Rare white raven being nursed back to health on Vancouver Island

A rare white raven is being treated at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre for multiple puncture wounds, which experts say have come from an eagle attack.

The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIRWC) is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates injured or abandoned animals from the rainforest region, including orphaned black bear cubs and eagles.

It’s not the first white raven the NIRWC has rehabilitated; in fact, the centre is currently caring for two others, Buddy and Blizzard, who have been in the care of NIWRC for over two years now.

According to Derek Downes, the animal care supervisor at NIWRC, the rare white raven has been observed in the Oceanside area of Parksville and Qualicum Beach since the ’90s.

“People have heard about the sacred white raven of Oceanside, but up until we started caring for them, people couldn’t see them,” Downes told Daily Hive. “We certainly are the biggest hotspot [in the world] for white ravens.”

It’s quite rare for white ravens to make it past winter, and the most recent bird is the only one they’ve observed make it past autumn.

“They’re all dealing with repercussions of genetic abnormalities,” Downes said. “But luckily, we’ve been able to treat each of their wounds and rehabilitate them, including the most recent white raven.”

Why are they white?

Ravens are some of the darkest birds out there. Their white colour is due to a lack of melanin, the substance in the body that creates skin pigmentation. Melanin, the experts say, helps keep ravens’ wings strong, protects them from UV light, and helps them thermoregulate.

“They have a compromised immune system, and they don’t handle superficial wounds very well, and unfortunately, there’s not a whole heap of research done on them.”

Experts speculate that two sets of parents are producing these rare white ravens in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area. But white ravens have also been observed in Alaska.

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Unfortunately, the thing that makes them so beautiful and rare also makes it a challenge for them to survive. “Although we revere them, make no bones about it, it’s not beneficial for them to have this condition.”

According to Downes, the white ravens they are rehabilitating will likely be permanent residents at the NIWRC. “They haven’t shown the ability to survive or thrive in the wild,” he said.

Luckily, their quality of life appears much better than what it was in the wild with both Buddy and Blizzard.

“We designed an enclosure specifically for [Blizzard], and we’ve thought about the ethical implications of putting a bird on display,” Downes said. “But he blew everybody away. He was so comfortable and so engaging with the public.”

Buddy is glove-trained, interacting with people in an even more intimate way.

“Buddy came in far worse conditions,” Downes said. “But his personality and perseverance really shines through. That’s why we chose to foster that willingness to be around people.”

The money spent by visitors allows the centre to keep caring for new injured and sick animals that come in.