RUNNING LOW ON SUPPLIES
Another harsh winter leaves A’burg rescue centre in need.
Harsh winter conditions for a second straight year have left food cupboards a little bare at Wings Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
“It’s a little skimpy,” said Nancy Phillips, who runs the Amherstburg rescue facility. “We’ll have to do a little more fundraising.”
Phillips said the high vol- ume of starving animals and birds that came through the door forced staff to dip into the spring food reserves.
Among other critters, she said the centre cared for 22 opossums suffering from frostbite and more than 45 frozen ducks and swans.
They won’t release anything for a few weeks yet, until the weather warms up and the trees begin to bud.
Spring will bring still more hungry mouths from an influx of baby birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums and fawns.
The baby formulas the centre uses are purchased in the U.S., which means an unfavourable exchange rate has pushed the price up by more than 30 per cent.
“There are no Canadian products,” she said. “We just paid almost $ 3,000 for a shipment and that’s not going to be enough.”
One 22-pound pail of baby raccoon formula costs more than US$200. She anticipates they’ll care for 100 raccoons in the coming months and last year they took in almost 500 squirrels.
She said each type of animal requires a specific formula and the centre only uses quality products because “they need all the vitamins and minerals to give them the best start possible.”
As the animals mature, the centre can mix cheaper food products with the good stuff to stretch it further.
The centre will care for some 1,200 songbirds this season and, ironically, they eat dry cat food.
Phillips has been calling humane societies throughout Southwestern Ontario looking for donations.
“I hate to beg,” she said. “But the way things are today, you have to to survive.”
Phillips said the community was quite generous in response to the need from the winter of 2013-14, but it dropped off substantially this past season.
“I think it’s old news,” she said. “They think somebody else is going to do it.”
The spring newsletter will be distributed shortly, outlining the centre’s wish list for donations. The list is also available on the website at wingsrehab.ca.
Phillips said staff members are also happy to answer questions by phone at 519-736-8172.