Blog

A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Care Assistant

Feeding. Cleaning. Health checks. Feeding. Cleaning. Health checks.

A day in the life of a Wildlife Care Assistant may sound repetitive, but each day brings new challenges that will keep you on your toes, and new inspiration that connects you to nature and animals.

Your main responsibility is to the baby birds – you are there to care for them throughout their development and rehabilitation. The tiniest of babies need to be fed every 15-minutes. So, when you have a room full of babies, it can be an endless circuit of feeding. Yet, somewhere in-between the feeds you need to clean them and their enclosures, and assess their development.

A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Support Centre & Rescue Assistant

Phone call, after phone call after phone call…our incredibly busy Helpline responds to approximately 28 000 calls per year, with the bulk of them coming in during the busy summer months.

Wildlife Helpline and Rescue Assistants (WHRAs) receive intensive training in natural history and urban wildlife challenges so they can help the thousands of people reaching out to our Helpline find solutions to their unique wildlife situations – from raccoons in the attic to orphaned ducklings walking down a busy street.

Wetlands and Wildlife

Today is #WorldWetlandsDay, crucial to our environment, wetlands provide a habitat for a variety of animals such as fish, birds, invertebrates and are an essential part of the earth’s ecosystem. Despite how essential they are to the environment, wetlands are facing challenges daily across the globe.

2020: The Year in Review

Wildlife Rescue faced many challenges in 2020, but dedicated and compassionate supporters, volunteers, and staff worked hard together to help thousands of wildlife in need.

Happy International Volunteer Day!

Today is International Volunteer Day and Wildlife Rescue Association of BC is grateful for the volunteers and their hard work, commitment and service they share with wildlife 365 days a year. Wildlife has a second chance at life because of you! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

There are many components and tasks that volunteers take on from answering the phone, receiving the injured animal, providing health checks, caring for the wildlife, releasing wildlife and transporting injured and orphaned wildlife to name a few. The work is continuous and difficult at times but volunteers get the job done gracefully. Today we honor a few of our volunteers and their experience as Wildlife enthusiasts and volunteers.

Annual Volunteer Appreciation

We are so lucky to be celebrating over 200 volunteers who’ve dedicated their time to Wildlife Rescue this past year and this quote speaks to 2020 perfectly, “There’s no time like the present, and no present like the time” – James Durst. Together we survived a global pandemic and 90% of our volunteers stuck by us. As well, about 50 new volunteers joined us in our cause! This proves how much our volunteers care and we want them to know that their time is truly one of the most generous gifts they can give to us, as it allowed us to keep our doors open for animals in need.

Great Blue Heron Survivors Released to Rookery

Thanks to the efforts of Wildlife Rescue staff and you the young herons were raised under supportive care at Wildlife Rescue hospital. One heron was much older than the other and developed his skills quickly and therefore was released a few weeks earlier and the other joined him a few weeks later.

Group of California Quail Ready to Return Home

The large group of quails has been growing and developing slowly over the last few weeks and has gained weight and are starting to show signs of flight. They are not in the final stage of their pre-conditioning release and in a large enclosure that mimics their natural environment.

Navigating Bats in Your Community

Wildlife Rescue Support Centre has been busy answering curious finders and coordinating the increased appearance of bats in the last 3 months. Although the majority of the 208 of calls are inquiries only about bat safety and protocol, Wildlife Rescue has seen a surge in the number of bats who need supportive care and treatment.

Steller’s Jay Fledglings Rescued after Predator Attacks

Many birds are harmed each year due to predator attacks – birds such as Steller’s Jays are often hurt after being ambushed by a cat when foraging on ground-level. Fledgling Steller’s Jays are even more vulnerable, they spent time on the ground learning how to fly. You can help prevent predator attacks in your yard!

Blog

Support Us