Eco-activists called to preserve the rehabilitation center "Zhemchuzhnaya" in Anapa.
Under the conditions of constant technogenic pressure on the Black Sea coast, closing the rehabilitation center for wild animals "Zhemchuzhnaya" in the village of Vityazevo in Anapa is unacceptable. If this center closes, the rescue of the affected fauna will effectively become a personal matter for individual enthusiasts who have neither resources nor medications, eco-activists pointed out.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 9, the rehabilitation center for wild animals "Zhemchuzhnaya" in Vityazevo, which provided assistance to birds affected by oil spills, announced that it was forced to urgently seek a new land plot and may close due to lack of funds.
On December 15, 2024, two tankers with oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. In addition, there was an oil spill, which led to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to a report from "Caucasian Knot" "Oil spill in the Kerch Strait". Materials on the consequences of the oil spill have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Ecological disaster in Kuban".
"Zhemchuzhnaya" specializes in the rehabilitation of wild birds
The reception of wild animals and birds affected by oil and other factors continues at the "Zhemchuzhnaya" center, and its possible closure threatens the lives of patients already undergoing rehabilitation, said eco-activist Anastasia Romanova. According to her, veterinary clinics in the city do not accept wild birds, and information about specialized assistance remains hard to access for residents.
The veterinary clinic stated that they only work with cats and dogs.
"Currently, the center is providing assistance to wild birds and animals that have been affected for various reasons, not just from oil. I had experience searching for a similar center in St. Petersburg and was surprised that there is only one for such a large city and region. I believe there should be more such facilities in the regions: animals suffer from both ecology and human actions," said Anastasia Romanova to a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
According to her, veterinary clinics in Anapa refuse to treat wild birds, accepting only domestic animals. Meanwhile, the Black Sea coast continues to face a constant risk of technogenic accidents and new oil spills.
"With constant drone attacks on oil depots, no one is safe from another spill. When a center has already been created and so much money and effort have been invested in it, not using it is simply a sin. Closing "Zhemchuzhnaya" will mean that there will be nowhere to take incoming birds. For those already undergoing treatment, transportation and temporary accommodation is a huge stress. The burden on other regions will increase, the cycle of rehabilitation and release into nature will cease," emphasized the activist.
She shared her personal experience of contacting the center after discovering an injured bird on the street in Anapa at night.
"There was a bird lying on the sidewalk: its wing was dislocated, its paw was bleeding, but it was breathing. Passersby shrugged their shoulders, saying there was nothing they could do to help. Taking it home without knowledge would mean certain death. We called a 24-hour veterinary clinic: they replied that they only work with cats and dogs and knew nothing about specialized centers. We only found information about the rehabilitation center through a neural network. We took the bird, kept it overnight, and in the morning brought it to "Zhemchuzhnaya". It turned out to be a little owl, listed in the Red Book. The bird was saved only thanks to the existence of the center," noted Anastasia Romanova.
According to data published in the community of the "Zhemchuzhnaya" center on the social network "VKontakte", since December 15, 2024, when the oil spill occurred in Kuban, specialists and volunteers from the center have saved, successfully rehabilitated, and returned to their natural habitat more than 1,500 birds, including rare and Red Book species. Currently, between 150 and 250 patients are constantly undergoing inpatient treatment and recovery at "Zhemchuzhnaya", ranging from severely intoxicated and injured individuals to birds that have undergone the washing stage from oil and are developing a water-repellent layer of feathers in pools. Compared to peak loads in spring, when over 650 birds were admitted weekly, the mass influx in summer has decreased.
"Caucasian Knot" currently does not have a comment from the staff of the "Zhemchuzhnaya" center. They declined to comment due to being busy with the move.
Activists shared their stories of saving birds
The "Zhemchuzhnaya" center is not just a social project, but a rare example of a functioning infrastructure that was literally created by the whole world, noted eco-activist Ilya Sergeev.
After a month and a half of rehabilitation, this bird was released into the sea before my eyes.
"When a major emergency occurs, such as an oil spill, government services are often unprepared to rescue wild fauna: they simply lack the appropriate regulations, specialists, and equipped sites. "Zhemchuzhnaya" has taken on this huge workload, uniting veterinarians, ecologists, and hundreds of concerned volunteers. Closing this facility will be a disaster for the entire coastal ecosystem. Such centers cannot simply be "paused" or quickly relocated without losses, as a complex base has been built here: special pools for washing off oil and restoring feather waterproofing, quarantine zones, an established feeding and medical care system. If the site ceases to exist, the region will be completely helpless in the face of the next ecological threat," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
Sergeev also shared his story of saving birds together with the center.
"My story of interaction with the center began this spring when my friends and I stumbled upon a grebe completely covered in oil on the beach near Vityazevo. The bird was so heavy and weak that it hardly resisted. We had no idea how to wash off the oil products without burning its skin or poisoning it with toxic fumes. At "Zhemchuzhnaya", they welcomed us immediately, provided instructions on the spot, and took the bird for a multi-stage washing process. After a month and a half of rehabilitation, this grebe was successfully ringed and released into the sea before my eyes," the activist recounted.
The main value of "Zhemchuzhnaya" lies in the fact that it performs a crucial educational and humanitarian function, emphasized eco-activist Victoria Arnautova.
"There is a huge demand in society for help with nature: people find injured or poisoned birds and often make mistakes: they feed them the wrong food, try to transport them incorrectly, or wash off oil with household chemicals, which only accelerates their death. The center has become a single coordination point where anyone can seek expert support. The existence of the center gives people hope and a real tool for interacting with the environment. If "Zhemchuzhnaya" is closed, we will not only lose veterinary assistance for birds but will also effectively state that the rescue of affected fauna is a personal matter for individual enthusiasts who have neither resources nor medications. Under the constant technogenic pressure on the Black Sea coast, this is an absolutely unacceptable step backward," she told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
Her personal experience of cooperation with the center began after she found a seagull with a broken wing and traces of oil pollution on its belly during a walk.
"City clinics immediately refused us, citing the lack of ornithologists and the risk of infections. Through social networks, we reached out to volunteers from "Zhemchuzhnaya", who not only agreed to accept the bird but also provided detailed advice on how to properly secure the wing for transportation. Then they saved the bird and brought it back to life," Victoria Arnautova recounted.
An analyst called the presence of "Zhemchuzhnaya" a matter of ecological safety
From an ecological point of view, "Zhemchuzhnaya" performs a critically important function for the biodiversity of the region, noted ecologist Valery Brinikh.
The liquidation or closure of such a base means the loss of unique experience and infrastructure.
"I can definitely say that the presence of such a specialized center in the coastal zone is a matter of ecological safety for the entire region. The Black Sea- Azov transit hub experiences enormous anthropogenic pressure, and the Black Sea regularly faces oil spills due to intense shipping and constant infrastructural activity. In such conditions, the absence of a specialized ornithological hospital base is a huge gap in the nature protection system.
The very existence of such a facility is critically important because rescuing birds affected by oil is not just about nursing individual animals back to health, but a complex technological process," he told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
The ecologist emphasized that ordinary veterinary medicine is powerless in such cases.
"When a region has a ready, functioning site with trained people, the response to any emergency situational threat happens instantly, rather than with a delay of several weeks when there is no one left to save. The liquidation or closure of such a base is not just the loss of a specific building, but the loss of unique experience and infrastructure, which cannot be quickly restored in the event of another major spill," Brinikh pointed out.