The project for a care center dedicated to wildlife in the Pyrénées-Orientales is one of the winners of the participatory budget launched by the Occitanie region. Each year, nearly 3,000 injured animals are brought to the volunteers of the Catalan association La Charbonnière.
The animals collected are mainly birds such as gulls, swifts, doves, sparrows and, more rarely, large birds of prey. “As for mammals, we collect around 200 hedgehogs per year, accidentally injured or infected,” adds Marc Delabre. If funding follows as planned, the president of La Char Bonnière hopes that work can begin in early 2025. The start of work is expected to begin in 2025, with the aim of opening the center by the end of the 20th century, if all goes to plan. The project is being funded by the My Citizen Region program, and is being led by the Catalan nature protection association.