island wildlife NATUR AL C ARE CENTRE WWW.SEALRESCUE.ORG
SALT SPRING ISLAND ISSUE 28, 2024
RESCUING BC’s WILDLIFE FOR
28 years
What do seals, otters, eagles, hawks, owls, songbirds, herons, ducks, geese, raccoons, squirrels, deer and beavers have in common? They all are susceptible to injury and harm, either from human activities or the ordinary dangers of life in the natural world—predators, dangerous weather, separation from home and mothering. If given the chance, most of them can be rescued, rehabilitated and released back to their natural habitats. At Island Wildlife we have rescued more than 12,000 wild creatures and while some have sustained fatal injuries, the majority of our patients are successfully returned to the sea, to the woods, to the sky, to their home. The rehabilitation process is a complex, all-consuming, day and night commitment from rescue to release. We boast statistically impressive rates of success because of the dedication, the passion we have for the injured and the orphaned. But it can’t be done without resources. And this is where you and The Wildlife Centre share something in common—a love of wildlife and a willingness to do what it takes to assure their abiding care. You may not be able to feed an orphaned seal pup around the clock, stitch a wound or pin a broken wing, but you can, with your donation, help us provide the excellent care that has made it our practice never to turn away an animal in need. Please join this caring community in its enduring commitment to injured and orphaned wildlife in the Gulf and Vancouver Islands.
Catch of the Day Each year more than 300,000 small whales and dolphins die from fishing net entanglement. But how many deer meet a similar fate? That’s right, deer dying from fishing net entanglement. When Islanders opt for cheap fencing and surround their property with discarded fishing nets, they might as well be trawling for bucks. This is a common occurrence that frequently does not have a happy ending. At Island Wildlife we have unfortunately become experts in this area. If we are called in time, while the animal is still alive, we use sedative blow darts to restrain the panicked animal. Then using knives, scissors and wire cutters the mess of “garden fencing” is removed and as the sedation wears off, the victim, usually a buck, staggers back into the woods. Gardeners and property owners in general, the decision is yours. You may guard your green treasures, but mark my words, you will surely write a tale of suffering for an innocent soul. If your heart beats with compassion, the wildlife centre fervently urges you to dispose of your fishing nets responsibly, to prevent further tragedies.
What season is it? It’s bow hunting season!
Or is it...and what is it? It’s the time of year when those intrepid hunters, weary from a long summer of launching their arrows at inanimate targets can rosin up their bows and take a life -- go out and kill something. Quite possibly in your back yard or in the woods next to your house where your kids play. Just two days before I sat down to write a brief article about the barbarism of bow hunting, our staff member responded to a call for a buck down in someone’s S alt Spring driveway. This is what they found. In the driveway! What else needs to be said?
Anywhere, Any Time
The staff and volunteers at Island Wildlife are a rare breed. When it comes to an animal in need we don’t take a wait and see attitude. If the animal can’t be safely brought to us, we have people throughout the islands at the ready. Anywhere, any time. Long time volunteer Ed Harris once dropped his trousers and swam for a seal pup tangled in kelp. Wayne Langley will don his safety harness and climb to nightmarish heights. And veterinarian Marielle Bonnet has been known to crawl head first under a house to rescue an angry otter and her babies. A broken winged eagle thought he had found safety on a fallen tree out over the ocean. But with two borrowed kayaks our volunteers safely captured him and brought him back to The Wildlife Centre.
It is often difficult to discern exactly what caused an animal to become sick, broken or near death. But we are able to guestimate that 80 to 90% of the time it is due to an interaction with humans. Accidental or malicious, we are waging war against all of our wild neighbours; and they are losing. At the top of our database of atrocities would be: hit by car or truck, attacked by domestic cats and high speed collisions with the many glass surfaces which afford us our beautiful views. I would have to say however that the incidents that make me the most angry are the random and ignorant acts of pure violence, the gun shots. Parents, let me tell you right now, if you think your son is only shooting his pellet or BB guns at tin cans, get your heads out of the sand. Innocent creatures are being killed and tortured at an alarming rate. What is so demoralizing is that we are only seeing the very smallest percentage of these animals. The ones fortunate enough to be happened upon by someone who cares enough to take off their jacket and bundle up the animal and rush it to the Wildlife Centre. So what becomes of the “lucky ones”? If by lucky, we mean the ones that make it to the Centre, they must be considered on a case-by-case basis. There is no such thing as a minor fracture in an animal that is dependent on flight to feed itself. Think of all the times you have had a sore shoulder or wrist and found it difficult to use your limb for some days. If you are a bird, you could be on your way to starving to death or becoming a meal for a larger predator. Much also depends on the location of the injury or fracture. What appears to be a serious break that is not too close to a joint, is with skill, repairable. With good follow up care and physical therapy an avian patient may take to the skies again. However, if the break is too close to a joint, there is nothing to pin it to and frequently the formation of new bone cells which build up to heal the break will eventually interfere with range of motion in the joint. In birds, perfection of flight is everything. Who has ever seen a bird flying with a limp? Mammals on the other hand, especially mammals in a relatively tame environment like Salt Spring, can survive with a certain amount of physical handicap. A deer with a severe limp can still forage, and has little to fear from natural predators. An opportunistic feeder like a raccoon can also lumber around fearing only the family dog. A l o n e s e a l p u p f o u n d o n a b e a c h , d o c k o r log b o o m t h a t c a n b e e a s i l y approached without rapidly fleeing int o t he wat er i s a pup t hat will most likely die without human intervention.
