Over 500 vet clinics available to help our pets
Only 1 hospital to help wild animals
and it’s being torn down.
Building a Healthy Community Urban centres are bustling with wildlife – squirrels chase each other through our yards, swans forage along the lakeshore, turtles cross highways to lay eggs, and owls silently glide between buildings at night. We’re fortunate to live in remarkable communities that boast not only great schools, hospitals and parks, but also many beautiful wild spaces like forests, ravines, and wetlands. We share those communities with hundreds of species of wild animals and, like all members of our community, sometimes they need help. And when a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal is found, people rely on Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC).
TWC provides essential services including rescuing wild animals in lifethreatening situations, and providing medical attention and rehabilitative care. We give animals a second chance at a healthy life in the wild. We also inform, educate, and help our human community understand how to peacefully coexist with their wild neighbours by speaking with people about wildlife situations every day. As TWC embarks on the biggest project in our history, we do so with a powerful vision of creating a healthy community for people and wildlife.
Over 400 species of wildlife call the GTA home, each with their own important ecological niche.
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We envision a future where any wild animal in crisis, whether a hawk hit by a car, lying motionless by a busy road, or an orphaned deer fawn, wandering through a park crying for its mother, has access to the highest quality of care and compassion. We envision a future where information and education about living with wildlife is readily available, a future where people are encouraged to do more to help wild animals, and can easily learn how. We envision working together with our community towards a future where people and wild animals coexist peacefully; where wild animals have safe, appropriate habitats to live in, and where people welcome their wild neighbours as part of a healthy environment shared by all.
for People and for Wildlife Only 1 Wildlife Hospital… Since opening in 1993, TWC has become a vital and trusted community resource. Today we remain the only wildlife hospital in the Greater Toronto Area, and the busiest centre in Canada. People arrive every day seeking help for a wide range of situations such as finding a wounded falcon who has hit the window of their home or a baby mink they have found screaming for his mother near a pond. They call with questions like why is this robin attacking my window, or how do I get rabbits to stop eating my garden? Whether you’re a nature lover or have rarely given wild animals a moment’s thought, anyone can encounter sick, injured or orphaned wildlife at any time. Vicki found this out one day when her son brought home a baby bird. “I felt so helpless” Vicki said, “There was this tiny creature with its mouth open for food, and I could see a bit of blood on its back. My son was so upset. He wanted me to do something, but I had no idea what to do”. Her situation is not unique. TWC helps people like Vicki every single day. After more than 23 years, we have gained unparalleled experience in our field, helping more than 85,000 wild animals and reaching hundreds of thousands of people through our education and outreach channels.
…but Our Future is Uncertain TWC is the sole provider of critical services such as wildlife emergency rescue and the wildlife hospital. But as our towns and cities grow, so too does the demand for help. With the number of people that rely on us every day increasing all of the time, we can no longer meet the community’s needs with our current facility. The park we currently call home has become increasingly busy and noisy with rock concerts, helicopters and large community events and is no longer a suitable environment for caring for wildlife, who need peace and quiet, and are frightened by park activities. Our current facility’s size and location is no longer adequate. Even more urgent is the fact that our building has now been slated for demolition. We have an ambitious plan for a new best-in-class centre and with your help, the vision will be realised.
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Wildlife Experts Providing The Wildlife Hotline The busiest wildlife hotline in Canada, up to 30,000 calls are handled each year about a huge range of wildlife issues; solving problems for thousands of community members each year. The hotline team provides support to many people just like Susan, a Toronto resident who called one July morning in tears. She had been walking her dog when she came upon duck after duck that was absolutely covered in oil. They huddled along the shore together; a mother duck frantically tried to clean the oil from her ducklings’ feathers to no avail. The hotline team reassured Susan that help was on its way. They gathered information and dispatched the rescue team. A short time later, a full response which included the Ministry of the Environment, the fire department and many community volunteers was in full swing. Over one hundred oiled ducks were rescued and admitted to TWC for care. Susan’s call is just one example of hundreds of situations that hotline staff must assess. Because of their high level of knowledge, attention to detail, and dedication to finding solutions that work for people and wildlife, the expertise of TWC’s hotline is recognized internationally. We have even written the only manual on educating the public via hotlines; a manual which has been purchased and used around the world.
