How you can help

When you find an animal in distress

If you find a sick, injured or orphaned animal, your best first step is to contact a wildlife rehabilitator. You can call the National Wildlife Centre at 416-577-4372. “We cannot admit animals right now, but we can certainly give advice,” says NWC veterinarian Sherri Cox. “Or you could call any wildlife rehabilitator by going to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.” See ontario.ca/page/ find-wildlife-rehabilitator.

Cox also advises, “Members of the public should not care for these animals on their own. It is not legal to do so. Wildlife rehabilitators have the training and expertise to properly care for wild animals. Feeding an improper diet or housing the animal without knowing the natural history of that species could lead to detrimental outcomes. Wildlife rehabilitators work with their veterinarian to obtain appropriate medications based on the animal’s ailment.”

Cox also says you should avoid speaking to the animal. “We have a rule in our hospital that if the animal a fish hook. Birds aren’t like mammals; they don’t have a diaphragm separating the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. They have air sacs and all kinds of weird things. When I went in surgically, I could actually feel the heart beating on my fingers. It was a long surgery, but the bird did great and was released.

Now we do more advanced surgeries on what normally would have been a death sentence for some of these birds. We had a turkey vulture with an old fracture that healed crookedly, so the bird couldn’t fly. We’ve had red-tailed hawks too. Now we can refracture, pin and heal. That vulture was flying beautifully after a couple of months. We have a lot of those stories.

ITH : How can people help? What can people do to help you?

SC : Well, honestly, the biggest thing we need right now is financial support to build this hospital. The sooner we can get a hospital, the more animals we’ll be able to help, whether it’s, you know, “I have found a baby bird” or “I just found an animal hit by a car.” We can help, but we need the hospital. That’s our greatest need. That’s what keeps me up at night.

Tony Reynolds is a freelance writer who lives in Orangeville.

Become a rehabilitator

The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association offers a basic skills training course. Based in the United States, it is just beginning to offer the course in Canada, and Cox is authorized trainer.

“People can reach out to me directly at info@nationalwildlifecentre. ca,” she says. “NWRA does not license you to be a rehabber; rather, they provide training. Anyone interested in working in wildlife rehabilitation should also consider volunteering with a wildlife rehabilitator to get some hands-on training and experience.

is awake, nobody’s talking. Or if you must talk, whisper, because you don’t want to put more stress on the animal. Humans who care for animals want to talk to them, tell them it’ll be okay, but the last thing they want to hear is a human voice.”

And take care not to kidnap. While a fawn or baby rabbit may appear to be alone, its mother is likely nearby. Check back in an hour or two, and if the animal is still there, call a rehabilitator.

“From there, if someone is keen to start their own rehabilitation practice, they need to be authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. They can contact the district office in their area to arrange a time to take the exam.”

Donate

To financially support NWC, go to www.nationalwildlifecentre.ca and click the “Donate Now” button.