A Note from the Executive Director about TWC’s Wildlife Services – Summer 2008

The staff and volunteers at Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC) deeply regret that we have been forced to make the decision this year to limit our service areas for calls about and admissions of some wild babies. At the present time, we are only able to respond to calls about baby rabbits and squirrels from the Greater Toronto Area, and calls about baby songbirds and raccoons from Richmond Hill and Pickering (the latter restriction is based on special agreements we have with these municipalities to respond to provide wildlife services in their areas). For other species of babies, about which our call volume is less, we are still working to respond in all areas or redirect the calls or admissions to other appropriate facilities.

The last few summers our Wildlife Hotline has been so overwhelmed with phone calls that it is crippling our organization. So many calls are coming in that we are sometimes 3 to 4 hours behind even just taking messages off—with volunteers taking messages off our voicemail system non-stop for 10 to 12 hours straight. This volume of calls / messages means that we are not responding to anyone in a timely fashion—and the wild animals that we all care about are suffering as a result.

Toronto Wildlife Centre’s Wildlife Hotline is the busiest hotline we know of in North America, and is getting busier and busier each year. Our highly trained staff and wonderful support volunteers are working to the point of exhaustion trying to keep up, but the call volume keeps increasing as Toronto Wildlife Centre’s name becomes more widely known. We can receive up to 200 phone calls each day during the spring and summer months.

Many organizations, including municipalities all across Ontario, have on their public voice mail or websites to call Toronto Wildlife Centre about any wildlife issues. These same municipalities, with the exception of Pickering and Richmond Hill (who are providing some funding to help with wildlife issues in their areas), do not provide TWC with any funding. The City of Toronto, for example, has repeatedly turned down our requests for funding assistance to provide you and wildlife with the help you need. If you live in the City of Toronto and want to express your concern for the fact that most of the city’s wildlife services are being provided by a charity struggling to meet the demand, please contact your city councillor. If you are not sure who to contact, click here.