Volgograd volunteers fight for white heron's life

The white heron was delivered from Astrakhan to Volgograd on January 23 in extremely critical condition. The bird was injured as a result of hunting, and now specialists from the «Bird Island» rehabilitation center are handling its fate.

The center«s head, Alina Yerina, said that volunteers reported the lifting of the ban on white herons, since they were excluded from the Red Book as a species of no concern. »It was a revelation for me to learn that some individuals eat not only swans but also herons,« Yerina noted. »Unfortunate people are starving.« According to her, during the hunt, ten birds were shot, and only one survived.

Alina Yerina expressed a sharply negative attitude towards hunters: «We always have an extremely negative attitude towards hunters, because most of the birds come to us in shot condition, even red-listed sea eagles. And although they say that someone controls something among hunters, we have nothing to love them for yet.»

The heron«s condition raises serious concerns. Its head is pierced, neck shot off, and leg broken. The bird is severely emaciated, suffering from a bacterial infection and diarrhea. Previously, it was fed soaked cat food. Due to the critical condition, radiography cannot be performed yet.

Despite the injuries, volunteers hope to release the heron in the spring. «Now we are injecting it, fighting with food, because everything we give it, it successfully spits out,» Yerina explained. «Its condition is still unstable, and the prognosis is cautious.» Specialists are making every effort to rehabilitate the bird.

Recall that earlier in the Volgograd region, a lame swan was rescued, which had been wandering for two weeks in the vicinity of the village of Novy Rogachik. The bird was helped by a married couple, after which the swan ended up in Volgograd and even acquired a «foster» chick.