Rehabilitation aviaries for threatened birds of prey

Set up in 1986, the Dame Blanche association runs a wildlife protection center. Volunteers bring in injured animals, which receive treatment and, when fully recovered, are released back into the wild.

Faced with a growing number of injured animals (nearly 1000 per year), the association needs to provide appropriate facilities for the various species brought in. In order to finance the protection center, an animal park, with an admission charge, has been opened.

Birds are a special case, as they are isolated in small, individual pens while receiving medical care. Once the treatment is completed, they need to be able to fly so as to strengthen their wing muscles.

Fondation Ensemble has helped fund the construction of two rehabilitation aviaries for threatened species (in particular, the little owl and the osprey). These aviaries will enable the birds treated at the conservation center to be rehabilitated (through strengthening of their wing muscles, in particular) in optimal conditions.

• The aviary for large raptors is 25 meters long, 9 meters wide and 4 meters high, allowing the birds to learn to fly, land and build up their muscles. The bird handlers have installed a perch at either end of the aviary so that the birds can fly a distance of several meters.
• The aviary for little owls is adapted to this species, one of the smallest birds of prey. The fine mesh netting above the aviary prevents the birds from flying away before they are fully recovered.