Rescue dedicated to small animals raising funds for shelter space
A Manitoba animal rescue, which works exclusively with exotic animals and ‘pocket pets,’ is turning to the public for help in raising money for a shelter space.
Popcorns and Binkies Rescue Haven, a charitable not-for-profit in Winnipeg, focuses on animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and hedgehogs.
After five and a half years in operation, the rescue is looking for a physical shelter to provide emergency intake space. The not-for-profit is currently a foster-based rescue without a physical building.
To help with its goal, Popcorns and Binkies launched the ‘Stairway to Haven’ campaign on Monday to raise $150,000 towards getting that shelter location.
“We’ve been doing okay for about 5.5 years, but the demand for the animals we take in, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, all those kinds of things, has grown exponentially,” said Cindy Hildebrand, director and founder of Popcorns and Binkies Rescue Haven.
Popcorn and Binkies helps exotic animals and pocket pets. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News)
Hildebrand said that post-pandemic, many animals have been surrendered and need a placement. Since Popcorns and Binkies is one of the few places that take in exotic animals and pocket pets, the rescue needs more space to care for all the animals coming in.
“Foster homes aren’t cutting it anymore, so we need an actual shelter,” Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand explained that fostering rabbits and guinea pigs tend to be a longer commitment than taking in dogs or cats, which makes it difficult to find foster homes.
She added that having a physical space would help Popcorns and Binkies with emergency intakes for small animals that need immediate placement.
“Having a shelter would allow us that emergency intake space to bring them in, assess them and get them the medical care that they need,” Hildebrand said.
She noted that a physical shelter would also take some of the strain off of the rescue’s foster homes, freeing them up for the more long-term cases.
More information about Popcorns and Binkies and the Stairway to Haven campaign can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Ottawa gives final approval for Rogers $26B purchase of Shaw
Rogers Communications Inc's $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. cleared the last regulatory hurdle Friday, more than two years after the deal was first announced.

Deceased found in St. Lawrence River were from Romania, India: police
The six people who were recovered from the St. Lawrence River Thursday consisted of two families from Romania and India who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday. A child under three is still missing.
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.
These are the conditions -- and penalties if violated -- of the Rogers-Shaw deal
Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has approved Rogers Communications Inc.'s $20-billion takeover of rival telecom Shaw Communications Inc., but there are conditions attached and penalties of up to $1 billion if the companies violate them.
Syphilis cases in babies skyrocket in Canada amid health-care failures
The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people.
BREAKING | Oscar Pistorius denied parole as Reeva Steenkamp's parents oppose his early release
Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, the lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's parents said after the parole hearing.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' years ago nightmare for neighbour on upscale street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole not seeking re-election, leaving this spring
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says he will not seek re-election and plans to resign his seat this spring. The Ontario MP led the Conservatives and served as official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022, when a majority of his caucus voted to remove him from the post.
Trump's indictment in New York: Here's what to know
The vote of a Manhattan grand jury to indict the Republican former president on charges related to hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign catapults the now-candidate Donald Trump into a new era of legal risk and complicates his attempts to return to the White House.