Romanian woman sets up bird sanctuary in Timisoara, saves hundreds of birds

A 35-year-old woman from the city of Timisoara, in Western Romania, has set up a bird sanctuary on a land plot in the city, saving the life of hundreds of birds so far.

Silvia Moldovan set up the Sepale sanctuary ten years ago, local Mediafax reported. More than 700 injured or sick birds are being cared for at this shelter, among them pigeons, crows, common magpies, Eurasian jays, sparrows, common blackbirds and domesticated birds.

The young woman takes care of all the birds in the sanctuary, but she also receives weekly help from volunteers. Moreover, people who bring here other birds that need help also contribute with donations.

The wild birds are released once they get better, but the pigeons (which make up for more than half of the total birds at Sepale) are not released once they are healed because the young woman believes there are already enough pigeons flying around the city of Timisoara.

“Pigeons stay with me because the idea is not to overpopulate the city but to reduce their number in the city to ensure a healthier population,” Silvia Moldovan told Mediafax.

The young woman wants to set up a bigger park for the birds in the future, one that would stretch over at least three hectares. She is currently looking for a land plot for this new project.

(Photo source: Facebook/Sepale; photo by Josepha Blanchet)**