Opponents of seal rescue say stop interfering. “Let nature take its course.” But we have to ask ourselves what is natural today? Is it natural for a wild animal to be born malnourished due to over fishing by humans? Is it natural for an animal to die an orphan because its mother was shot as it swam by a fish farm or drowned in a gill net? We are not advocating that the public should walk around grabbing sick pups off the beach at will. But if you see a pup that is alone, appears thin, dry eyed, lethargic, has visible wounds or is suckling on logs or boat hulls, this is a pup with no mother. She is not just off fishing for a few hours. Try and keep people and dogs away and call Island Wildlife immediately. It’s the informed thing to do and chances are you are going to save a life. How great is that!
Creating a Myth: An Examination of Misconceptions Surrounding Seal Pups by Jeff Lederman The belief that touching a baby bird will lead to its mother’s rejection is a pervasive myth that many of us have accepted since childhood. While this notion may serve as a cautionary tale aimed at keeping young explorers from disturbing wildlife, it is, in fact, a fabrication. Most birds possess a very limited sense of smell and are generally incapable of detecting human contact. This myth likely emerged as an effective means of discouraging children from bringing home wild animals, and once such ideas gain traction, they often morph into widely accepted “facts”.
interaction would cause seal pups to become orphans. Repeated messaging to the media reinforced this perspective, ultimately fabricating a widely believed myth. Instances of the public picking up distressed seal pups without proper authorization occur periodically. Upon admission to care facilities, these pups are frequently categorized as “unauthorized pickups” or “human intervention.” While this classification does not negate the animals’ urgent need for rescue, it enables the narrative that these interventions constitute “pup-napping,” thereby reinforcing the myth.
Similarly, there exists a common misconception along coastal communities regarding Harbour seal mothers. It is widely believed that these mothers leave their newborn pups unattended on beaches while they hunt for food, creating opportunities for predation and well-meaning individuals to “rescue” the allegedly abandoned animals. This notion, propagated by various sources—including governmental organizations, animal welfare groups, and social media—has become entrenched in public understanding.
Seal mothers and pups are inseparable for the first few weeks.
The seal pups admitted to Island Wildlife, 40 to over 100 pups in a summer, are undergoing hypoglycemic convulsions and levels of dehydration and starvation that defy survival. Most have elevated white cell counts and need antibiotics and many have open wounds, broken bones or missing eyes. These are all indisputable symptoms of pups whose mothers have not gone off feeding for a few hours, but rather mothers who are just gone...period!
A pup that loses its mother for any reason, is helpless and will not survive on its own.
After years of involvement and thousands of seal pup rescues, I firmly contend that the concept of “pup-napping” is largely a myth in British Columbia, warranting serious scrutiny. Marine mammal rescue centers are costly to establish and operate, and prior to the opening of Island Wildlife in 1997, Canada had only one facility dedicated to this purpose. Faced with the reality of numerous orphaned pups discovered by locals and visitors during the summer months, those in authority created a narrative to discourage intervention. Much like advising children against handling baby birds, they asserted that human
Our Wildlife Centre keeps detailed records on every pup from initial examination until release. In the past I have offered to allow any qualified person to peruse our files and point out any pup that could have survived without intervention. No one has accepted that challenge. The persistence of this misinformation raises critical questions: Why does it endure, and why is it significant? We are compelled to care because we are humans, and our sense of empathy drives us to oppose the needless suffering of any living creature. The continued propagation of these myths may speak to a broader phenomenon—the compelling power of mythology itself, which can overshadow factual understanding and lead to harmful assumptions about wildlife.
