Our Area of Service

If the wild animal you have found falls within the area shown on the map, please call us first at 905-729-0033 so we can determine the best course of action to help the wild animal. If the wild animal that you have found falls outside the area indicated on this map, please refer to this link: https://www.ontariowildliferescue.ca/wildlifecentres/ to contact the wildlife rehabber closest to you. 

Just like hospitals for people, there is a limited number of wildlife rehabilitation centres in Ontario.

As a result rehab centres like Procyon have defined their areas of service. Our area of coverage is a 50km radius from the centre in Beeton, Ontario, essentially the area we have always covered.

We urge the public and everyone concerned to contact their local MMP to establish more rehab locations and to get rehabbers the funding needed to care for Ontario’s wildlife.

Wildlife centres in Ontario do not receive government funding and rely on the generosity of the public through donations to operate and volunteers who give many hours of their time to care for the wildlife.

Due to MNR regulations, we are required to release rehabilitated adult wildlife back to the wilds within 1 km of where they were found and orphaned wildlife babies that were raised at the centre within 15 km. As a result, we are restricting animal intakes to within a 50 km range of our centre in Beeton, Ontario.

This helps maintain proper balance in wildlife populations so that habitat and food resources are not strained by a sudden influx of animals to a specific area.

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THE SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON: Daniel Donia

I can’t count how many have volunteers have praised Daniel and his work ethic. He has been a huge benefit to the critters and all of us this season! Sarah Marrs-Bruce.
Daniel is such a hardworking volunteer he’s always willing to stay later to help out and doesn’t even take breaks! He’s amazing and has been a great help to the Monday night shift! Thank you Daniel. Sabrina M.
It’s truly an honor to be featured by my fellow volunteers. Thank you, Daniel.

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Animal Updates for September 2022

Well, it’s that time again, we are in release mode at the centre; a very special time of year for us and the animals in our care. But not all get to go home.

Momma Fox

Momma underwent a second surgery last month to reset her other broken front leg. Dr. Sherri Cox of the National Wildlife Centre did the long surgery again. Momma gets vet checked every week to have her incision, pins and leg range of movement checked.

The good news is she is doing very well and the check up I sat in on with our Dr. Nellissa was good, she was very happy with her improvement. Smiles all around. She is moving around more and getting hard to handle. This is all great news. She is starting to feel better.

Her last vet check I sat in on Dr. Sherri joined us. She is to have one more regular vet check the following week. Then in two weeks taking us into the last of September or first week of October, all goes well, Dr.Sherri will remove her pins.

She will then be ready for her next step in her recovery. An outside enclosure. She will be overwintering with us as she continues to get her strength back for a very special release day come spring.

This is the plan. Just as long as her leg continues on healing with no foreseeable issues arising.  Keep sending her your good healing energies.

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Wildlife Diseases – Part One.

by Jennifer Howard

Mange

Let’s start with one we all know about. Mange. Our followers know that this has been a real problem the last couple of years in foxes. In 2021 we had over 30 foxes admitted and treated for mange. This year again it has been bad. As most of you know, mange is treatable. But it’s also mistaken by some to be rabies.

Mange is a tiny microorganism that burrows under the animal’s skin. It causes them great discomfort. It will not go away but only continues to get worse. It generally starts at the hind end, the tail losing fur until it’s bald. They bite and scratch at the area, and the mites can then transfer to the face. It continues consuming all the animal’s body, leaving it bald in some severe cases. Crusting their eyes shut so they can not hunt to survive. It becomes critical if they are not live trapped and brought in for care. They will slowly starve to death, become dehydrated, hypothermic and eventually their organs start to shut down and that is it for them. The fight for life ends. Please if you see a sick animal with mange, take photos if possible and call Procyon, leave a message, photos are very helpful for us in determining the condition of the animal.

 

 

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Perspectives on Nature

by Elizabeth Trickey

There is nothing quite like snowshoeing through a quiet forest, on white drifts of freshly fallen snow.  The only noise to be heard is the crunch of the snow beneath my feet.  The cold air is brisk, but I am dressed warmly.  There’s nobody else around.  I feel at peace.

Regardless of the season, our natural world has so much to offer.  There are those of us who only feel alive in nature, surrounded by trees, freshwater, and enchanting critters.  Whether canoeing, hiking, or camping in the outback, it provides perspective on life and rejuvenates us.

