An Injured "Sacred White Raven" Owes His Life To A Kind Samaritan Who Found And Rescued It

These ravens have been dubbed "the sacred white ravens of Oceanside"

Maryjane

• Published in Animal Stories
• October 8, 2022

A white raven was discovered by a resident of Errington, British Columbia, and he could not believe his eyes. The man first noticed the strange-looking bird while standing in a field outside of the city.

He saw the young raven's wounds right away. The helpless bird's feet were covered in wounds, and it was unable to fly.

The good-hearted man hurried it to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Center right away. Even the rescue center's staff was taken aback when such a rare bird was presented to them.

The bird's grave state was, however, their main concern. Due to the fact that its wounds appeared to be worse than they thought, they feared for its life.

The Wildlife Recovery Centre's Derek Downes told THE DODO that these ravens have been dubbed "the sacred white ravens of Oceanside." "Unfortunately, there’s only been one that’s made it through its first winter," she said. 

The raven was transported right away to the intensive care unit because its condition was critical and it couldn't even eat. There, they gave it vitamins to help it recover its strength as well as medication to treat its wounds.

A resident of Errington, British Columbia, could not believe his eyes when came across a white raven

Thankfully, the rare bird responded quite well to the treatment, and he is currently making a full recovery. The recovery center personnel are extremely hopeful he will survive, even if it will take some time before he can return to the wild. 

Since the raven’s condition was critical as it wasn’t even able to eat, it was immediately taken to the intensive care unit

"We’re up in the Pacific Northwest, and he is a really important raven to the original stewards of the land here—in particular, the Northern Nations," Downes said. "There’s a lot of cultural significance that goes along with that," Downes added. 

The raven is being cared for at the sanctuary where staff members are working to strengthen his immune system, enhance the integrity of his feathers, and provide him with an enclosure with lots of cover so he may avoid damaging UV rays. He also has a ton of games and puzzles to keep his mind active. 

The raven’s uncommon feathers coloring is due to a genetic condition called leucism

The length of time this special raven must stay at the sanctuary is unknown, but he will enjoy four-star treatment while he is there. Downes says the raven is in excellent body shape right now, and he flies a little bit in his enclosure.

"Really, really hoping we’re going to have some success with this one." 

Downes clarified that it's truly a leucistic raven.

"His body condition now is fantastic, and he flies a little bit in his enclosure"

"It does have a little bit of melanin; it’s not a true albino, which lacks all melanin. Unfortunately, these ravens seem to have a very compromised immune system."

The leucism gene is responsible for the raven's unusual feather coloration. Unfortunately, this extremely rare occurrence can also affect his eyesight or, worse yet, his immune system.

It doesn't just affect the color of his feathers. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Maryjane