Strikingly coloured owl arrives at the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Green Balkans for treatment

An extraordinary patient arrived to the Wildlife Rescue Centre thanks to cooperation with the Regional Inspectorate for the Environment and Water – Shumen. The X-rays at the Centre unfortunately revealed that the bird has multiple fractures on the digital bones of its right wing.

The respective treatment was applied immediately and the bird was taken to the rehabilitation section of the Centre. Here it will be under the care of leading veterinary experts on wild birds in the company of ten more feathered patients.

Why the name Nadezhda (‘Hope’)?
The Green Balkans team say the decision was spontaneous. They just remembered the white swallow, a symbol of hope, from a short story by Yordan Yovkov, a recognized Bulgarian writer. So they decided that they want the white owl to symbolize a better future too.

The bird arrived at the Centre of Green Balkans at a crucial point when the conservation of our beautiful nature is under threat yet again; the entire conservationist community in Bulgaria is shocked by blatant violations on many levels against our priceless nature.

The Green Balkans team at the Centre likes to think of Nadezhda as a sign that Bulgarian conservationists are doing the right thing and that there is still hope for victory in the name of the Bulgarian nature.

The following days will pose a serious challenge for Nadezhda and the vets at the Centre. We will keep you updated about the condition of our extravagant patient.

The article uses data from a publication by Hein van Grouw, Collectiebeheerder, Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum Naturalis.