Dear Friends of Island Wildlife,
Spring has arrived on Salt Spring Island — the season of second chances at Island Wildlife. Spring marks the beginning of our busiest season, one that grows more demanding with every passing week as orphaned, injured, and sick animals arrive in need of urgent care, and the work of giving them a fighting chance begins again.
This spring, our Director of Care and her dedicated volunteers are already working around the clock. From sunrise to nightfall, young birds must be fed every twenty minutes without pause. Newborn mammals require tube feeding, syringe feeding, or bottle feeding throughout the night. The phone is answered twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week — because a wildlife emergency does not wait for morning.
One of our earliest spring admissions this year was a newborn raccoon, found in a residential area undergoing construction — almost certainly separated from her mother by the disturbance. She weighed just 187 grams — less than seven ounces. At seven to ten days old, her eyes were still closed and she could not yet hear. She could not walk. She arrived hypothermic and dehydrated, and required an incubator and feeding every three hours through the night. In those first fragile days, she was fed by tube — a painstaking process requiring precision and care — until transition to bottle feeding was possible as she grew stronger.
The incubator that kept her warm, the specialized formula she received every three hours, and the countless hours of care she required were all made possible by supporters like you.
And this tiny raccoon is only the beginning. Before summer ends, we expect more than 500 wild animals to come through our doors. Every admission brings with it the cost of formula, medications, fresh food, veterinary supplies, specialized housing, and emergency equipment. As admissions increase each week through spring and summer, so do those expenses.
Release is never rushed. Before any animal returns to the wild, our staff assess each one individually: Is it in good health? Has it reached an appropriate weight? Is it eating independently? Only when the answer to each question is yes does an animal go free.
There is much that people on Salt Spring Island may not know about the work we do beyond receiving injured and orphaned animals. We answer calls about raccoons in attics, otters under houses, and birds striking windows. We advise on how to prevent conflict before it begins. We ask only that you call before you act — because the right guidance at the right moment can make all the difference.
We remain open every day of the year. We answer the phone every day of the year. And every spring, we give as many animals as we possibly can a second chance.
With gratitude for your support of our island’s wildlife,
Mary Richardson
Board Chair, Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUPPORT THE ISLAND WILDLIFE NATURAL CARE CENTRE ?
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