Our natural world is not only amazing to enjoy, but it is also necessary for life.  Including human life.  At the very least, we need fresh water, clean air, and crops.  So why are we polluting our water sources, cutting down our forests, and engaging in activities that damage our environment along with the animals in it?  Do we not care about a tomorrow for our children?  Of course, many of us do.  But not all.  And it certainly isn’t a priority for governments/big business. 

So what can those of us who care about our natural world do about it? 

One key is educating our youth.  Why?  Not just because they are the ones who will be inheriting a world that is being ravaged to a crisis point, but because they are prepared to challenge our government on environmental decisions.  Just a few weeks ago, several youths, with the support of Ecojustice, stood up against our provincial government at the Ontario Supreme Court.  They were taking action against the Ford government with respect to disregarding Ontario’s climate laws, which takes away their right to live in a healthy environment.  At this point, the case has been heard, and the judge is deliberating as to the verdict.  Win or lose, our youth are taking charge!

We all know many ways to help our environment – recycle, reuse, reduce, compost, turn out the lights, walk don’t drive….  Many of us do our part in our homes, and every little bit helps.  But is that enough?  Maybe we really need to start thinking about nature in a different way, a more global way.

It is interesting that many humans don’t consider themselves as a part of nature.  Some people will talk about “conquering” aspects of our natural world as though it is something they need to control or get the better of.  Others believe that the Earth is at our disposal, to do whatever they wish with it.  Many believe that our Earth and all its resources will always be here for us and our offspring.  After all, we are at the top of the food chain.  I’ll bet the mighty dinosaurs thought the same thing!  OK, big bodies, small brains, maybe they didn’t think all that much….

Let’s consider the perspectives of people who used to live off the bounties of our planet – those who farmed, fished, and hunted.  They took what they needed to survive and nothing more.  That no longer happens.  Most of us have far more than we need.  Heck, we have houses full of things we don’t even want! 

Our landfills are full of garbage.  You might think that landfills are ugly and smell.  Well, wake up folks, that’s nothing compared to the pollution that is caused as garbage decomposes, leaking toxins such as mercury, lead, and arsenic, into our soil and groundwater.  Food in landfills breaks down into methane, a dangerous gas that is responsible for global warming.  And did you know that cow flatulence is methane and accounts for a third of the methane in the atmosphere?  Humans eat a tremendous amount of beef, so we have over a BILLION cows on Earth.  We need to stop eating beef.

Aboriginal people believed that everything in our natural world had a place and deserved respect.  They understood that all living things, including themselves, contributed to the health and well-being of all other living things.  Indigenous peoples knew it was important to find ways to live together in harmony, and believed that we can all live comfortably without damaging nature. 

When they hunted, they made sure that during the springtime, females and their babies were never killed.  When harvesting crops, they waited until the plants had produced seeds for the following year.  They always made sure that there was enough food for at least 7 generations to come.

Some of our governments have realized the importance of sustaining our natural environments, and have consulted with aboriginal groups to develop resource management skills and environmental laws.  However, other governments dismiss environmental concerns and allow industry to destroy habitats, and pollute the air and water.  So another key to protecting our planet is to become more active in petitioning governments to make laws that force industry to take better care of our natural resources. A shocking fact is that every year industrial fishing leaves 100 million pounds of plastic garbage in our oceans!  Why is that allowed?

I remember watching the Bill Nye video where he had a Jenga game all set up with each block representing an aspect of nature.  He slowly began pulling out species that are presently at risk for extinction.  I’m sure you can imagine the complete collapse after just a few of those blocks were pulled out.  Scientists do speak about “the point of no return”, an estimate of how much time Earth has before there is no more time left to fix the problems we are experiencing today.

Here is Procyon Wildlife Debra Spilar teaching young students about wildlife. Did you know we offer educational programs in schools?

Getting back to the first key in caring for our environment, educating our youth, schools should be spending far more time teaching science.  This is an easy thing to do since it can be done through both language and math programs.  Science subjects are relevant in many aspects of life, are interesting and practical, and they teach children problem-solving skills. 

People need to put pressure on our government to adjust the curriculum to learn skills through science topics.  Then our youth will have a better appreciation for Earth, and be more able to deal with the environmental problems that past generations have saddled them with.

Hopefully, as all people become more aware of issues facing our natural world, enough concerned citizens will put pressure on our governments to develop policies and laws that value our environment.  As someone once said, “If you aren’t part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem”.  Let’s all be part of the solution.

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