Public Education Thousands of people learn about issues affecting wildlife through our hotline each year, but our public education work goes much further. We reach thousands more through presentations to school and community groups, our information booth at festivals and events, as well as our website and busy social media channels. TWC publishes popular print and electronic newsletters, educational pamphlets, and has written two successful books which are currently being sold around the world. With an extensive network of journalist friends and high interest from the public, the centre’s work is frequently covered in the media. TWC was exclusively selected as the feature organization for the 12-part television documentary series “City Wildlife Rescue” which continues to air regularly.
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E xpert Services Wildlife Rescue TWC’s highly skilled rescue team works in our communities daily, performing difficult life-saving rescues. Trained in ice rescue, swift water rescue, tree climbing, chemical immobilization and more, this service is the only one of its kind in Canada.
“A lot of the time people ask me about my favorite rescue or biggest moment out in the field, and it’s really hard for me to say. I have been doing this for 15 years, and every single animal I’m involved with is, in a way, my favorite one. Rescuing an animal that is suffering and knowing that otherwise there would be no hope, but that now it’s going to get help and be returned to the wild is such an amazingly emotional experience.” - Andrew Wight, Rescue Team Leader
A baby great-horned owl tumbles 50 feet to the ground after his nest is damaged in a storm. His parents perch in a nearby tree and make distress calls, and his sibling clings to the damaged nesting material dangling from the tree. The wildlife rescue team creatively built the family a new nest, hoisted it high in the tree and secured it. They gently placed the owlets back in the nest, and watched to make sure that the parents came back. Before long, the owl family was reunited safely in their new nest!
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Wildlife Experts Providing The Wildlife Emergency Hospital The only one of its kind in Canada, TWC’s fully equipped veterinary hospital is specialized for wildlife medicine. Daily activities could include taking x-rays of a heron’s wing, the surgical repair of a turtle’s cracked shell, or obtaining an IV in the prickly leg of a porcupine to treat for dehydration. TWC staff are also always prepared to deal with any urgent life threat that might come through their doors, no matter what the species. The centre is fortunate to have several part-time vets on staff who specialize in wildlife medicine – a field that is difficult to learn about, requiring veterinarians to educate themselves at conferences and seminars, and through networking with medical colleagues. Veterinary specialists including orthopedic surgeons, an ophthalmologist, a chiropractor, and others donate their time as part of the TWC medical team.
“We are very fortunate here at TWC to have a fully functional hospital. We are able to provide a very high level of care and this is in large part from people who have made donations and who have contributed to our equipment; everything from our digital x-ray machine, to our microscopes to our surgical equipment. All of these things ensure we can provide patients with the best care possible and also with the quickest care possible, which is really essential when you are dealing with the kinds of injuries that we are seeing at TWC.” - Dr. Heather Reid, Head Veterinarian
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E xpert Services The Wildlife Rehabilitation Program Admitting up to 5,000 wild animals annually, representing over 270 different species – ranging from toads to turtles to hummingbirds to porcupines – presents a daily challenge for the rehabilitation team. Highly knowledgeable and very hard-working, they meet each animal’s particular needs for handling, housing, nutrition and behavioural enrichment - like this osprey, a species which rarely eats in captivity.
Training the Next Generation of Wildlife Experts TWC offers unique training and mentorship in a variety of wildlife related professions. We believe in sharing our experience and best-practices to grow the next generation of wildlife care professionals, so that they may take this knowledge to their own communities. Our growing internship program has hosted many local participants, as well as international ones from as far away as New Zealand and Iran! “TWC is the only place that I have the opportunity to study and explore a relatively new field of wildlife nutrition. I believe that formulating different diets to accelerate recovery is innovative and a real benefit to our patients. My internship is especially gratifying when an injury or illness is preventing an animal from eating, and through diet experimentation they start eating and thrive. It’s very exciting!”
