Importance of Wildlife Rehabilitation and Why to Donate
Wildlife rehabilitation is the practice of providing responsible and professional care to sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals with the goal of releasing fully recovered animals back to their native environment. Most animals presented to wildlife rehabilitation centers have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities (caused by humans). Many of the animals have experienced vehicle strikes, wildlife traps, or ingested lead, pesticides, or garbage.
Wildlife centers can have significant impacts on conservation efforts when working with endangered and threatened species or engaging in large-scale rescue efforts within a localized area, such as during an oil spill response. They can also contain a huge wealth of data that can contribute to biological and veterinary research. Wildlife rehabilitators are often the first to identify infectious disease outbreaks or toxins affecting wild populations and can alert governmental and regulating authorities. They can serve as influential voices for their patients while advocating for laws or public policy changes that affect wildlife and the environment.
Many centers are not government funded and rely solely on donations to keep running. The few that are government funded are typically not adequately funded and still rely heavily on donations. Wildlife rehabilitation centers tend to lack donations because unlike other animal shelters, the public is generally not able to visit the centers. Visitors are often turned away to keep the animals safe and ready to reintroduce to the wild. The goal of rehabilitation is to release the animals back to their native habitat, therefore, too much human interaction can hinder their safety.
Below are some amazing wildlife rehabilitation organizations in Canada to donate to (along with some cute pictures):
Xo,
Charlie