Wildlife centre opening in spring
Omemee-based Kawartha Wildlife Centre aims to treat wildlife in the Kawarthas
Olivia Vandersanden is already responding to calls for Kawartha Wildlife Centre and the centre doesn’t even exist yet.
The 26-year-old registered veterinary technician is working towards opening the centre in the spring.
The goal is to have a facility to care for sick, orphaned and injured native Ontario wildlife.
But the centre isn’t close to fruition and she’s been answering calls to help injured wildlife, including deer, bats, a hawk and an owl.
And when she arrives, Vandersanden is always graciously thanked and told they didn’t know what they’d do without her help.
“A lot of people just aren’t willing to drive two hours to take wildlife somewhere,” she said.
The Kawartha Wildlife Centre will be the only centre to treat wildlife within about 75 kilometres of the Kawarthas.
The PCVS graduate publically announced her intentions in August and has continued to push forward since then.
She’s already secured a spot for the centre in Omemee, thanks to a generous donor. A resident on about 200 acres of land has offered the use of her land for the facility.
Vandersanden plans to open a temporary mobile unit on the property in the spring until enough funds are raised to built the facility. She’s looking for a mobile unit now. The vet tech also launched a GoFundMe page that’s garnered a little more than $2,000 and has another $2,000 in the bank from fundraising ventures.
Other fundraising events are planned for the near future, including an art gala and an online silent auction.
On March 10, centre volunteers are hosting an art gala at The Monocle Centre for the Arts on Simcoe St. in Peterborough. It starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $50. Dr. Graham Crawshaw, former head veterinarian of the Toronto Zoo, will be the guest speaker. There’ll also be live music and a silent of artwork donated by local artists.
In April, the centre will have an online silent auction available through its Facebook page and website, which is currently in the works. Items have been donated from local businesses such as Angevaare Mazda, Escape Maze and Salon Sorella and Day Spa.
Vandersanden is also offering outreach programs to school groups and colleges, where she’ll speak about wildlife and the importance of wildlife rehabilitation. The program runs on donations. To make a booking, contact Vandersanden through kawarthawildlifecentre@gmail.com or through the centre’s Facebook page.
As the ball continues to keep rolling, the Ennismore native is looking for volunteers to help with various tasks. Although she’s had tons of offers to help with wildlife, the vet tech needs help with fundraisers and outreach as well as drivers to take animals to established centres while they’ll recover. She’ll also need help hooking up electricity and water once the mobile unit is set up.
Having already responded to calls in the slow season for wildlife care, Vandersanden is a bit nervous for spring.
As a non-profit organization that’s just starting out, she needs to keep her day job at Otonabee Animal Hospital to make money.
“It’s just a labour of love right now,” she said of the centre.
Down the road, Vandersanden hopes to work at the centre fulltime, fulfilling her dream.
“I just think of it as foraging my dream job out of nothing and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
And she’s thankful for the help she’s received so far, knowing she’ll need more help in the future.
“It feels so good to have the support of this community ... and we’re going to be able to make a difference here in the Kawarthas, preserving our wildlife.”