- Steven Rodenhizer, TWC Wildlife Nutrition Internship
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Building a Promising Future... Toronto Region Conservation Authority and Parks Canada have generously granted TWC a long-term lease at $1/year for a beautiful 67-acre property in the Rouge National Urban Park. A natural fit for helping wildlife, the park is quiet, peaceful, and protected as a conservation area; providing the ideal environment for nervous, recovering wildlife. The park is also an idyllic spot to teach our community and the next generation of wildlife experts about urban wildlife issues – a hub for information and inspiration.
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A New & Permanent Home With your help, we can make this dream a reality. You can play an integral role in the creation of an unparalleled facility dedicated to saving wildlife and educating the public; a reliable long-term resource for the GTA and beyond. 34,000 sq. foot main facility which will be a model of environmental sustainability including solar panelling, green roofs and rainwater collection systems. Full veterinary hospital including surgery, exam rooms, intensive care units, x-ray, diagnostic labs and more. Wildlife rehabilitation centre featuring dozens of purpose-built rooms for over 270 species, including pools for diving birds and beavers, nurseries for orphaned wildlife, large mammal holding areas and a hibernation room. A full oil-spill response centre including holding and treatment areas for multiple affected animals. A wide variety of unique public education areas – indoors and outdoors – with many interactive displays designed to accommodate new and expanded education programs. 7 one-way glass viewing windows and dozens of live web cam feeds will give visitors a fascinating glimpse into the challenging world of caring for wildlife. 100+ outdoor enclosures for recovering wild animals,Âdesigned to provide behavioural enrichment, exercise, and exposure to normal weather conditions before release. Protection of the existing natural features onsite and creation of new habitat for wildlife, including native plantings and a new watercourse. Restoration of the heritage barn to protect and enhance the resident species-at-risk barn swallow colony. Restoration and repurposing of the existing historic farmhouse to become a year-round intern residence.
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the new one & only
Toronto Wildlife Centre
“Toronto Wildlife Centre’s work in helping wildlife in crisis and the community with wildlife related issues is extremely important. We find the dedication of the staff and volunteers, who have kept TWC going strong for over 23 years, truly inspiring. We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with them to establish their new, one of a kind facility in Rouge Park.” - James Rasor, Principal Architect Stanford Downey Architects Inc.
Building the largest and busiest wildlife centre in Canada is no small feat. To achieve the vision, we must reach our Capital Campaign goal of $12 million, and we can’t do it without you. TWC is a registered charity that receives virtually no government funding. We rely on the generosity of donors and never in our history have we needed your support more. Building the new Toronto Wildlife Centre is an exciting opportunity for our family of supporters, as well as new friends. In coming together for an inspirational, once-in-a-lifetime project, we will make a huge impact on our community for generations to come. The planning and design phase is well underway with tremendous support from local companies. With Stanford Downey Architects taking the lead, to date all professional services have been donated and future services have been secured. Almost 30 companies have joined in to help, their support totalling over $2.5 million in value so far. We are confident that many other companies will be participating as the project progresses; their donated products and services allowing each donated dollar to stretch further. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our supporters, we are very excited and inspired and we hope you are too!
Join us in creating a better future for people and wildlife. Support Canada’s new premiere wildlife centre, the one and only Toronto Wildlife Centre.
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Together, We Can Build It.
Thank you for your important consideration! For further information about the project, available funding opportunities, and how you can support the Capital Campaign for the new Toronto Wildlife Centre, please contact us. Jayne Kozovski, Capital Campaign Manager 416-631-0662 ext. 3242 jaynek@torontowildlifecentre.com
Nathalie Karvonen, Executive Director 416-631-0662 ext. 3201 director@torontowildlifecentre.com