High number of patients at Wildlife Haven is overwhelming

Although the wildlife animal rescue in Île-des-Chênes is often hopping with activity, it seems to be exceptionally busy these days. 

Wildlife Animal Hospital is taking in many patients with a variety of needs and last week, the medical team had to pull the executive director, Zoe Nakata, in to assist with an emergency surgery. 

Nakata does not usually help in this area and found it to be quite an experience. 

She wrote about it on social media, saying a juvenile Merlin was found in pain and unable to fly. With the help of X-rays, it was discovered that a bullet was lodged in the shoulder and urgently needed to be removed. 

“This was a chance of a lifetime for me, as I'm not usually the one to do hands-on care for the animals we all care so deeply about,” Nakata wrote. “But since all of our hospital team members are overwhelmed with the high number of patients in care, we must all lend a hand.” 

She reported the surgery was a success and is asking for donations to help cover the medical expenses to support the young bird’s journey to recovery. 

Nakata says there are many animals coming in, requiring a variety of care. 

"This time of year, of course, we have a lot of orphans, sick and injured baby animals that are coming in,” she says. “Right now, at the center we've got a little baby owlet in, we've got a little chipmunk that has a shoulder injury. You should see, we've got a little vest wrap keeping its shoulder in place. So, we've got a lot of babies coming in, so we need to care for them, we need to give them medical care and feeding support.” 

Wildlife Haven is the only hospital in Manitoba that cares for wildlife, and Nakata says they take in animals from all over the province. 

“It's a really needed service,” she says. “Every single day we've got people from all over bringing these animals straight to (Wildlife Haven) right here in Southeast Manitoba. It's kind of like a nice little gem that we've got here in our own backyard, so we want to make sure that that service is there available 365 days a year.” 

In order to continue providing this service, the animal hospital relies greatly on fundraisers and donations. 

To find out more information about the wildlife rescue, visit their website.

Wildlife Haven also offers patient updates on social media. They recently provided information on an orphaned and injured infant Bald Eagle was brought in this summer after it was found on the ground near Snow Lake. It was weak and along, with no parents in sight. She required immediate medical attention to survive. Upon her initial exam, the Animal Care Team found an abrasion on her wing. This young one is reported to be getting stronger everyday, and will need to learn how to perch, fly and hunt before being released back in the wild.

Two orphaned Merlin siblings are being cared for at Wildlife Haven after they were found all alone near Altona. They were mildly dehydrated and otherwise healthy. But they are too young to survive on their own in the wild because at this age they still rely on their parents for food and safety. Wildlife Haven staff do not know what happened to the parents.