Photo: BC SPCA

The BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) says 2021 was a record-breaking year.

Thanks to the dedication of staff, volunteers, and our community, Wild ARC was able to care for 3,128 animals last year from 137 different species, each with their own unique diet, treatment and enrichment needs.

In an average year, 70 per cent of patients are birds, with the remaining 30 per cent mammals, only occasionally admitting amphibians or reptiles.

From April to September, Wild ARC successfully reunited 84 baby animals with their wild moms including fledgling birds, deer fawns, raccoons, goslings, squirrels and rabbits.

Although every year has a pattern, Wild ARC says no two days are alike.

In September, Wild ARC admitted a beaver who was shot multiple times and had life-threatening injuries. Unfortunately, the damage to one of her eyes was so severe, it had to be removed. Wild ARC’s rehabilitators worked closely with their local veterinarian who performed the surgery, and then got to work providing the specialized care she needed to get her stable and recovering.

With so many different species and situations, Wild ARC rehabilitators must be highly skilled to provide such specialized care.

Wild ARC is a member of provincial and international wildlife rehabilitation organizations and has a dedicated team of more than 210 active volunteers who collectively donate more than 20,000 hours of their time every year towards animal care, fundraising and outreach to ensure Wild ARC can continue this important work.

The BC SPCA says it relies primarily on public donations to carry out its life-saving work helping the province’s most vulnerable birds and wild animals.

For more info and to donate, click here.