ALKIONI was established in 1995 in Paros as a non- profit Wildlife Care and Protection Association, aiming at:

• The Protection and re-integration in nature of all the wounded, weak or sick Wild Animals, which are treated at the Association’s hospital.
• The protection of the Fauna though the Environmental Training, the Awareness and the Collaboration of the citizens and the protection of biotopes by the collection of information and researches and through informative, state and when necessary legal procedures.

The ever increasing number of animals received and housed in ALKIONI during the three first years of its operation, created the need of expanding and moving into bigger premises. Alkioni was allotted a site of 12.60 square kilometers, which is located at the area of Kamares, in Paros, by the Monastery of Logovarda, which kindly offered this solution, for a symbolic rent, in order to build the new installations of the Association.

In the winter of 1997-98, the Association’s engineers and architects presented their ambitious plans of turning the site into one of the most organized and luxurious Wildlife Hospitals of Europe.

From March 1998, when works started, to June 2000, when ALKIONI’s new premises were finished, 112 volunteers worked in the site, who came to Paros for this purpose from all over the world.

Wildlife hospital

To the west of the hospital, there is a path that leads to the observatory, where from you can see the crippled water birds.

The visitors must know that the observatory is the only point, where from they can see some of the birds that are housed in ALKIONI. The only reason is that while in captivity, wild birds suffer from stress, which is maximized by the human presence and the human voice.

The space where crippled water birds are housed is a fenced area of 1,5 square kilometers, with an artificial lake of 35 square meters. This area also includes artificial galleries for the protection of the birds from the sunlight, the rain and the wind. In the spring of 1998, tens of fast growing trees were planted in this area, forming a small wood.

To the east of the abovementioned area, there is a fenced area of 800 square meters, where crippled sea-gulls are housed. This area also includes an artificial lake and many trees.

The biggest work – after the building – regarding the installations of ALKIONI in Paros, are the closed cages of 1000 square meters in area, which house all kinds of birds under treatment.

These 19 cages are specially constructed for each species they are going to house and their sizes vary from (6m. length X 3m. height X 2m. width) for small birds to (20m. length X 4 m. height X 6 m. width) for the big birds of prey, which are going to be released.

At the west side of the site, there are three wooden prefabricated storehouses, of 7X6 meters each.

From March of 1998 to this day, more than 600 trees have been planted in the site, while the only unplanted areas are those where the extensions of the building and cages are going to be constructed. In 2011, a photovoltaic park has been constructed in the Association’s site, which has been funded by the Stavros Niarchos foundation and covers all the energy needs of the installations.

Source: visitgreeceabove.com