Rare white raven, bear cubs recovering at Vancouver Island wildlife centre
The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRC) in Errington is currently caring for a rare white raven and a pair of orphaned bear cubs.
NIWRC says the juvenile white raven came into the centre last week after it was found on the ground and unable to fly in the Oceanside area. It's one of only a handful of white ravens that have been cared for at the centre over the past 30 years.
The centre says typically white ravens have a compromised immune system and don’t make it to adulthood.
"We are hoping that in a captive situation we can overcome these hurdles," said Derek Downes, an animal care technician at NIWRC. "Get it’s immune system firing on a strong level, then perhaps we'll be able to succeed with this one."
The white raven is considered sacred to the Oceanside region and some have been spotted in the area off and on for several years.
It’s not clear what causes the white pigmentation of the ravens seen in the area, but it’s believed to be a recessive gene passed on by the black raven parents.
Meanwhile, NIWRC is caring for two sibling bears who were picked up by conservation officers near Woss, B.C. earlier this week after their mother had died.
The two bear cubs and are in good condition and are eating on their own, according to the animal centre.
The cubs were born in February and their prognosis looks very good to be released back into the wild next year.
"They’ll be in our care until probably next June," said Robin Campbell, founder and operations manager of NIWRC. "It’s going to be a journey and they’re going to have to pass many, many tests before they go home."
The recovery centre will have things come full circle in a couple of weeks when the three black bears they took in last year are expected to be released.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.