B.C. Wildlife Park Kamloops animal rescues double thanks to new hospital
The organization takes in about 450 animals per year and about 40% are healthy enough to be released
B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops says building a new animal hospital two years ago has paid off, because the centre is now accepting more than twice as many animal rescues.
The organization is a tourist attraction, featuring local wildlife and an animal rehabilitation centre.
The new hospital allows staff to keep injured animals more comfortable, said Adrienne Clay, an animal health technologist at B.C. Wildlife Park's animal hospital.
"Moving up to this is just day and night, the difference," she said.
"Being that I can segregate them into rooms of raptors, rooms of waterfowl. It really reduces their stress so they're doing much better too."
The park takes in about 450 animals for rehabilitation each year, up from an average of 200 before the new hospital was built, according to Clay.
The building houses a treatment room, a lab, a surgical suite and plenty of storage space, allowing staff to accept more equipment donations.
The new space has also made it possible for staff and volunteers to maintain an approximately 40 per cent rehabilitation rate — almost half of the animals that they take in are released back into the wild, said Clay.
It's the most rewarding part of the job.
"We end up seeing, in wildlife rehab, so many sad stories," she said.
"Having a whole bunch of animals we're able to release, it makes everybody, from the volunteers to the staff, feel like what we do is worthwhile."
Birds at the wildlife centre
With files from CBC Radio's Daybreak Kamloops
To listen to the full interview, click the link labelled: Birds ready for release after being rehabilitated.