Toronto Wildlife Centre
WILDLIFE GETS BUSY
YOUR SUPPORT GIVES SICK AND INJURED WILDLIFE A SAFE PLACE TO SPEND THE WINTER
WILD FAMILIES A RED-TAILED HAWK
WITH ITS HEAD IN THE SNOW
WINTER 2017
Message from the executive director Dear Friends, Since 1993, Toronto Wildlife Centre has run almost entirely on donations - from people like you as well as from caring organizations. With time running out in our current facility, the need for support from the municipalities we work in has never been greater! Over the last few months we met with 24 Toronto city councillors as well as the mayor to inform them of TWC’s services and to enlist their support. A proposal was put forward for a grant to help with the construction of a new wildlife facility – but we needed to rally support! So we reached out to donors and volunteers across Toronto who help us to help wild animals every day. We were so touched at the response! Hundreds of people contacted their councillor and the mayor to encourage them to vote yes. People made phone calls, wrote long heart-felt emails, spread the news on social media, and encouraged others they knew to get involved. I’m happy to report, Toronto city council did vote yes to a $750,000 grant. Although there is still much more to do – continuing the work to get water service for the new site, finishing the design of the new facility, and raising the rest of the funds that will be needed – this is a great success. Thank you Toronto city council! And thank you to all our friends in Toronto who helped, and for your ongoing support. Thank you also to those of you outside Toronto. You help us to help the animals in your communities and we may be reaching out to you one day soon with a similar request. If they could, I’m sure the wild animals who share our communities would say thank you too! Sincerely,
Nathalie Karvonen
Cover photo: Temira Bruce Special thanks to volunteer photographer Ann Brokelman
A RED-TAILED HAWK WITH ITS HEAD IN THE SNOW
While the preferred habitats of red-tails are wide open spaces, their adaptability has enabled them to become a common resident of dense urban areas as well. Red-tailed hawks are one of TWC’s most commonly cared for species. Currently, there are 11 in care. There are a number of reasons why a hawk may find its way here, most common among them being collisions with windows. Couple that threat with inexperience, and that’s how we end up caring for so many hawks! The red-tails staying at TWC are largely youngsters, who are spending their first season away from mom and dad. Their lack of experience can get them into some unpleasant, confusing and potentially dangerous situations. On the Wednesday before Christmas a red-tailed hawk was spotted near a GO train track in Toronto with its head lodged in the snow. While hawks are known to dive on their prey from above, this was likely not the result of a failed attempt to hunt but rather the result of an accident. It is suspected that the bird may have hit the window of a nearby building or passing train. When approached, the hawk made attempts to upright itself but made
little struggle when coaxed into a cardboard box for transfer to TWC. It was clear the hawk had sustained injuries and was unable or unwilling to fly. Upon admission the red-tailed hawk began treatment to address its swollen feet, some minor cuts and scrapes, and an injured wing. Treatment has been successful and this red-tail is nearly ready for transfer to an outdoor enclosure. The large space will allow the hawk to exercise and gain strength. Further monitoring will take place until this red-tailed hawk can be released back to the wild. It is with your generous support that this kind of success story is possible.
Did you know?
TWC has admitted 22 first year (born this year) red-tailed hawks so far this winter. These inexperienced hunters will be released in the spring when they are more mature, and food will be easier to find.
Wildlife Gets Busy Valentines may have recently passed for us humans but wild animals are still feeling the love. Adding to the constant effort required for survival in the wild, many wildlife species are now directing significant energy towards breeding. After braving months of cold weather, the anticipation of warmer temperatures unites squirrels, red foxes, coyotes, striped skunks, beavers, and great horned owls alike (amongst others) to share in the common activity of the season. White-tailed deer and bats are one step ahead and many will already be pregnant at this time. There is great diversity in the breeding habits of wildlife species. Some will mate for life, some for a season, or some will simply tolerate their mate long enough to get the job done. Common amongst them all, however, is the great effort that they will channel into the pursuit of conceiving and raising their young. In tribute to their extended efforts, let’s have a peek at some of the interesting breeding habits and rituals of a few select species.
Monogamous? No Breeding Time: Fall Fact! If a female white-tailed deer is not successful in mating during heat, she will experience a second period of heat roughly one month later.
Monogamous? Yes (We mate for life!) Breeding Time: Winter Fact! Though beavers form bonded pairs for life, North American beavers are known to mate outside of their bonded pair. Interestingly, genetic assessments have proven their European counterparts to be entirely faithful..
