Hi, my name is Elle, and I am raising funds towards a small exotic animal sanctuary in Barcelona; A cause close to my heart. I am an Irish student who has been working an internship in Barcelona for one year now, as part of my placement year.

One month ago, I found a little injured pigeon on my street. I watched as everyone walked by, and I didn’t understand how everyone could ignore it. She was very poorly and was not moving. Her eyes were covered with crust. I cleaned her eyes, and gave her water. She was very dehydrated after spending the day stuck in the hot sun. She was covered in flies which I also washed away. I took her home and made her comfortable on my balcony. She stayed here overnight. She had no interest in food. the next morning her eye crust was back, and she was throwing up fluid. I took her to the vet. She stayed there for 2 nights and was like a different bird when I got her back.

They cleaned her, dewormed her, and checked her for common infections and diseases. She was female and just 3 weeks old. She likely had been hit by a car and stunned. She received some stitches and was prescribed a 10 day antibiotic.

After regaining her health, it was time to her to move to a place with suitable facilities for a bird. I found a sanctuary that took her in. This sanctuary is amazing and dedicated to help all small animals, even those who are disregarded from society like rats, pigeons and mice. The woman runs it completely from her back garden. I have decided to not name the sanctuary as pigeons are seen as ‘vermin’ and ‘pests’ in Barcelona, and it is not permitted to keep them as pets, or have them living on your property. She told me that she has been reported before by neighbours for looking after these animals. I would not want her to get in any further trouble.

This cause is close to my heart as I am a massive animal lover, and do not think any innocent creature should be is treated by society. This woman truly devotes all her spare time to helping the lives of the innocent, and being a voice for the voiceless.

She does it solely from her own money and donations. I have set up a go fund me to raise money towards the upkeep of the sanctuary and care of the animals. If you can even spare £1 towards the cause, that is still a huge help, as that is the price of a bag of bird seed.

Thanks for your support,

Elle