W.ou.nded 'sacred' white crow owes his life to Good Samaritan

A resident in Errington, British Columbia, couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a white raven. The man was in a field outside the city when he spotted the strange-looking bird. He immediately noticed the injured raven. The bird was desperate to fly, with w.ou.nded legs, so the kind man rushed it to the North Island Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Even the staff of the rescue center were surprised that such a rare bird was brought to them. But besides that, they feared for its life when its w.ou.nd looked worse than they thought.

“These ravens have been dubbed the ‘sacred white ravens of Oceanside,'” Derek Downes from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center said. “Unfortunately, only one made it through the first winter.”

Since the raven’s condition was critical because it couldn’t even eat, it was immediately taken to the intensive care unit. There, they gave him antibiotics to heal his w.ou.nds and vitamins to help him regain his strength. Fortunately, the rare bird responded very well to the medicine, and right now, he is on his way to recover. Although it will be some time until he can return to nature, the staff at the rehabilitation center are very confident that he will make it through.

“His physical condition is excellent now, and he’s flying a bit in his enclosure,” Downes said. “Really, really hope we’ll be successful with this one.”

The uncommon feathers coloring is caused by a genetic condition known as leucism. Unfortunately, this rare incident not only affects his feather pigmentation but can also affect his eyesight or, even worse, his immune system.

“It really is a leucistic crow,” explained Downes. It has a little bit of melanin. It’s not a true albino. It lacks all melanin. Unfortunately, these ravens seem to have a very compromised immune system.”