“We see animals as independent lives, not as populations. If we can prevent the needless suffering of a single animal then we have done important work.” Island Wildlife Upon admission, all patients receive as complete an examination as their condition will tolerate. Unlike human patients our animals rarely arrive with a medical chart and are not very good at communicating how they are feeling. In fact, instinct dictates that animals hide any weakness lest they become food for another animal. All animals receive highly specialized diets based on their species, age and physical health. Before receiving any food, our wild patients are carefully rehydrated. It doesn’t take long before they are weaned onto our captive diets. Our youngest baby birds are fed every twenty minutes, morning till night. Avian parents are awesome. Without a doubt, all babies are better off being raised by their mothers in the company of same species. With birds we are careful to make sure there are no parents in the general vicinity or an active nest that can reasonbly b e a ccessed by our staff member who is also an arborist. Wayne Langley has been climbing trees all his life and won’t hesitate to return a bird to its nest (that’s not Wayne in the picture).
“If I can stop one Heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain If I can ease one Life the Aching, Or cool one Pain, Or help one fainting Robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.” Emily Dickinson
An Interview with a Great Blue Heron Q- We would first like to congratulate you on winning a Provincial Blue Ribbon. You must be very proud. GBH- It’s not a “Blue Ribbon”, it’s the “Blue List” of Species at Risk (SARA) . Great Blue Herons in this geographical location have been designated a species that is considered to be both vulnerable and at risk. Also, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has given my coastal heron subspecies the status of “special concern”. Q- Well, that’s very different. What seems to be the problem? GBH- Quite honestly, you’re the problem. The activities of humans can be very detrimental to us herons. Repeated human intrusion into our nesting areas often results in nest failure, with abandonment of eggs or chicks. Draining and filling wetland areas destroys our hunting grounds, reducing our supply of food. The number of young birds which can survive to breeding age depends in part upon the amount of food available in our nesting areas. Q-So that’s it, humans are to blame? GBH- Not entirely. There are many direct threats to our populations in British Columbia including: mortality from predators, food supply limitations, environmental contamination, and the weather. Our eggs are eaten by raccoons and crows. Great Horned Owls
can feed on our young, and eagles... don’t get me started on eagles. Q- Well you seem to have done alright for yourself. You have a new partner every year, you have a beautiful nest with a view. How did you manage? GBH- Blind luck. The odds are stacked against my being here today. Did you know that about 75% of young herons don’t survive to see their 1st birthday? When I was a nestling I saw my 3 nest mates eaten by eagles. Can you picture that scene? Most young herons that leave the nest successfully, die of starvation due to lack of foraging shallow water fish and as a a result of severe weather. Of the 25% that survive year one, half of them never reach breeding age. In my nest, I was the 1st to hatch and as a result I was the strongest and I got the most food. That was my head-start. Q-Are you aware that Island Wildlife recently rescued the only surviving nestling from your small Price Road rookery? GBH- Sure, I hear things. The word on the beach is that quite a few of my clan owe their lives to the wildlife centre. Frequently, one of our 1st year offspring is found starving and is taken to or rescued by the wildlife centre. Sometimes when we are forced to abandon a nest site the young are left behind. Hunger will often force them to tumble out of the nest and the lucky ones are found on the ground before they become a meal for a predator. The surviving nestling was found in a driveway across from our nest site. The dedicated staff at the centre are having a positive impact on our local population. Q- Are you able to speculate on how long you might live? GBH- Not wanting to toot my own horn, but I’ve grown into quite a substantial bird. I’m street smart, I have a bad attitude and this beak isn’t just for skewering fish. There just aren’t that many natural predators willing to risk tangling with me. So I would say barring anything unforeseen, I should reach 14 or 15 years old easily.
Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre PO Box 678, Stn Ganges Salt Spring Island, BC V8K2W3 250-537-0777 iwncc@aol.com It gives us the greatest of pleasure to acknowledge and recognize the people who help make our team a success. Without the support of these dedicated people and organizations, Island Wildlife would be just another good idea.
