They love them so much they think that a wild animal would make a great, not to mention, unique, pet. A lot of the animals received at wildlife rehabilitation centres are "victims" of people who thought it would be fun to have a pet squirrel, robin, crow, raccoon, etc. They take the babies from their nests or "find an orphaned" animal. Perhaps they find an injured creature and try to nurse it back to health by themselves even though they have no prior training or experience with wild animals. They don't realise that these cute little balls of fluff can grow up to be a dangerous animal that can turn on its "caretaker" in an instant.

Two one-week-old White-tailed Prairie Hares

So, you may ask yourself, "Why do we need wildlife rehabilitators?" "Why not let nature take its course?" or even, "Hey, I can take care of this animal myself." Over 90% of the animals that come into many wildlife rehabilitation centres are due to human -- not natural causes. In many instances, people directly harm the animal: sometimes intentionally by throwing rocks at it, or shooting it; sometimes unintentionally by hitting it with their car or have a bird fly into their big picture window. Many birds are electrocuted on high power lines, or a deer runs into a barbed wire fence. A couple of the major perils faced by wildlife today are man-made pollutants and loss of habitat. For years, over 55,000 tonnes of lead sinkers from fishermen and lead buckshot from hunters were left in the environment in Canada alone. Sinkers and buckshot are now for the most part made of steel but after 200 years of European colonisation, there is one hell of a lot of lead in the environment. This lead works its way through the food chain and as a result some animals come to facilities suffering from lead poisoning -- not to mention the harm that pesticides and herbicides can do to animals. The use of DDT brought magnificent birds such as the Peregrine falcon and Bald eagle to the brink of extinction. Family pets such as dogs and cats can wreck havoc on bird's nests and kill many nestlings. Many times when this happens, people feel a personal guilt for the condition of the animal and try to help it on their own.

It is sad, but these people who have great intentions are also the ones who end up harming the animal the most. They then later expect a wildlife rehabilitation centre to fix the damage they've caused. They treat the wild animal like they would a family pet and feed it the same food they give their dog, or cat, or bird -- or worse yet, themselves. Wild animals have very different dietary needs -- and each species is different. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained and have the knowledge needed to give a wild animal a chance at survival. Most wildlife rehabilitators work with veterinarians because in many instances the animal may need prescribed medication, a limb to be splinted, or may even need surgury.

Red Fox Pup

The best place for ANY wild baby animal -- bird or mammal -- is ALWAYS with its mother. Many people think that when they see a nest with no parent at it, or if they see a fawn or bunny lying on the ground by itself, that it has been abandoned by its parents. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parents have to forage for food in order to feed their young. Fawns may be left alone for several hours at a time while the doe goes out foraging for food. Sometimes a baby bird gets knocked out of its nest. The best thing to do for it is put the nestling back in the nest. There is no truth to the rumor that a mother bird will abandon her brood if there is a "human smell" on them. In fact, most birds have a very poor sense of smell.

However, there are times when the mother is killed or for some reason abandons her charges. This is where TRAINED wildlife rehabilitors come in. There are also many instances when animals, both adult and young alike, are injured. In almost all cases these injuries are a result of human interference like the situations described above. Every species is different and requires its own special type of care. Some animals can not ever tolerate the presence of humans and will die from stress, while others find humans to be an easy source of food and end up being nuisance animals that may have to be put down.

One very important thing that many people don't realize is that a permit is needed to house, or even possess, any wild animal. Possession of such an animal could result in a heavy fine or even a jail term.

I have been involved in wildlife rehabilitation for over two years and there is nothing more gut wrenching than seeing a Bald Eagle barely able to stand due to lead poisoning -- a Great Horned Owl that has half its wing torn off after an encounter with barbed wire -- even a Robin that has been attacked by the family cat. (Incidently, cat saliva is very toxic to most bird species and they rarely survive even if the wounds are not serious). Interestingly enough, besides the many passerines and smaller birds that get brought into rehabilitation due to cat injuries, raptors (birds of prey) are victims of cats as well.

Wildlife rehabbers do the best they can to help all these "victims" of circumstance. And they do it on a shoestring budget -- if they are lucky. Many centres are extremely cash strapped and depend entirely on volunteer labour just to stay afloat. Food, medical supplies, housing materials and many other things are all very expensive. If you care about wildlife, please consider making a donation -- cash, materials, volunteer time -- whatever you can -- to your local wildlife rehabilitator.