Monogamous? No Breeding Time: Winter Fact! After mating, female striped skunks will often become aggressive towards the male they have just mated with.
Monogamous? Yes (Usually, but not always.) Breeding Time: Winter Fact! The female red fox mating call has been described as a “shriek” that sounds eerily similar to a human scream.
Monogamous? Yes (We mate for life!) Breeding Time: Winter Fact! Great horned owls will claim other bird’s nests from the previous year instead of building their own. As the many species breeding at this time of year gear up for the work that will be required of them to keep their infants safe and sound, TWC is stepping our gear up as well. As baby season draws near we know from years past that TWC will soon be chock-full with a variety of babies who have run into challenges or situations that have rendered them sick, injured, or orphaned. Your donations allow Toronto Wildlife Centre to provide critical care and support to these vulnerable animals.
Spending Winter at TWC
For some critters, having the best chance of making it means spending the winter in care. Wild animals have various ways of getting through the winter. Painted turtles swim to the bottom of ponds and bury themselves in the mud for the winter, snakes will hibernate together underground in what’s called a hibernaculum, and migratory birds make their way south. But for these TWC patients, their winter plans were foiled. Alexis was hiking through the woods on a picturesque snowy day in Georgetown this December when she noticed a “small dark-coloured lizard with yellow spots� crawling in one of her footprints.
Our rehabilitation team immediately set up a tank with moss, a heat lamp to keep him warm and humidified the tank by misting it with natural spring water. Once he was warm and rehydrated, they offered him food.
The spotted salamander was suspected to have been disturbed from his hibernation and was found just in time. Upon admission an exam determined that the quiet yet responsive salamander was very dehydrated and had suffered two small wounds that had already started to heal. His injuries made his body curl to the left and caused him to walk in circles to the left, without lifting his head.
After a few days of treatment he was walking in a straight line, keeping his body straight, and lifting his head normally while he walked. He started eating, his colours became more vibrant and his wounds were almost entirely healed. Thanks to donors like you, this little salamander is getting a second chance.
On what seemed like a typical November afternoon, Sarah came upon this injured Eastern red bat outside of a restaurant in Toronto. “I found a little bat and I think she’s hit a window,” she said in a voicemail to TWC’s Wildlife Hotline. Upon admission she was cold, with no injuries or wounds. Once she warmed up she was feisty and flying well. Even though she was in good condition, this poor red bat missed her migration. Bats often have trouble with captivity. They don’t like noise, and the everyday activity at TWC was causing her stress. Rehabilitation staff decided the best course of action would be to find her a foster parent to give her a quiet home away from the centre. Meghan, one of our rehabilitation staff members kindly took the responsibility. The bat’s housing, which Meghan cleans daily, is padded for easy maneuvering and to prevent injury.
Did you know that many bats migrate? This red bat was found in Toronto but there have been recorded sitings as far North as Southampton Island in the Arctic.
For enrichment, Meghan has added a branch for the bat to hang from and cedar on the floor. “She is kept in a very quiet room to minimize stress. She has a dish for worms and she eats on her own. She can sleep and be a bat without being disturbed more than absolutely necessary. She has a branch (that) she sleeps from pretending to be a leaf (as tree bats do). She is doing very well. I’m looking forward to releasing her in the spring,” Meghan explained.
WILD Families
Every year Family Day reminds us to spend time with the ones closest to us, but have you ever wondered what a wild animal’s family looks like? Most wild families are shorter lived than our human families, but parents are very dedicated to supporting their babies in the first steps of life, and sometimes even siblings help each other through their growing pains.
Osprey: Foodie Families In an Osprey family, moms sit on the eggs while dad goes hunting and brings fish back to the nest. Once the eggs have hatched, she will continue to sit on them, keeping them warm, until they are about 4 weeks old.
After the babies have fledged, they stick close to the nest where the parents continue to bring them food. As time passes, they slowly transition from being fed by their parents to hunting full time on their own.
An interesting part about Osprey families is the way that they eat. Dad commonly feeds before bringing the fish he caught to the nest. He will eat the head and foreparts, bringing the rest to mom. She will divvy up the food between the babies, tearing up small pieces and feeding them to the nestlings with her beak. Mom then eats the bones, and in many cases the entire tail in one bite!
