This season’s high number of orphaned and injured wildlife has added financial pressure to The Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, located in North Gower, Ontario.
According to recent reports, the sanctuary admitted a total of 480 mammals and turtles in 2012. This year, however, it has already taken in more than 600 animals.
While volunteer donations and a grant from the Community Foundation of Ottawa allowed the facility to build more treatment rooms and outdoor enclosures this year, this huge increase in animals means more maintenance, medications, and treatment is also needed, creating some financial strain for this volunteer-based facility.
And the year is far from over—some animals are having late litters, meaning the sanctuary will be busy formula feeding many animals well into fall, keeping them at the sanctuary over winter before they can be safely released in spring.
“We are entirely confident that people will donate supplies and donate money to keep it going,” board member Heather Badenoch told the CBC.
For more information about The Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, or if you’d like to consider donating, you can visit their website.
