sPRinG 2015
Canada goose survives shooting Owl on a limb Your donations are helping wild babies. Meet some in the Wildlife Nursery. Wildlife-loving kindergarten class gets an A plus!
Building a healthy community for people and wildlife torontowildlifecentre.com
Message from the Executive Director Dear Friends, With the warmer spring weather, the centre has exploded into action once again! The songbird room and aviaries are filled with migratory birds, and the hotline is being flooded with calls about babies. Legions of new volunteers have been trained to hand feed babies and help care for all the other patients who are sick, injured or orphaned this spring and summer. We have a few specially trained foster parents who take care of babies in their homes; especially very young or fragile babies. For example, one foster parent has two tiny short-tailed weasels and another has three coyote pups, two who were so young on admission that they still had their umbilical cords attached! Your support is helping so many animals right now; paying for their medical care, formula, caging, and more. Thank you! Animals you helped care for over the winter are being released now. Turtles are swimming away, bats flitting off, and songbirds singing to celebrate their renewed freedom; all because of you. With the help of many volunteers, we are also working on an important fundraising event to help the animals. The Wild Ball will take place on Thursday, September 17th at The Burroughes (downtown Toronto — Bathurst & Queen area). This fun cocktail party will include great entertainment, silent and live auctions, delicious food and drinks, and lots more! Mark your calendars and watch for further information in the coming months. I look forward to seeing you there! Enjoy your summer!
Nathalie Karvonen
Canada goose survives shooting Despite his appearance, this is one lucky goose. Burlington animal control was able to contain the injured bird with the help of a concerned citizen and transport him to Toronto Wildlife Centre. The goose was thin and weak, and based on the condition of his injury the medical team estimated he had been suffering for over a month. Amazingly, the x-ray showed that the arrow had missed his internal organs The arrow had pierced his right wing, pinning it to his side, and needed to be removed carefully to avoid further muscle damage. Because of you, this goose got the medication (antibiotics and pain medication), the best nutrition and the rehabilitative care he needed to heal. Today, he is enjoying the spring weather in a large outdoor enclosure with two friends (he’s the one in the centre). When the medical team is happy with his flight, he will be released.
Owl on a limb A strong gust of wind blew this great horned owlet and his nest out of a tree. He tumbled 30 feet to the concrete below where he was found by concerned citizen Steve, who brought him to Toronto Wildlife Centre. You helped re-build his home in the sky.
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1. After a thorough medical exam at Toronto Wildlife Centre, the owlet was cleared for release. The faster he could be re-united with his parents the better the chance they would accept the new nest. 2. A nest built in a laundry basket! Great horned owls raise their babies in abandoned hawk nests. Rescue team member Stacey recreates a version of this by filling the basket with leaves and sticks. The next part is a bit trickier. The new nest needs to be secured to a branch approximately 30 feet up. To ensure everyone’s safety (including the owlet), volunteer professional arborists are called in to help. 3. The volunteer arborist climbs up into the massive tree that held the original nest. When he’s in place, and under the watchful eyes of Rescue Team Leader Andrew, the arborist pulls up the new nest and secures
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it to a large branch with plenty of cover. The owlet is then pulled up in a bucket. 4. Andrew has given the arborist a crash course in safe owl handling and he is able to place the owlet in his new home. 5. Success! A parent has joined the owlet in their new home.
Wildlife Nursery The best place for wild babies is with their parents. But when they need us (orphaned or injured), we're here for them: thanks to you! We admitted the We admitted the first babies to our wild nursery on March 14th (two raccoons) and since then you’ve taken care of over 400 wild babies.
This baby eastern cottontail is one out of a litter of seven brought to TWC, after their dead mother was found nearby. You helped 190 eastern cottontail rabbits in 2014.
Every spring and summer, hundreds of orphaned wild animals need your help. Be a hero to your wild neighbours and adopt an orphaned baby today! Visit torontowildlifecentre.com/adoptanorphan
These red squirrel babies were discovered all alone. Rescue staff Rescue staff tried to reunite with mom; sadly she was nowhere to be found. You provided care for 293 baby red and eastern grey squirrels in 2014.
We can't predict all the baby animals that will need help, but with your support we can be ready for them. Last year, you helped one weasel. This year, two were found under a van; their weak cries alerting a passerby to their presence. This weasel baby is getting one of multiple daily feedings.
Last year you helped 188 orphaned mallard ducklings, including this clutch.
In 2014, you gave six orphaned coyotes pups a good start at a life in the wild. We've already admitted three this year, two siblings and a single pup. The three are now growing up together; developing the skills they'll need for success in the wild.
Wildlife-loving kindergarten class gets an A plus! We are so impressed by these thoughtful kids and their dedicated teachers, Ms. Schepmyer-Erwin and Ms. Braham. This enterprising kindergarten class at Birchbank Public School turned an art project into a fundraiser and raised $70 to help sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. The kids created pieces to sell at a school concert. “We asked the children where we should donate the money we raised, one of them suggested to animals,” says Schepmyer-Erwin. Because they see wildlife on their frequent nature walks, she thought donating towards wild animals would be
fitting. After the class watched a few patient video clips on TWC’s website, Schepmyer-Erwin says “they were very engaged and excited to help.” The community response to the sale was overwhelmingly positive. Schepmyer-Erwin says “They absolutely loved it! One parent commented that what we were doing was very inspiring. Others repeatedly mentioned how wonderful it was and how beautiful the paintings were.” Hold your own event to help wildlife in your community. Contact christinai@torontowildlifecentre.com for details.
TOP 5 baby survival strategies
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Under the radar. Baby rabbits don’t produce a strong scent when they are young, so as long as they are still and quiet, predators will pass them by. Loud and proud. Baby minks don’t bother with subtlety. They emit an ear-piercing scream and a terrible smell when scared. Safety in numbers. Baby beavers stay inside the lodge until they are a month old and then stick close to their parents for the next two years. Fake it 'till you make it. Baby skunks mimic adult warning behaviour, stamping their tiny feet and flashing their white and black tail if they feel threatened. Sleight of hand. Baby killdeer instinctively crouch down in the grass and stay perfectly still when they hear a warning cry from their parents. Then the adults distract the predator by pretending to have a broken wing, drawing them away from their babies.
SPRING WISHLIST Our internship program is developing rapidly and to accommodate students from outside Toronto, we have acquired access to off-site housing. We are looking for the following items in good condition:
Wild baby needs:
• Washing machine
You can bring these items to TWC from 9am – 6pm, 7 days a week.
• Dryer • Double bed frame • Floor lamps • Large meeting table and chairs • Filing cabinets
• High quality canned puppy food • Unsalted nuts in the shell (almond, walnut, pecans). • Thin cotton baby blankets. • Fresh berries (not frozen)
Questions about other items? EmAIL: donations@torontowildlifecentre.com VISIT: torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlist
• Large corkboard and/or white board • Push lawnmower
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save the date
The Wild Ball Thursday, September 17th The Burroughes
(Downtown Toronto, Bathurst & Queen area) This fun cocktail party will include great entertainment, silent and live auctions, delicious food and drinks, and lots more! Mark your calendars and watch for further information in the coming months.
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