July 2013

Dear friend,

It's true: July and August is peak season for seal pups! Beginning in June and continuing throughout the summer, beaches all along the coast are transformed into harbour seal nurseries.

The fantastic warm weather means that many of us are spending time out and about this summer, which may lead to more wildlife encounters than at any other time of the year.

In addition to our busy wildlife centre, the new BC SPCA Provincial Call Centre has been fielding hundreds of wildlife questions, helping members of the public and wild animals across the province. One of the most common concerns this month is the spotting of baby seals on our beaches. Be sure to scroll down to learn what to do (or not to do) if you spot a lone pup!

Many many of us will become tourists both inside and outside of our province this summer, but it’s important to remember our wildlife etiquette and not participate in wildlife feeding. This season brings nature’s best bounty all on its own—including all types of berries—in fact if you gather extra berries this summer, your local rehabilitation centre would appreciate the donation.

Also, if you are out and about, be sure to take lots of great wildlife photos and submit them to our annual photography contest!

With appreciation,

Sara Dubois
Manager, Wildlife Services

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

Extreme family reunion required for a special nest of Cooper’s Hawks near Victoria

Often the best wildlife rehabilitation cases are the ones that spend only a brief period of time at a rehabilitation centre.

For some wild babies, like these Cooper’s Hawks, it is possible to be reunited with their parents, however they just need a little help to make their way home.

In this extreme family reunion, expert tree climbers were called in to re-create and place a new nest that had been blown away. The babies were then hoisted back into the tall tree to the delight of their awaiting parents and the local homeowner.

Photo Credit: Christina Carrieres, Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator

Berries are one of the best parts about summer for us and for wildlife!

Got berries? Enough to share with a few wild friends? Or maybe last season’s are taking up too much space in your freezer?

Wild ARC and other BC wildlife rehabilitation centres are busy caring for hundreds of injured and orphaned baby birds, raccoons, deer, and many more species. As these animals recover and grow, they need round-the-clock care and lots of quality food. Berries are one of the staples in their diet at this time of year, and buying them at retail prices is expensive.

Donations of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries and blackberries as well as larger fruits such as apples and pears are welcome. Other foods and items are accepted for donation by Wild ARC in Metchosin year round.

Not living on southern Vancouver Island? Visit the Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Network of B.C. to find a wildlife rehabilitation centre near you and see what they need.

Annual Wildlife Photo Contest kicks off the summer

The 5th annual BC SPCA Wildlife-In-Focus photography contest launched on July 1 and will run through September.

Amateur and backyard photographers are encouraged to get out this summer and capture images of BC wildlife in their natural settings or in backyard habitats.

What better way to explore the amazing and diverse species of wild animals that we share this beautiful province with? Of course photos taken at any time of year are welcome!

Funds raised from the contest go towards caring for injured and orphaned wildlife at the BC SPCA Wild ARC.

Photo Credit: Claudette Bejtovic, BC SPCA 2012 Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest

Are you a wildlife-friendly tourist?

It is compelling to want to get up close to wildlife and a new trend for tourist companies is to offer opportunities to feed and even touch animals such as stingrays, sharks, dolphins, and monkeys. But what is the animal welfare impact on these animals?

Research indicates that food-conditioned wildlife often suffer nutritionally and become habituated to the handouts.

For example, in Australia’s tourist dolphin feeding program, researchers discovered an increase in offspring survival when feeding programs decreased. In other situations, food-conditioned animals have become more brazen resulting in food-seeking aggression and even lethal attacks.

Such was the case for a German tourist snorkeling off Egypt’s Red Sea shores who was killed in 2010 by a mako shark who was reportedly fed by tour operators in order to bring the sharks closer to divers.

Despite a thrill for tourists, these programs often put animals at increased risk of injury as they collide with boats or vehicles. So when you are a tourist seeking wildlife experiences, please ask yourself, what’s in the best interest of the animals and consider the long term impact of feeding once you return home.

Photo credit: Sara Dubois - Cape Town, South Africa

BC wildlife benefits from Provincial Call Centre

The BC SPCA Provincial Call Centre (1-855-6BC-SPCA), which opened earlier this year as a toll-free province-wide hotline to report cases of animal abuse and wildlife concerns, has now provided advice to hundreds and hundreds of callers on how to help injured and orphaned wildlife.

Open 7 days a week (8am to 7:30pm), the Provincial Call Centre assists in offering consistent and thorough information about wildlife to all areas of the province, benefiting all wildlife in BC!

Many calls come in on during evenings and weekends, when no other services for wildlife are available.

Photo credit: Caspar Davis, BC SPCA 2010 Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest

Sharing our shores with marine life this summer

Summertime means many of us will be headed to the beaches to enjoy the great weather!

Whether its lakeside or oceanside, learning to share beaches with the many species of wildlife that make their homes near water is important: to keep them and their young safe.

Our coastline is especially home to some amazing wildlife like the harbour seal, a common sight during this time of year as the females come ashore to raise their pups. So before you head out to the ocean, take some time to brush up on your seal know-how. 

Photo Credit: Becky Forsayeth, BC SPCA 2011 Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest