'We had to make a choice': Wildlife Haven no longer treating certain species
It helps sick, hurt, and orphaned animals, but now Wildlife Haven says it’s been forced to make some difficult decisions regarding the care of certain species.
The non-profit organization will no longer be treating invasive species like pigeons, European starlings, and house sparrows due to, “economic shifts and decreased volunteer engagement.”
Zoe Nakata, executive director at Wildlife Haven, says the choice was made through a conservation lens, and wanting to have the greatest positive impact on the Province’s ecosystems.
“We want to make sure that everything that we release can have the positive impact. And that's where those invasive species were really something that we needed to look at, and re-examine. Because every time you release an invasive species back to nature, you actually have the potential of causing harm to native songbirds, other native species, habitat encroachment, all of those things can happen,” said Nakata.
The rehabilitation centre is also pausing treatment of raccoons for three years due to the high risk of disease transmission and its costs.
“We analyzed our success rate that was actually very small, only a 25 per cent success rate based on capacity…and really, the raccoons in this province are in a state of overpopulation. Their territories are expanding, they're very adaptable to urban and rural areas. So when you look at it from a conservation lens, it was determined that they don't necessarily need a whole lot of help from humans. And in fact, a lot of the cases that we saw were from human error,” said Nakata.
Meantime, the centre is also limiting rescues and pickups to specific animal categories that could be dangerous if mishandled. The list includes large raptors and owls (ex.eagles and peregrine falcons), large waterfowl (such as herons, loons, etc.), medium mammals (i.e., foxes, coyotes, beavers, and otters) and bats.
“The cost of treating these animals, invasive species, the raccoons and even the picking up of small animals, like bunnies and songbirds, the costs are quite substantial to the organization,” said Nakata. “So when we look at the amount of money that it takes for those three things, invasive species, picking up all species, and the raccoons, we're probably in the $100,000 area. So it's substantial part of our budget, and in a time where we're having, you know, a harder time raising money, getting the grants, based on the economic situation, we had to make a choice there.”
Wildlife Haven says it’s also coming up on its busy season. During June and July, it can welcome over 50 animals each day, and has over 300 animals on site at any given time.
“So that's a lot of mouths to feed. It's a lot of medication, and it's a lot of people power to make sure that we can provide the optimal care for those animals.”
Despite the cutbacks, the organization says it remains committed to treating over 170 species of native Manitoba wildlife that are sick, injured, and orphaned.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Russia renews attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches drones at southern Russia
Russia launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia said its air defense systems had intercepted more than 60 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs files motion to dismiss some claims in a sexual assault lawsuit
Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs pushed back against a woman's lawsuit that accused him of sexual assault, filing a motion on Friday to dismiss some claims that were not under law when the alleged incident occurred.