each other back and forth. Hesa国际传媒檒l say sa国际传媒榟ellosa国际传媒� periodically. Hesa国际传媒檒l say sa国际传媒榞ood morningsa国际传媒� periodically because he is really good at mimicry.sa国际传媒�
The centre also has another white raven, Buddy, in its care. He was brought to the centre last June in very poor condition, malnourished and full of infections. It is also leucistic and cannot be released.
Downes said Buddy is making a quick recovery. His journey back to health, Downes said, is vastly different from Blizzardsa国际传媒檚.
sa国际传媒淪tress was very hard on Blizzard and was very susceptible to stress,sa国际传媒� said Downs. sa国际传媒淒espite the treatment, we take one step forward and one step back every time. Because wesa国际传媒檙e restraining him, tube-feeding him and many others. Theresa国际传媒檚 a certain stress level involved in that. But this new raven that came in was far worse condition than Blizzard was.sa国际传媒�
The experience and knowledge theysa国际传媒檝e gained in restoring Blizzard to health for a year, Downes said, helped them determine the treatment plan for Buddy. What accelerated Buddysa国际传媒檚 recovery, Downes said, was his personality.
sa国际传媒淗e jumped up to my arm unprompted and when he did that I said sa国际传媒榯his bird is a little different,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� said Downes. sa国际传媒淗e is a really special bird and is in the process of being glove-trained. So hopefully we can take this one step further.sa国际传媒�
It will be a rare event when both white ravens will be on display at the recover centre, said Downes.
The NIWRC has rescued over 20,000 birds and animals on Vancouver Island over the years. Located at 1240 Leffler Road in Errington, the centre is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you wish to donate to the NIWRC, and for more information, visit their website at
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