Lisa Taylor, DVM Kristine Torske, DVM, DVSc Wendy Slezak, DVM
Your “Other Family” Doctors Transport companies such as Gardewine Transport, Perimeter and Calm Air and local Conservation departments are important partners who assist in transporting injured or orphaned animals to the centre. The Winnipeg Humane Society also serves as a drop off point. Carey is the only full-time employee aside from twelve Green Team summer positions. The Haven relies primarily on volunteers and operates solely on corporate sponsorships and public donations. One can volunteer for a variety of activities including working at the hospital which involves cage cleaning, daily feeding, and treatment; working as a runner to pick up injured animals; assisting with education programs; fundraising and special committees. An orientation training day is offered for volunteers but Carey says that “it is basically hands-on with volunteers learning as they go.” Although there is no set commitment of hours for volunteering, the minimum age to do so is 18 years. For Carey, the most frustrating part of the job is when an animal doesn’t make it after putting in many patient hours working to try to rehabilitate it. “You always want to help them but there are no guarantees that we will be successful.” This situation is made bear-
able by the rewards of being able to release animals after they have been successfully rehabilitated. Carey recalls an incident with a great horned owl that was paralyzed and brought to the centre. She performed physiotherapy twice daily on the owl along with providing appropriate medications. After a few months it was healthy again and was then released! Raising orphaned babies until they are able to live back in the wild is another rewarding experience of the job, according to Carey. Anyone wishing to do so, can become a member of the organization for an annual donation of $30 per individual or, $50 per family. Members receive a quarterly newsletter called the
642-8398
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Complete Physical Exams Vaccinations Microchip Implants & Tattoos Heartworm Testing Orthopedics Complete In-House Laboratory Digital X-Rays Ultrasound ECG & Blood Pressure Monitoring Pet Dentals & Dental X-Rays Cancer Consultations Large Animal Farm Calls House Calls Laser Surgery Available
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‘Wing Beat’, to keep them up to date on all the Haven’s happenings. One can make a donation or apply to volunteer by logging onto their informative website at www.wildlifehaven.ca and completing the required information. The rewards are many when working with animals to improve their quality of life, or to save their lives. The best advice Carey has for anyone who comes across an injured or, what they think is an orphaned baby animal, is to first call the centre at 878-3740 and ask for advice before handling the animal.
Photo above: The Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, in operation for 25 years, is located in Ile Des Chenes, Manitoba. Photo left: The release of an owl into it’s natural habitat after being nursed back to health is a thrill for the staff. All other photos courtesy of Wildlife Haven. Author, Gail Kreutzer, is a regular contributor to the H2O Guide.
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