Larraine Lamb, Leigh Willis, Dan Smith, Bobo Czarnowski, Herb Walker, Mike Hoebel, Peter Askin,
Stephen Salmon, Bette Taylor, Jean Stewart, John & Kerry Kyle, Barbara Deburgh, Sheila Midgley, Lynda Hookam, Mike Fothergill, Michele Yeoman, Dave Hargreaves, Alan Kerr, Jann & Kim Helssen, Elise & Glenn Ginsburd, Todd Williams, Bill Ines, Mony & Rien Vesseur, Colleen Williams, Terry Michaels, Cynthia & Keith Pronick, Gill & Allan Coster, Deanna Kerr, Charronne Johnson, Stephanie Human, Jackie Anderson, Joanna Pollard, Lori Nichols, Barb Biagi, Aaron Martirano, Patricia Huggins, Haide James, Peter Askin, Birthe Levie, Mel Huggins, John Cowan, Kathleen McFarlane, Kathy Barber, Robert Bruce, Sally Roberts, Elaine Shaw, Eric Carlson, Diana Hardacker, Rhonda Andrews, Ken Hunter, Dee Gallant, Michelle Williams, Sarah Gibbins, Chad Gisbert, Dan White, Gary Drouillard, Robert Henriksen, Cathy McPherson, Jim & Catherine Atkinson, Shauna Argo, Deb Marsolais, Seonaid Renwick, Leah Lee, Deb Strong, Deb Auchterlonie, Charlotte & Bastien Bowman, Kris Dartnell, Corinne Coalwell, Roger Pilkington, Mona Holley, Nancy Bourne, Evelyn Stokkink, Eduard Andringa, Jon Richards, Richard & Dakota McCaulaugh, Janet Land, Suzanna Jani, Nan and Wolf Vernon, Nicole Carter, Garry Raymond, Gail Secord, Stephen Frank, Anne Drummond, Katrina Leslie, Doug Pearson, Denise Perret, Corinne Weber, Elinor Tofin, Tracy Shelling, Andrew Fyson, Mike Nestor, Diane Snyder, Emilia Marchisi, James Hutchinson, Kim Gilmore, Claire Bouchard, Dr Jeff Grognet, Robert Arril, Fran and Lance Leask.
Thank you to the wonderful veterinarians and to our fellow organizations who helped us with long-term patient care: Ocean Wise Marine
Mammal Rescue, Critter Care Wildlife Society, MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, O.W.L. Orphaned Wildlife, WildARC, Dr Derrick Milton, Dr Justene Tedder and Gulf Island Veterinary Clinic, Dr Karina Skelton, Dr Ken Langelier and VCA Island Animal Hospital in Nanaimo, Dr Elizabeth Jahren and Dr Wilkening & Mayne Island Veterinary Clinic, Dr Adrian Walton.
We especially want to thank the generous foundations and organizations whose donations and essential grants have made this year possible: Brigitte Bardot Foundation, Andre & Trudel Kroecher Fund, SEI Industries, GROWLS (Gabriola Rescue of Wildlife Society), PAWS (Pender Animal Welfare Society), Salt Spring Legion Branch 92.
Special thanks to the businesses that generously donated or provided discounts for essential products and services: Country Grocer through their Save-A-Tape Program,
Growler Cove, Salt Spring Locals, Salt Spring Exchange, Gulf Island Septic and Laurie’s Recycling. We are extremely grateful to the professionals who ensured the safe transportation of our patients: Lisa Cherneff and the outstanding team at Harbour Air and Salt Spring Air for their essential assistance, David Budd and Ocean Air Floatplanes, Cessna pilot Jayson Biggins, Reg Kirkham and Island Water Taxi, the SSI School boat drivers, the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Fulford Harbour Marina and Salt Spring RCMP. Staff: Marielle Bonnet-Director of Animal Care, Wayne Langley-Facilities/Rescue, Dan Smith-Rescue/Transport, Kathryn Taylor-Rehabilitation, Jeff Lederman-Founder/Consultant Board of Directors: Jane Armstrong-President, Peter Southam-Vice-President, Mary Richardson-Secretary, Ann Pennant-Treasurer, Earl Rook-Director, Eleanor Dawson-Director
Please help save hundreds of more lives in 2025 with your generous tax-deductible donation. How to Donate: *Go to www.sealrescue.org and click the DONATE tab. CanadaHelps will issue your tax receipt by email. *You can E-transfer from your bank account to <iwncc@aol.com> and then email your mailing address and donation amount to the Wildlife Centre at <iwncc@aol.com> and we will mail you your tax receipt. *Telephone us at 250-537-0777 and Marielle will take your credit card information and mail your tax receipt. Due to the postal strike, our volunteers are happy to drive to your residence to pick up your donation before year’s end. Donation Amount: Name Address Postal Code Information from our database is private and never shared.
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PO Box 678, Stn Ganges Salt Spring Island, BC V8K2W3 Canada 250-537-0777 Email: iwncc@aol.com Website: sealrescue.org Charitable# 888706140RR001