Toronto Wildlife Centre
WINTER 2016
Wildlife’s own little Santa The ‘Reel’ Deal - how fishing debris hurts wildlife You’re helping birds on their long journey home Between a rock and a hard place… Overwintering snakes ready for releas(ss)e Warming up for baby season Working together to fix the root of the problem
Message from the executive director Dear Friends, What a relief this winter has been compared to the last two, when the Great Lakes froze over almost completely – twice. We were bracing ourselves for another brutal winter, but fortunately it never materialized. This winter, however, has provided its own unique challenges (like an injured porcupine; a prickly patient to take care of, a coyote who has required multiple surgeries, a trumpeter swan with a serious case of lead poisoning, and over a hundred other wild patients currently in our hospital). Because of your support the best care possible is being provided. The big focus right now is on preparing for spring and all the babies who will need help. An army of volunteers is being recruited, interviewed, selected, and trained. By May the centre will be a hive of activity, and those volunteers will be carefully hand-feeding orphaned chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, opossums and others; they will be setting up small swimming pools for tiny orphaned ducklings, selecting just the right size of live insects for delicate days-old killdeer to eat, and they will be assisting the medical team with treatments for the most fragile babies of all – orphans who have also been injured when they were left without the care and protection of their parents. Volunteers allow so many more babies to get the help they need, and they allow your all-important donations to go much further. When you see wild animals in your neighbourhood this spring, take pride in the important part you play to keep them and their babies safe from harm. Thank you for being such a vital part of the help these animals deserve!
Nathalie Karvonen
Cover photo: Colin Winn
Wildlife’s own little Santa
Santa may have done a double-take when he read 9-year-old Jojo’s Christmas list, but her generosity this Holiday Season was an inspiration to animal lovers everywhere.
Vinyl gloves, bottles of ensure, and dishwashing soap are not on the average 9 year old’s Christmas list. But Jojo is not your average 9 year old. This caring young girl asked Santa for urgently needed supplies for wildlife instead of gifts for herself. With help from Santa, a well-known animal lover, and his reindeer friends, Jojo has helped ensure that sick, injured and orphaned wildlife at TWC will receive the care they need. We had a lot of fun meeting our future volunteer when she and her mom delivered their gifts in February. At nine years old, Jojo has shown us that you’re never too young to help wildlife. She is excited to volunteer directly with wildlife when she gets a little bit older, and we’ll be excited when that day comes too. Thank you very much, Jojo, for being so generous and an inspiration to all of us.
Interested in volunteering?
We are currently looking for volunteers with event-planning experience and a volunteer accountant. Visit torontowildlifecentre.com/volunteer/ for a full list of opportunities.
The “Reel” Deal –
Fishing line, hooks, and lead sinkers hurt wildlife! Although winter isn’t high fishing season, improperly discarded line, hooks and the use of lead sinkers is a yearround problem. Water birds, turtles and aquatic mammals are being harmed by monofilament fishing line – it doesn’t decompose and lurks in the water for years, threatening wildlife every day. Wild animals can become tangled in it, and line and hooks cut into any part of the body that becomes ensnared. Lead sinkers pose a particular danger to bottom-feeders like swans as ingestion can cause lead poisoning, a lifethreatening condition.
This trumpeter swan is being treated for lead poisoning; ingestion of a lead sinker is the likely cause.
This mallard was recently admitted with a multi-barbed fish hook stuck in his beak and foot.
Your donation has helped so many waterbirds. Like this trumpeter swan, who was recently treated at TWC after he was found bleeding excessively from his mouth, a hook embedded in his tongue. Because of your support, the veterinary team was able to remove the hook and provide emergency medical treatment, and after a few days in care, the swan was released back to the lake where he was happily greeted by his mate.
With spring around the corner, here are some more tips to help water-loving wildlife: • Always properly dispose of fishing line and hooks
• Remove discarded line and never cut the line when you are fishing • Organize a fishing line collection in your neighbourhood with your local school or community group
• Never use lead sinkers – choose sinkers made from other material such as tin, brass, steel, bismuth, tungsten, recycled glass or even granite
• Use the proper fishing line weight and tackle when fishing to minimize the risk of breakage
• Share this information with your friends, family and community
Sadly, many won’t make it to their final destination. Their migration will be cut short as they collide with reflective windows that mirror the sky or are drawn to interior lights left on at night, mostly in high-rise buildings. But a bird can collide with a window at any time of year. In 2015, you helped over 591 birds admitted with injuries consistent with hitting a window.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
As winter draws to an end, millions of birds will be flying north to their breeding grounds.
COOPER’S HAWK
You’re helping birds on
GOLDEN-
Th
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER
their long journey home!
-CROWNED KINGLET
hat’s 81 different species of birds!
Between a rock and a hard place. It was a frosty February 13th as temperatures dipped to a frigid -26 degrees: the coldest the GTA had been in over 22 years. That freezing morning, this American mink was in serious trouble along the lakeshore of Rouge Beach in east Scarborough. He was stuck, the fur on his back frozen to a large rock. We’re not sure why two Toronto residents decided to go for a waterfront walk in such bitter weather – perhaps it was the bright sunshine making the day seem a little less severe, or maybe it was just a lucky twist of fate for this little mink.
