The rare white raven, Blizzard, has taken Vancouver Island鈥檚 North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRC) by storm.
Since being brought out to the public for viewing two weeks ago, the leucistic juvenile bird has become a huge attraction that many visitors are eager to see.
Animal care supervisor Derek Downes said they have been extremely careful not to expose Blizzard to the public too soon. They wanted to do it gradually. But since they鈥檝e started to put Blizzard on the spotlight, Downes said, they were surprised that Blizzard reacted positively to the huge attention he has been receiving.
鈥淲e wanted a soft transition for him,鈥� said Downes. 鈥淲e did not advertise it because there鈥檚 enough people coming through to give him enough stimulation in his new environment. We didn鈥檛 want to stress him too much. And luckily he responded amazingly. He was willing to come up to the front and interact with people almost immediately.鈥�
Blizzard, who earned the name for his snow-white feathers, came to the care of the NIWRC a year ago. He was on the brink of emaciation, unable to fly and had infected wounds all over his body. The centre nursed Blizzard back to a healthy state.
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Downes said they鈥檙e confident Blizzard has transitioned well in his new enclosure located in the public display area at the centre. The centre really wanted to share Blizzard鈥檚 beauty and splendor with the community.
鈥淰isitors are taken aback when they see Blizzard,鈥� said Downes. 鈥淏lizzard is the star of the show. He has transitioned so nicely. I worked so hard with him during the winter to acclimate him to being more comfortable with people and things. And now he just comes up to the front. Certain people he really takes a liking to. There鈥檚 been a couple of young folks that stand in front of him and they mimic each other back and forth. He鈥檒l say 鈥榟ello鈥� periodically. He鈥檒l say 鈥榞ood morning鈥� periodically because he is really good at mimicry.鈥�
The centre also has another white raven, Buddy, in its care. He was brought to the centre last June in very poor condition, malnourished and full of infections. It is also leucistic and cannot be released.
Downes said Buddy is making a quick recovery. His journey back to health, Downes said, is vastly different from Blizzard鈥檚.
鈥淪tress was very hard on Blizzard and was very susceptible to stress,鈥� said Downs. 鈥淒espite the treatment, we take one step forward and one step back every time. Because we鈥檙e restraining him, tube-feeding him and many others. There鈥檚 a certain stress level involved in that. But this new raven that came in was far worse condition than Blizzard was.鈥�
The experience and knowledge they鈥檝e gained in restoring Blizzard to health for a year, Downes said, helped them determine the treatment plan for Buddy. What accelerated Buddy鈥檚 recovery, Downes said, was his personality.
鈥淗e jumped up to my arm unprompted and when he did that I said 鈥榯his bird is a little different,鈥欌�� said Downes. 鈥淗e is a really special bird and is in the process of being glove-trained. So hopefully we can take this one step further.鈥�
It will be a rare event when both white ravens will be on display at the recover centre, said Downes.
The NIWRC has rescued over 20,000 birds and animals on Vancouver Island over the years. Located at 1240 Leffler Road in Errington, the centre is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you wish to donate to the NIWRC, and for more information, visit their website at
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