Whether birds of prey, owls, hedgehogs or turtles, the OWL & BIRDS OF PREY RESCUE STATION Haringsee in Austria helps diverse wild animals in distress. Apart from offering first aid, the Haringsee team deals with the rearing, rehabilitation and release of owls and birds of prey. Animals that sadly can no longer be released into the wild due to health reasons, find a lifelong home at the sanctuary in an animal-friendly environment.

In 2019, OWL & BIRDS OF PREY RESCUE STATION Haringsee, run by FOUR PAWS since 2016, was able to help 1,851 animals. Where possible, all the young owls and birds of prey were raised by foster parents of their species and 90 percent were released back into the wild. The sanctuary is the only care unit in Austria in which young bird foundlings can be raised by foster mothers of the same bird species, in other words, in a natural family group. In this way, the harmful consequences of hand-rearing can be avoided. European pond terrapins, bats, hares, hedgehogs and other small mammals are also frequent patients at the sanctuary where they are cared for by experts and, when possible, released back into nature.

The OWL & BIRDS OF PREY RESCUE STATION Haringsee is the only care unit in Austria where bird foster parents are used for rearing native owls and birds of prey. The sanctuary plays a pioneering role in this field. Rearing the birds by hand is avoided in order to prevent human imprinting. Besides rearing owls and birds of prey in need, the sanctuary maintains high standards in its aviaries and has specially designed the birds' habitats because, unfortunately, not all animals can be returned to the wild. Birds that are unable to fly due to serious injury remain at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives. For this reason, Haringsee maintains quiet aviaries with minimum disturbance through human contact. In the aviaries, the birds have numerous opportunities to withdraw just like in the wild. Nocturnal species are given special attention. In addition, the birds live in pairs, as is the nature of these monogamous animals. Naturally, the trained staff make sure to provide feed suited to each species and sufficient nesting places. 

The OWL & BIRDS OF PREY RESCUE STATION Haringsee, founded in 1975, has an area of 12,000 square meters. The animals are cared for by a dedicated team led by Scientific Director Dr. Hans Frey. FOUR PAWS has supported the shelter since 2010 and has been the owner since 2016.

Read more on the official (German) website or follow their daily work on Facebook.