The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre now has a second white raven under its care.

The rare young bird was found in Errington in very poor condition and was brought to the centre for assistance. It is now the second white raven residing at the centre, which last year admitted raven 鈥楤lizzard鈥� for rehabilitation.

A release issued by the NIWRA said the bird was malnourished and full of infection but thanks to the lessons learned and the blueprint for care developed by the centre鈥檚 animal care team while rehabilitating Blizzard, the raven has responded well.

Unfortunately it is leucistic (a genetic abnormality) and cannot be released. But according to the NIWRA, he has an outgoing personality and seems to enjoy human interaction, which makes him a great candidate to be trained as an ambassador.

鈥淪tay tuned for his name,鈥� read the release. 鈥淚t will represent his personality.鈥�

The sacred white ravens are iconic in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area and NIWRA is honoured to play a role in their story.

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The centre also recently welcomed a bear cub which got lost and separated from its mother. It entered a house through a cat door and gave the owners of the home quite a surprise.

A search for the mother bear was conducted but was unsuccessful. The cub, which weighed only 13 pounds, was taken to the centre for assessment, stabilization and rehabilitation.

Small cubs are fed a special formula containing yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, eggs, milk for bears, puppy food and nutritional supplements. Fruits and vegetables are added to the diet as the cub grows.

The cub will stay at centre until its release back into the wild in 2023.

鈥� NEWS Staff, submitted

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