A long-running program that finds new families for orphaned wildlife is operating with a larger purpose in 2013.
The Medicine River Wildlife Centre takes in orphaned animals every year, and for the last number of years it has been working to make sure those orphans are able to head back into the wild with new families. It is a program that was developed at the centre near Spruce View and has since spread around North America.
“We’re proving that wildlife will adopt orphans and what we believe is that if we can get them with an adoptive family, then they’re going to be raised more naturally, and it’s going to save us a lot of time, work and money. We’re going to be spending donors’ dollars a little bit wiser and the animals will benefit,” explained executive director Carol Kelly.
While the program’s success over the years is proof enough to Kelly as to its effectiveness, this year the program is running with a research permit, so it can be properly documented and studied.
“We’ve been very successful, and this is just another stage to actually do the research to prove it for those naysayers out there,” said Kelly.
The research will focus on the fostering of coyote pups, beaver kits and deer fawns and subsequently tracking them when back in the wild via a transmitter.
But the centre is not only seeking to find proper families for those species; any orphaned animals that come into the centre can be placed back into the wild if a suitable situation is found. The biggest challenge is in finding new homes for young deer, coyotes and ducklings, according to Kelly.
To facilitate such relocations, the centre is asking the public to share knowledge of the whereabouts of any wildlife with young that could possibly take in an orphan.
There are many things to consider when determining a suitable home for an orphan, said Kelly, such as the age of the existing young in a group and the hazards around a home such as a road or an unwelcoming neighbour. If a proper home is located, the centre goes to work seeing how receptive the existing animals are to a newcomer.
“In the case of fawns, what we do is play the call of a fawn in distress and if that doe is receptive, she will come in and show herself and show that she is quite angry and upset because she hears the distress call, and then she adopts the fawn,” said Kelly.
“If landowners are interested, they can be there when we do the fostering. They can actually see what’s happening and be part of it too.”
To let the centre know of a possible new home for orphaned wildlife in Central Alberta, call 403-728-3467 or visit www.mrwc.ca for more information.
While Medicine River’s interpretive centre is closed for the summer as renovations to the building take place, visitors are still welcome to come out to the facility, where there is a nature trail and picnic area.
mfish@www.reddeeradvocate.com