Regional Government of the Azores creates Wild Birds Recovery Centre in the three island groups of the archipelago
During the presentation of the project for the construction of the Wild Birds Recovery Centre at the Santa Luzia Forest Park on Pico Island, the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment revealed that a similar structure will be built on the island of São Miguel by the end of 2015, thus providing all island groups with the same type of response.
Luís Neto Viveiros stressed that, besides the centre already built on the island of Corvo, the new spaces fall within the goals set by the Government under the Nature Conservation policies. Their mission is to support the recovery and rehabilitation of terrestrial birds and seabirds as well as their adequate and safe release into the wild.
In this context, the centre will be built at Santa Luzia Forest Park in partnership between the Regional Directorates for the Environment and for Forest Resources and with the technical support of SPEA. The project aims to expand the annex to the "Casa do Guarda" (Ranger's House) to install a treatment room, a quarantine zone and a kitchen, among other services.
With a budget of about 50 thousand Euros, this project also includes the construction of outdoor cages and a flight tunnel.
Throughout the year, several animals are found injured either due to natural causes or due to human activities, such as being run over by vehicles, colliding with electrical wires and poaching.
During the "SOS Cagarro" (SOS Corey's Shearwater) campaign, the referral of wounded birds and the provision of veterinarian care are necessary and frequent.