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Dear friend,
As
wildlife and humans prepare for another winter ahead, it’s time to look back at
all we have accomplished for wildlife this year.
To date this year, 2,359
injured and orphaned wild animals have come through Wild ARC’s doors and
thousands more have been treated at other wildlife rehabilitation centres in
this province.
With this year’s babies all grown up, now the difficult winter
cases will hit as the weather gets colder. Roads are dangerous places for
wildlife with the shorter days of light and salt-attractants, so please be
careful out there this winter.
Once
again, the BC SPCA’s wildlife film festival and photo contests have finished
for the year, and the incredible entries celebrate our wild animals in so many
ways. We thank all the participants, sponsors and judges for these events
greatly, and hope you enjoy their work featured below.
As this is the last
WildSense issue of 2012, please have a safe and healthy holiday season, and we
look forward to bringing you more wildlife news and events in the New Year!
With appreciation,
Sara Dubois
Manager, Wildlife Services
PS. You can multiply your impact! Forward this message to friends, family and colleagues.
Giraffe death furthers debate about wildlife in captivity
 As the third giraffe death in a year at the Greater
Vancouver Zoo is debated among the media and the public, the BC SPCA Cruelty
Investigations Department is investigating the circumstances of this sudden
death.
The story however, is all too familiar, as three giraffes died in
captivity only a short distance away in Langley in late 2009 and early 2010 at
the Mountain View Conservation Centre. In Ontario, the continued controversy
over poor conditions for marine mammals at Niagara Falls' Marineland has made
the government evaluate the need for province-wide regulations for all wildlife
in captivity.
As the BC SPCA is currently revising the society’s position
statement on Zoos and Aquariums, the time to ask questions about the
quality of life for wild animals living in captivity is upon us.
Local
professor Dr. David Fraser, at the University of British Columbia’s Animal
Welfare Program, is an internationally recognized expert in the field had this
profound comment to offer on the
issue:
"As long as zoos
and aquaria remain part of our culture, we should at least agree to keep only
those species that appear to have reasonable quality of life in captivity. On
this basis, some institutions no longer keep elephants or orcas, but that is
just a beginning. We need critical, science-based thinking about animal
welfare, coupled with moral leadership on this issue from the zoo and aquarium
community."
Photo credit: Wild
Giraffe in South Africa, Sara Dubois
Barn owl update – Three owls released on a special fall day
As
a follow-up to the last WildSense issue, the barn owls that were evicted from
their nest in a commercial warehouse undergoing construction, were successfully
released in October.
 Banded for monitoring purposes, the owls have found a new
home in a private barn in the community of Sooke, 35kms west of Victoria.
This
was an unusual case for Wild ARC rehabilitators, as intentionally disturbing an
active bird nest with young is illegal. However, a special exception was made
and a permit was issued to allow for the long and intensive process of raising baby barn owls in
captivity.
Although it is always best to allow
wild parents to raise their young, in this case, Wild ARC was the owls’ best
hope for survival. Unfortunately, Barn Owls
are under threat due to the loss of suitable habitat and pesticides affecting
their prey.
Photo Credit:
Christina Carrieres, Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator
More...
BEWARE – Moving deer
crossings not as easy as moving signs
 Despite
the strong belief from an entertaining caller to a radio show that wants deer
to pick safer crossing locations,
deer crossings cannot be moved by simply moving the signs.
Although signage can
warn people about popular crossing locations (based on decades of familiar deer
territories), there is always a risk of wildlife crossing roads at the
interface between rural and urban settlements and wildlife habitat.
November
is a peak month for deer fatalities. Please slow down and watch for wildlife on
the roads. As the days get shorter, most people are driving to and from work in
the dark.
During this time, wild animals may be crossing roads in search of
food, to avoid deep snow or – in the case of deer – to find a mate, and may be
difficult to see.
Should
you come across a wild animal who has been hit by a vehicle, find out what to do.
Contact
local authorities to remove any animals killed on the roads as soon as possible
to avoid additional scavenging animals from being hit.
Photo Credit: April Roberts
Know a future wildlife rehabilitator?
 Many
of us are familiar with the day-to-day work of wildlife rehabilitators: taking
in orphaned and injured wild animals, and preparing them for release by
providing necessary medical treatment, an appropriate diet and a suitable
environment in which to recover.
But the job is far more than just animal care
- it requires incredible people skills too.
Did
you know that wildlife rehabilitators are also humane educators? In addition to
a busy caseload, wildlife rehabilitators provide public education on a daily
basis. One minute, a rehabilitator could be telling someone how to keep a
raccoon out of their garbage and the next, they would be explaining why a
person is being dive-bombed by a crow.
Sharing
information with the public is a vital part of caring for wildlife. Find
out more about what it takes to be a wildlife rehabilitator.
Helping wildlife this
holiday season with a unique gift
Looking for that perfect gift for that special
someone that doesn’t really need anything? Or want to inspire a young person
with a generous gift in their name?
 Sponsor a special wild animal this year for
family and friends at home and abroad. E-cards, printable cards and
certificates are available to send to your gift recipient to acknowledge your
donation.
Purchase online or email Wild ARC to request a certificate be mailed to your loved one.
Photo credit: Tania
Simpson
Celebrating BC’s
wildlife in pictures - 2012 Wildlife-In-Focus contest winners announced
 Our
4th annual wildlife photography contest wrapped up at the end of
September, raising over $3,000 for wildlife in need. With 550 photos submitted
from every corner of the province, it was a very difficult process for the
judges given all the amazing and diverse images – so thank
you to everyone who participated!
A big thanks to
our prize sponsors Broadway Camera, Wild Birds Unlimited, Canadian Geographic
and Canadian Art Magazine.
The winning and honourable mention photos are
now posted online and the two first place
photos will be published in an upcoming issue of AnimalSense.
Check out past contest winners from 2009, 2010 and 2011 as well to get inspired for the 2013 contest.
All the fantastic photos entered each year help the BC SPCA educate our communities about
our local wildlife. Other images from contests are also featured throughout
editions of WildSense and in media articles on wildlife issues with photographer credit.
Photo credit:
Claudette Bejtovic, Galiano Island
More...
Films still available for viewing – 2012 Paws and Claws Film Festival selections
 The Paws
and Claws Film Festival was held this
fall and 15 diverse and interesting
films on everything from badgers and bison, to ducks and sharks, are still
available for viewing online. Need a cozy movie night at home this
blustery fall – these short films are perfect for a night in!
The 2012 Paws and Claws Film Festival committee
and our online public voting group in October also selected one film per
category to recognize:
Congratulations to the People’s Choice
winners!
3 minutes or less – This is Not an Enbridge Animation, David
Shortt
12
minutes or less – Plight of the Barn Swallow, Mike McKinlay, Isabelle Groc
45
minutes or less – People Love Turtles: Protecting
the Western Painted Turtle, Terry Brown and Jude Abrams
Congratulations to the Judges’ Choice
winners!
3 minutes or less – Dump Bear, Cassie O’Neil
12 minutes or less – Plight of the Barn Swallow, Mike
McKinlay, Isabelle Groc
45
minutes or less – The Return, Doug
Hawes-Davis
A Special Merit Award was
also given to one film that resonated with the judges with respect to its
educational value and for raising an important animal welfare issue. Thrill of the Catch, directed and filmed by Jarrett Corke, Brendal Davis and
Aurelie Godin, provides a thought-provoking look at the shark derbies held annually
in Nova Scotia.
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