Orphaned and injured wildlife in Ottawa receive record food donation

Black bears, wolves, coyotes, possums, raccoons and foxes are just some of the animals in the care of wildlife centres in Thunder Bay, Huntsville, Barrie, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton and London.

But with big mouths to feed, these centres are struggling to make ends meet.

Earlier this month, wildlife centres across the province received a record-breaking donation of food to help with the increasing pressures of taking care of a larger number of animals. 

“The number of injured and orphaned wild animals has been increasing in Ontario as natural habitats have been decreasing,” Sandy Donaldson, director of Ontario Wildlife Centre, told CityNews, citing urban sprawl as a major contributor. 

This is why the donation from Pet Valu, Canada’s specialty pet retailer, will have such an impact. The company has donated 69 skids, or over 21,000 kg, of dry dog food to help feed animals in need.

Donaldson said dry dog food proves an excellent source of nutrition for many mammals in their care — the food is often mixed with water to make it mushy.

Wildlife centres are increasingly relying on donations to help support their animals. These centres do not receive support from any level of government and are in a stark decline. Ontario has gone from over 200 centres, to less than 50.

“They are being regulated out of existence,” Donaldson said.

“Most Wildlife Rescue Centres are run on a shoestring,” Donaldson said. “Most are run by volunteers and are completely dependent on the public for volunteers and  financial support.”

Currently there is no mechanism in place for individuals to donate extra purchases to wildlife centres, which makes donations from companies all the more important. 

“It has helped centres save more animals,” Donaldson said.