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In the next hour, Gail leads me on to see a deer pen
in the woods where baby deer are raised as far from the
people as possible (since they easily become too tame)
and enclosures for various recovering critters – we say
hello to a porcupine, a skunk, and a big barred owl.
“That building there is our new project,” she says, waving
towards a long open structure. It’s a 100-foot flyway for
testing recovering birds’ ability to fly.
Then we go into the building for adult animals
under treatment. “QUIET,” says the sign on the door.
Wild adults, Gail explains, are very stressed by human
presence. Right now the shelter has lots of oppossums –
they aren’t well adapted to Canadian winters, and have
come in with frostbite. They will be released soon. There
are signs posted everywhere, to ensure everyone working
with the animals knows what’s needed. The mammals
are kept in large stalls, with natural features like logs and
green branches, and sleeping dens inside. The door to
one is labelled “Attack Groundhog – I am not kind!” In
a soft mesh cage, I catch sight of a tiny owl perched on
a cedar branch. It’s a saw whet owl, only about the size
of my hand, and he suffered a brain injury after being hit
by a car. “He’s able to perch now,” says Gail, “but we still
have to hand-feed him.”
Today the waterfowl house is temporary home to a
mallard and a beautiful wood duck – but once ducklings
start hatching it will fill up. “We get 150 ducklings a year,
so we’re building a new water bird facility,” says Gail. She
shows us the pond forms and the piles of earth where
digging has begun. “We’ll have four enclosed outdoor
pens, each with a pond.”A LABOUR OF LOVE
I wonder how on earth she manages this huge enterprise.
Wildlife refuges in Canada must be licensed by the
government, but they get no government funding.800 squirrels 100 skunks 2,000 birds 450 bunnies
SHADES OF HOPE TREATS 4,000 ANIMALS EACH YEAR:
Cats are killers
In Canada, cats kill 100 million to 350 million birds
a year! Many cats are used to roaming outside, but
they should really be kept indoors for their own
and the birds’ safety. Kittens and young cats easily
adapt to indoor life. You can also bring your cat
outside with you on a long leash.h
elp