Dear friend,

With appreciation,

Sara Dubois
Manager, Wildlife Services

PS. You can multiply your impact! Forward this message to friends, family and colleagues.

Young hawk down

A young sharp-shinned hawk, found down on the ground near a window, must have been rescued by a guardian angel on November 22, 2011. The severe injuries she sustained appeared to be critical, as her swollen, bruised and broken wing would take a miracle to heal. But just over a month later, she made a full recovery and was released near where she was found in Shawnigan Lake to fly home. A great start to the new year!

Photo credit: Christina Carrieres, Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator

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The one thing you can do for BC’s wildlife in 2012

If there is only one thing you can do to help protect wildlife in the province this year - get involved in debate on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project  as public hearings start this month.

At risk: the future of BC’s coastal wildlife communities. An oil spill on BC’s coast could devastate the pristine environments of seabirds, sea otters, wild salmon and even the Spirit Bear.

Photo credit: Oiled Wildlife Society of BC

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The value of volunteers

Are you still pondering your New Year’s resolutions? Volunteering for your local wildlife rehabilitation centre is a great way to contribute.

Wildlife rehabilitation centres rely heavily on volunteers for tasks ranging from food preparation to cage cleaning to community outreach. Whatever your skill set, there is bound to be a job to match! And, as any wildlife rehabilitator can tell you, each task is as important as the next to keep a centre running smoothly.

Though spring and summer are usually the busiest seasons, fall and winter volunteers are greatly valued too. Often, centres use the “down time” to repair cages, fix broken equipment and stock up on supplies. The extra help is always appreciated, particularly when cold temperatures and snowfall make the work more challenging.

Explore volunteer opportunities at the BC SPCA Wild ARC.

Photo: Wild ARC Volunteer Gordon Simpson

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Mark it on your calendars – it’s worth the trip to Victoria!

The BC SPCA Wild ARC hosts an annual open house each spring and this year’s event will take place March 31 & April 1.

The event is so popular, (free) online reservations are needed to accommodate the 1,000 guests that will tour the facility over the weekend. This is a rare opportunity to see behind-the-scenes, as Wild ARC cannot offer tours year-round and ensure a stress-free healing environment for its patients. Although several captive educational birds will be on display along with our amazing facilities, our wild patients will be taking the weekend off.

Check Wild ARC’s website for reservations starting March 1. In the meantime, take a virtual tour of our facilities.

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Upcoming wildlife meetings across BC

Interested in getting more involved with wildlife issues in 2012? Here is your chance. These meetings are open to members and the general public:

WRNBC Annual General Meeting and Speaker Series
March 9-11 – Courtenay, BC
Each year, the Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Network of BC hosts a symposium to provide networking opportunities, continuing education seminars and workshops, roundtable discussions on current events and research programmes. Expert speakers present on a wide variety of topics, and the AGM also provides an important venue to interact with representatives from various government agencies.

Urban Wildlife: Challenges and Management
April 18 & 19 – Cranbrook, BC
Through a combination of presentations, posters, and field trips, this conference will address the environmental, social, and economic issues related to wildlife in urban settings. The evening speaker will be Dr. Michael Proctor, presenting “Co-existing with grizzly bears in the urban/rural Creston Valley.”

BC Nature Conference and Annual General Meeting
May 10-13 – Kelowna, BC
Hosted by the Central Okanagan Naturalist Club, this event features an exciting line-up of field trips and presentations to address “The Future of Nature in the Central Okanagan.”

Visit our website for more information on these and other wildlife events.

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Wildlife tip: Humanely deterring deer

Many B.C. communities are currently experiencing urban deer conflicts. We can’t blame the deer. People create the ideal habitat for them. Deer thrive in “edge” habitats – a combination of grassy areas, shrubbery and forest. Backyards have also become sanctuaries with ample garden and flower buffets, free of natural predators. Exacerbating the issue are people who deliberately feed deer; treating them almost like pets.
 
Not only can this unnaturally inflate deer offspring numbers, but the young may not acquire the skills to forage naturally, and tameness can lead to human-animal conflicts. As a surprise to many, although rare, deer can become aggressive to people and pets if they feel threatened. With increasing human populations and vehicle traffic, deer become victims of car strikes as they bravely walk suburban streets or cross highways.

It’s best to keep them wild. This means not deliberately feeding any wild animals such as deer, raccoons, coyotes or other mammals. Though it may seem cold-hearted, scaring off deer so they stay clear of urban areas is in the deer’s best interest. Also, consider fencing yards and reducing attractants such as fruit or delectable shrubbery. When planting new vegetation, look for deer-resistant plants and purchase humane, motion-sensing lawn sprayers to scare deer back into wild spaces.

Photo credit: Kathleen Steer