Spring may be over, but it’s still full speed ahead here at the refuge!

Dear Grace,

Many of our spring babies have now been released or have moved to one of our outdoor enclosures. But as soon as one wild animal leaves, another takes its place!  We are currently packed to the rafters with baby opossums and orphaned skunks… 88 to be exact!!

In June we hit an all-time high of 1,311 intakes!

One of the questions we get asked all the time is how do we avoid getting sprayed? The answer, we rarely do.  Although babies dribble right from day one, at four-weeks old a skunks’ scent glands have developed enough to produce the familiar ‘funk of skunk’ that they are capable of spraying. But, not with the accuracy or velocity of an adult. 

All our staff and volunteers know the warning signs that tell us a skunk is ready to spray. They will usually hop, stomp their feet, hiss and/or raise their tails. When this happens, our carers know to back away and let the skunk calm down.

Skunks don’t want to spray you or your pet!

Skunks of any age have only a limited amount of spray available at any given time and, once used, the supply needs to be replenished. In the meantime, this leaves the skunk depleted and defenseless.

Skunks get a bad rap...

But we love them. They’re cute, comical and they play an important role in our ecosystem. Did you know that a skunk’s diet consists of grubs, slugs, spiders, millipedes, small rodents and eggs (to name a few)?  So, having a skunk around your garden is actually a good thing!

Gail

Gail Lenters,

Founder & Chief Animal-Lover

A snake's determined 'tail' to survive.

Meet Carl, a male Garter snake who came to us in critical condition in September of 2024.

Carl was found on a walking path in rural Ontario. At first, Megan (the finder), thought he was dead! He wasn't moving and he was covered in blood. When she moved in to take a closer look, she could see a large wound that started at the base of his head and ran all the down to his belly. She could also see ribs sticking out AND his tail was missing!

She also noticed one other thing... a twitch! He was alive!

Megan rushed Carl to us for immediate treatment.

After x-rays were taken and full medical exam was completed, it was obvious that poor Carl had been the victim of a vicious predator attack.

Once Carl was stable, he was put under anesthesia and Dr. Wendy and our medical team went to work to cleaning, debriding (removing dead tissue) and stitching. Carl was then placed in a quiet, recovery enclosure and a detailed regiment of wound care, antibiotics and pain medications began.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting Carl to eat again. Since the wounds on his neck caused constriction as they healed, he had difficulty swallowing food. We started feeding him small items like bugs, worms and leeches, then as the wound healed and became more elastic, we introduced items that a snake of this size would usually eat in the wild, frogs, small mammals and birds.

After 7 months in care, all Carl's injuries had finally healed and he was off all medications. He was ready for a wild life again!

Carl had survived a brutal predator attack. He had fully healed from the amputation of the tip of his tail. He had overcome the loss of 2 ribs. He overcame widespread infection and severe dehydration and could finally eat like a normal Garter snake. Wow. What a fighter!

In May, we reached out to his rescuer, Megan and we planned his release together. Then on a Tuesday, we opened his box, gave it a tip, and he exploded out ready to be a wild snake once more. He did stop momentarily and looked back, we think to say "thank-you" to his rescuer... and especially, Juliette (Carl's care-giver for the majority of his time here at SOH).

SPOTLIGHT

The most important step in the rehabilitation process... the call!

Our intake team must remain calm when callers our anything but!

They have to be knowledgeable regarding all the animals who call Ontario home.

They must be able to assess each animals' unique condition and situation and determine the appropriate course of action.

They need to know the basics of wild animal emergency care, including... first aid, containment and housing.

They play a crucial role in educating the public about wildlife, conservation and how to coexist with our wild neighbours.

And, finally, we couldn't function without them!

A huge thank you to Virginia Marshall; Intake Director, Steffanie Spang and Donna Morrow; Intake Associates; and all the staff and volunteers who man the phones during our busy season.