Examination at TWC revealed that the mink was dehydrated and missing patches of fur from his back. Medical staff warmed him up, administered rehydrating fluids and gave him some nutritional supplements to increase his blood sugar.
When they noticed the mink and realized he was trapped, Colin and Julie found a stick and gently tried to pry him loose, to no avail. Realizing that more help was needed, they called TWC’s Wildlife Hotline who sent the Rescue Team to help.
Thanks to you, the mink is now recovering well and receiving a delicious daily smorgasbord of fish, minnows and eggs and the care he needs until his fur grows back – a vital need for mammals that spend time in the water.
Upon arrival, the mink was still feisty and squirmy – a good sign that he hadn’t been trapped for too long. Rescue staff Sarrah used a chisel to lightly tap away the ice connecting fur to the rocks and was able to free him in a few minutes.
It’s difficult to imagine how that day may have ended for the mink, had it not been for the keen eye and concern of Colin and Julie, or donors such as yourself. You are the reason that wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is available 365 days a year. Your kindness saves wild lives, like this mink, every day. Even on the coldest days, it truly warms our hearts.
is almost here
And ssss ome of our patients at TWC can’t wait to get back to the wild... Of course we’re talking about snakes!
From late fall to early spring, snakes should be inside a hibernaculum (an underground chamber below the frost line). If a snake is found outside at this time, it is at high risk of freezing to death. This is why snakes admitted during the colder months be rehabilitated and cared for throughout the winter at TWC.
Here is a sssnapshot of the patients that rely on your sssupport! This Eastern milk snake was admitted in late January after someone found him in their basement. Luckily, he was only displaced and did not require medical treatment, just lots of TLC until the weather is warm enough for release. FUN FACT: It is said that this snake’s namesake came from a once held belief that it could milk cows – don’t get antsy cows, this snake really only drinks water. This Eastern garter snake was found attached to sticky tape and brought to TWC for treatment in late November. As the tape left some residue, rehabilitation staff had to keep the snake over the winter to wait for its skin to shed. FUN FACT: This snake is one of the most common in the Greater Toronto Area, and it is well adapted to swimming! Along with habitat loss and road mortality, persecution from people who misunderstand them is a serious threat to these and other snake species. Thank you for being a friend to snakes and other wildlife!
There may be a few chilly days still ahead of us, but staff and volunteers at TWC are already warming up for baby season. In fact, our Wildlife Hotline has already received calls about newborn raccoons living with their healthy mom in an unused chimney. Fortunately, the residents are happy to let them stay until the offspring are grown, but not all wild babies are so lucky. Wild babies arrive at TWC for a variety of different reasons including:
• • • •
The trapping and relocation of the mother Death of the mother, often due to car collisions Babies who have parents, but become sick or injured themselves Well-intentioned yet uninformed people attempting to help “orphaned” babies that are actually in normal situations
Through the Hotline, TWC tries to reunite wild babies with their parents wherever possible. For true orphans, so small and vulnerable - it is supporters like you that make the difference. Because of your generosity, orphans that have nowhere else to go are given the critical care they need to survive and thrive into adulthood. Each spring, we need to fill our shelves once again in preparation for the hundreds of wild babies about to arrive. From formulas to cozy blankets to electric heating pads to toys for enrichment to a multitude of other items needed to rehabilitate orphaned wildlife – every baby will have its unique needs met because of your compassion.
Thank you for supporting the care of wild babies.
Working together to treat the root of the problem While in care for other problems, this coyote patient was having a difficult time eating. TWC veterinary staff determined she was suffering from a broken carnassial – an important tooth in coyotes for grinding meat. A canine tooth was also damaged and required attention in order to ease her pain. In cases where specialized treatment of a patient is required, TWC sometimes requires the help of experts in the field that share a passion for helping wildlife. Dr. Dilworth at Beaches Animal Hospital in Toronto was kind enough to donate his time and expertise – his canine dentistry skills and his previous experience running a wildlife rehabilitation program made him uniquely qualified to perform this surgery. Dr. Dilworth checks the coyote’s vital signs prior to surgery. It may appear that the coyote’s mouth is tied shut, but it’s actually a tube positioned to keep the breathing apparatus in place while she is anaesthetized.
After a root canal and tooth extraction, the coyote is recovering well and eating on her own. This coyote is enjoying her meals again thanks to our friends at Beaches Animal Hospital. And thanks to you – your support allows us to provide rehabilitation and the follow up medical care that will help this coyote get back to the wild!
Make a Donation
●● Visit us online at torontowildlifecentre.com/donate ●● Call us directly at (416) 631-0662 x 3207 ●● Send a cheque made out to Toronto Wildlife Centre, or complete the information below: ( Please find our address on the reverse of this detachable form.)
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Winter Wishlist ●● ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●
torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlist
Reuseable battery charger for AA and AAA batteries New Rubbermaid (or similar brand) totes with proper fitting lids Pillow cases in good condition 8 1/2 x 11 white office paper Gift cards (Lowes, Home Depot, major grocery stores) Desktop or laptop computers in good condition (please call 416 6310662 x 3204 to discuss) You can bring items to TWC from 9am-6pm, 7 days a week.
Questions about items?
Email donations@torontowildlifecentre.com or visit torontowildlifecentre.com/wishlist
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