Donation Respect Animals July 2021 : LPO
Between October 2019 and November 2020, we have collected 1500€ as part of our Respect Animals program. We have decided to benefit three structures working for animal protection with a donation of 500€ for each of them.
Thus, we donated 500€ to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes League for the Protection of Birds (LPO AuRA). For more than 100 years, the LPO has been acting in favor of biodiversity on the whole territory and especially in the region where we are located. According to the league, its mission is “to act for nature and biodiversity, with all the citizens and all the actors of the society, to ensure the safeguard of the wild species and the preservation of their habitats”. Even if it mainly helps birds, its field of action has been extended to other species such as hedgehogs, reptiles or the boreal lynx.
With the help of its 120 employees and 1100 volunteers, the LPO AuRA is committed to the protection of threatened species and biodiversity. An important work of sensitization and information is also engaged, allowing an awareness among all the actors of the territory. In the whole region, there is a rescue center, located in Clermont Ferrand. It helps injured birds and provides them with care until they are ready to return to their natural environment.
Interview of Adrien CORSI, in charge of the LPO Aura's rescue center.
Can you present your structure?
The Safeguarding Center was formally structured in 1995. Two of us work there full time, assisted by one part-time person. In addition to that, we can count on about twenty volunteers, ten of whom were very active this summer, which is a very precious help.
What are your missions?
Our main mission is to care for the animals and accompany them in their rehabilitation before they are released into their natural habitat. In addition, we take care of the telephone reception and social networks in order to answer questions about wildlife in distress. Finally, another of our activities is mediation: we talk a lot with people disturbed by the presence of birds by explaining them the functioning of the latter so that the cohabitation is done as well as possible. As a reminder, it is forbidden to harm birds by damaging their integrity or destroying their nests. We conduct awareness campaigns and remind people of the law.
Our missions being diverse, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile everything. The care of the birds being our priority, when the number of residents of the refuge explodes, we have less time to devote to other activities. May, June and July are the busiest months.
On what perimeter do you act?
We act on the whole territory of Auvergne. Our perimeter being very large, we receive many animals and work a lot from a logistic point of view, to transport the birds to Clermont Ferrand in particular.
What are the resources of the Center? What are the donations received for?
The Centre de Sauvegarde relies on donations from individuals and partnerships with companies that sometimes provide us with food. In addition, every year we organize an “operation sunflower”: this consists of selling organic and local sunflower seeds in the region. Each year, about 45 tons are sold, with the profits going directly to the Center’s financial needs.
The donations received, and in particular the one from Animoz, will be used directly to finance the needs of the Rescue Center: operating costs, food, care equipment, physical equipment such as aviaries etc.
Can you tell us about your last intervention to rescue an animal?
We rescued a common buzzard that got stuck in barbed wire. We had to treat the torn tissues, disinfect and apply healing creams. Once the wounds are healed, we now have to wait for the feathers to grow back before we can release it in its natural environment. It is very important to keep the wild character of the animals, not to accustom them to the man.
Do you have anything to add?
We are always in need of volunteers. If people wish to invest themselves, they are welcome. They can become volunteer carers or transporters by contacting us directly at the Centre de Sauvegarde, by SMS (04 73 27 06 09) or on the site of the LPO (in the links below).
Visit of the LPO Safeguarding Center, our feeling
On August 12, 2021, we visited the Centre de Sauvegarde pour Oiseaux Sauvages (CSOS) in Clermont Ferrand. According to its figures, in 2019, the latter welcomed “2685 birds (a record) of 97 different species, 25 of which are threatened according to the IUCN regional red list. 62% of the animals were welcomed between May and July (1664 birds). More than 1,823 mediation-counseling files were processed, 80% of which concerned animals in distress. At the time of the visit, 240 animals were in the rescue center for treatment.
The work done by the employees and volunteers is precious, they allow thousands of injured or distressed birds to be treated before being released. If you wish to participate in the safeguarding of these species, you can act via donations or volunteer work.