Professor from Altai State University took an owl from the maternity hospital

Altai State University students are invited to suggest a name for the newest feathered resident of the laboratory of the Altai-Falcon rare bird nursery.

A heartwarming incident took place on April 17 when Lidia Mendel, Head of the Altai State University Rare Bird Nursery, received a message about a young owl that had been found by workers at Maternity Hospital No. 5 in Barnaul. The bird had collided with the window glass and lost its consciousness due to fright. The compassionate medical staff of the maternity hospital, who had been familiar with the university’s rare bird nursery through media coverage, immediately decided to reach out to the scientists to save the bird.

Professor Sergei Snigirev immediately responded to the request.

He shares the story with a smile:

“Everyone in the maternity hospital is given envelopes with babies, but I was given a box with a frightened bird, which appeared to be a male Tawny Owl, the bird had been hit hard and required  immediate care. We placed it in one of the enclosures; the bird was in a state of shock for a long time and even refused to eat. However, by the morning it came to its senses and ate the food with appetite. Our renowned owl Pushinka immediately showed great interest in the new resident, and we decided to keep the bird in our nursery to potentially create a pair of these cute birds. Now we need to come up with a name for the rescued owl. We are inviting students, teachers and staff of Altai State University to exercise their creativity and imagination by suggesting an original nickname for Pushinka’s future mate.”

You can submit your ideas as comments on the university’s official Telegram account. The winner will receive a personal excursion to the rare bird nursery and will be able to take a photo with Pushinka and her new companion.