Wildlife Haven is holding a behind-the-scenes tour on September 23rd and 24th. Tickets are available at wildlifehaven.ca. 

Zoe Nakata from Wildlife Haven says it’s the one time of year when they open up their doors to their restricted areas and allow the community in. 

“So you get to see where the patients get their intake exam, where they get their X-rays, the surgery room, the patient rooms, and some of the flight cages. It's a real opportunity to get that behind-the-scenes tour.” 

They are also going to have presentations with their ambassadors, some activities for the kids, and some critter dipping. 

It’s a great opportunity to get a scope of what they really do there, especially if you’re interested in volunteering or applying for a summer job with them.

“We've had so many volunteers and staff that have gone on to become veterinarians, conservation officers, or environmental biologists. It's such a fun organization. It's a career launch into so many different career opportunities in the environmental or animal medical sector.” 

As for the animals, Nakata notes that seasons are changing and migration brings on a whole new wave of animals coming to Wildlife Haven. 

“Avian influenza did slow down very, very much throughout this summer, but fall migration does present an opportunity for resurgence for the virus, so we are being very vigilant in our testing so far.” 

Although there are diseases to be wary of, physical injuries are what’s most prevalent at this time. She says they just recently had two baby otters come in.

“They were orphaned and their mom was hit by a car and they're going to have to spend the whole winter with us. We still have a lot of patients that need a lot of care and a lot of food. So our resources are definitely stretched still at this time of year.” 

If you want to donate, head over to their website or drop by with cash or a check. 

“We’re a non-profit charitable organization, so it's really with the generosity of our community that we're able to get this care to these animals with our wildlife vet hospital and these surgeries and specialized diets. Every donation gets a charitable tax receipt, and then we can really get them the care they need and release them back to the wild.”