Brothers and sisters that fledge together tend to stick together, hunting and foraging as a team.
After several weeks, dad brings fish to the nest and the family eats together, the young feeding themselves. If the siblings fight over their food, which they commonly do if there are weaker and dominant young, the parents are not known to intervene.
In our last newsletter we featured a story about an osprey who came into care after falling down a smoke stack. We’re happy to report that he’s doing well and has since been moved to a spacious outdoor enclosure where he will live until he’s released this spring!
Red Foxes: Resourceful Parents Fox parents are almost always monogamous and work together to raise their young.
They find a suitable den, lining it with material like grass and leaves to keep their cubs warm and dry. Mom and dad make sure there is more than one exit in order to escape danger, and once the cubs are born, they might relocate them to a new den periodically.
By one month old, the babies have moved from mother’s milk to solid foods and the family begins to play together outside of the den. Both parents catch and bring back small mammals for the cubs to play with to practice smelling, catching and eating food on their own. Mom and dad teach their babies to hunt for up to two months.
When the babies are born, mom takes care of them in the den while dad hunts for food for the family. Once the cubs’ eyes have opened, dad takes care of the babies, while mom does some hunting for the family herself.
After three months the young leave the den, but mom and dad commonly stay together, only separating in the winter if there isn’t enough food, and finding each other again in the spring to do it all over again.
Grebes: Sharing the load!
Raccoons: The single mothers
Both mom and dad take turns sitting on their eggs until the wonderful day when they hatch. Next the parents start “back brooding,” or carrying the babies on their backs to keep them warm and protect them from predators. While one parent is back brooding the other parent will hunt and bring food back to the nest for the babies.
In the raccoon world, males mate with many different females leaving the pregnant moms to take care of the babies on their own. After 63 days of pregnancy 3-7 cubs are born. For their first summer, mom and babies are attached at the hip, looking for food at night and denning during day. She teaches her babies to hunt and swim.
In Loving Memory of Julia Coey
With profound sadness, we announce the tragic passing of Julia Coey on February 1, 2017, peacefully and with her family by her side.
wildlife and educating others on how they could peacefully coexist with their wild neighbours.
Julia was also a loyal friend to many. Originally joining TWC in 2009, Julia Everyone that knew her quickly came was an integral part of our developto adore her and they too would ment team and in recent years became become an integral part of her ever the voice of TWC, overseeing our growing TWC family. She was an excepprint and e-newsletters as well as all tionally positive and caring individual, of TWC’s social media and website. In reaching out to provide support or a September of 2015, Julia’s book Animal kind word to others, even in the midst Hospital (which of her own Julia had a strong desire to help she wrote challenges. about TWC’s wildlife which shined through in work) was Julia was so her work. published, very proud to and it has recently been nominated be part of the TWC family and we were for two awards; the DSBN Silver Birch so very fortunate to have had her as a Celebration of Literacy and the B.C.’s friend and colleague. It was her kindYoung Readers’ Choice Awards. ness and incredible sense of humour that we will remember the most. Julia had a strong desire to help wildlife Julia will be lovingly remembered by which shined through in her work. her mother Lesley, father James, longThose of us who had the privilege of time partner Greg, extended family, working with Julia can attest to her friends and her many colleagues and passion and dedication to helping friends at TWC.
Last year our first wild babies were admitted on March 23rd. A litter of six baby grey squirrels, two black, two brindle and two grey. Your donations went a long way to help wild babies in 2016!
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Winter Wishlist ● Gift cards (gas, groceries and Big Al’s) ● Unflavoured pedialyte ● Fresh or frozen berries ● Latex gloves ● Butterfly nets ● Kiddie wading pools
torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlist ● ● ● ●
Heat lamps and bulbs Branches/greenery Digital scales in good condition Printer Ink: Epsom 676 - Black, Yellow, Magenta and Cyan; Epsom 410/410XL - Black
You can bring items to TWC from 9am-6pm, 7 days a week.
For more information on these items and to view our entire wishlist visit torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlist or email donations@torontowildlifecentre.com
Questions about wildlife? Call our
WILDLIFE HOTLINE: (416) 631-0662 General inquires (416) 631-0662 x 3205 or admin@torontowildlifecentre.com Donations (416) 631-0662 x 3207 or donations@torontowildlifecentre.com 4 - 60 Carl Hall Road Toronto ON M3K 2C1 Charitable registration number: 141146290 RR0001