Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

Every day, wild animals are injured and even killed because of the impact of human activities. Some of injured animals arrive at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center – ACDB from Petrești, a place where we are trying to keep them alive, improve their physical integrity and ability to survive, and reintroduce them into natural habitats. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was established by ACDB in 2007 on the site of the former Zoo in Petrești, a few kilometers from Focsani. It is the first authorized center in Romania and is specialized in treating and rehabilitating several species of wild animals in difficulty.

At the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, injured animals arrive because of dramatic situations that endanger their lives. Veterinarians, biologists and volunteers sometimes perform miracles: to restore the locomotor capacity of a bear cub with the amputated paw by a train, to feed two orphaned lynx cubs, to feed at every two hours a newborn deer, or remove the shots (pellets) from the wing of a shot bird. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center froom Focșani, is one of the most efficient places where a wild animal can be rehabilitated.

Professional staff (veterinarians, biologists, wildlife specialists, etc.) as well volunteers dedicate passionately they free time for the center activities. They are involved in daily management and maintenance activities, so that from one month to another we manage to improve the survival and rehabilitation rate for wildlife. We strongly believe that, together, we can improve the life-saving process of endangered animals!

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is authorized for the rehabilitation of wildlife at national level. However, the operational procedures for rapid intervention in certain serious cases, and the intervention time required for traveling over very long distances is a factor to be taken into account in assuming some cases. In this context, for operationality, the Center will prioritize the interventions at regional level and the cases located near other rehabilitation centers will be directed to them.

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was established by ACDB in 2007 on the site of the former zoological garden at Crângul Petrești, a few kilometers from Focsani. The center, the first authorized in Romania, specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of several species of wild animals in difficulty.

The access is made on the European Road E85, until the roundabout from the intersection with the County Road DJ204E and then another 1Km on the Communal Road DC144.

OBJECTIVES:

Excluding natural causes, patients arrive at the center because of road accidents, collisions with anthropogenic structures or as a result of cruelty human acts towards animals.

Decreasing the anthropogenic impact on wildlife has become a pressing necessity, in the context of deforestation, economic activities, expansion of human settlements in the detriment of the natural habitat of animals, etc. Awareness raise of the role of humans in rescuing, treating and, where possible, reintroducing the animals into their natural habitats is a very important step in restoring the balance of forces between human impact and nature.

The aim of the center is to rehabilitate injured or sick wild animals and to release them to their natural environment. At the same time, the center aims to contribute to educating the general public about how to act when they find wild animals in difficulty.

HOW TO ACT IF YOU FIND A WILD ANIMAL IN DIFFICULTY

If you find a sick or injured animal, ask the ACDB Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Focșani, Vrancea County on the phone numbers: 0731 357 850/0727 559024/0731471042/0720108038 or call the unique emergency service 112 which will direct you to your nearest specialized unit.

Signs that an animal is sick or injured:
• Has obvious wounds or bleeding
• Breathing problems
• Difficulty keeping the head up
• Difficulty or inability to stand
• Flight problems for birds
• Signs of neurological trauma, such as seizures or walking in a circle

Capturing and transporting the animal

Never approach an animal without first consulting a wildlife specialist. Even small animals can produce serious injuries. If you have been bitten by a wild animal, look for medical care immediately.

Unless you get other indications, here’s what to do while you wait for the help to come:
• Put the animal in a transport cage/box. If using a cardboard box, make small holes for air to enter (not while the animal is in the box). Line the bottom of the box with a towel (or other thick textile) or newspapers.
• Wear gloves when handling wild animals, they can transmit diseases.
• Keep the animal in a quiet environment and transport it to the nearest vet or to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center.
• It is very important that during handling and transport the animal is in a safe and quiet place. The animals are already scared, and the extra stress can aggravate their medical condition.

SOME OF THE SUCCESSFUL STORES

The chain and the thick harness kept him tied many days to a pole of a sunny shed. The sun burned him, the children in the village tormented out of curiosity, and fear caused him to sit for hours with his head bowed, without the hope that he would ever see the forest again. This is how we found this little bear cub, so we took it and took care of it at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Focșani to restore its health and the dignity of symbol of the Carpathian mountains.

A young cub, previously cared for by colleagues at the Foundation ”Visul Luana”, entered a rehabilitation program and was released into the natural environment when it was able to handle itself. His story is a rather sad one, being found in a bag on the side of a road, along with another cub that unfortunately did not survive.

Birds, from goldfinches to vultures, and from storks to the long eared owls! These animals are part of our daily activities as patients! Many are orphaned progeny, fallen from nests, but we also have many birds electrocuted on power lines or victims of road accidents. All can find shelter, silence and food in our center.

Two orphan lynxes returned to their natural habitat after adequate rehabilitation over two years. The two lynx cubs (Tihuța and Fulger) were released in the Vrancea Mountains wearing a satellite transmission collar to reveal their position daily and how much they move in the natural habitats.

Lenon the otther, a cub brutally separated from its parents, was raised by us, approaching innovative rehabilitation techniques through the reconstruction in captivity of environmental spaces similar to those of nature!

Rehabilitation of the “Pistrui” lynx – the lynx arrived at the center when he was a small kitten and was released in the Vrancea mountain area 2 years after, becoming the first lynx in Romania and the first case of it`s kind for which there is success data in Europe.

Red deer and roe deer are frequent customers of the Center! It’s not a month not to have a new ruminant patient! Fortunately, they have a very generous space and well sheltered under shady trees, and we provide them with treatment and food.

An orphan bear cub came to us from the Naruja Forestry Department with the help of the horse riding sports club “Caballus” also from Naruja. After a short visit through the veterinarian’s office and a restful night, he was transferred to the Center for orphan bear cubs in Balan, Harghita county. There he learned to survive in the wild until he was 2 years old, after that he was relocated in the forests of the Vrancea Mountains.

A patient full of energy! It’s a fox raised in an apartment in Focșani. We can take this case as a negative example, a situation in which, although there are the best intentions of people taking the animal from the nature, the lack of knowledge about the diet of the animal can lead to different diseases, our fox reaching the center with a mild form of rickets.

A new patient of the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife – ACDB has successfully passed the process of care and rehabilitation. Arrived and exhausted and injured, this young mute swan is now enjoying freedom in the company of other swans on Lake Ciușlea.

DONATE!

In the villages near the center, in Biliești and Vânători have been installed segmental boxes with a unidirectional system in which the people who want to help the animals in difficulty, can donate different cereals. If you have the opportunity to donate a quantity of cereals or other food for wild animals (concentrated grains, fruits or hay) please contact us at phone number 0731471042 or email office@acdb.ro and a team from us will ensure their transportation.

COME AS A VOLUNTEER!

If you love nature and you want to help save and rehabilitate wild animals, then you are in the right place! Volunteer at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center! The center’s location is Petrești, Vrancea County. To register, you can find us on the phone number 0731471042 or email office@acdb.ro.

Other ways to get involved in saving wildlife can be found HERE.

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