About the Wild at Heart Wildlife Refuge Centre
For over 30 years, at a grassroots level, Wild at Heart Wildlife Refuge Centre has provided veterinary treatment and rehabilitation to wild animals that are orphaned, sick, or injured, so that they may be reintroduced into the wild. The centre’s volunteers treat approximately 500 animals per year, including songbirds, raptors, shorebirds, waterfowl, small mammals, and orphaned large mammals. Wild at Heart is a non-profit organization as well as a registered charity.
Wild at Heart operates in partnership with the
Walden
Animal
Hospital
. Dr. Rod Jouppi DVM is the president of Wild at Heart as well as the owner of the
Walden
Animal
Hospital
. The
Walden
Animal
Hospital
donates the time and expertise of its staff as well as the equipment to provide veterinary care to the wild animals brought in to Wild at Heart. After emergency treatment, our dedicated volunteers care for the wild animals around the clock until they can be released.
The abundance of nature and wildlife are one of the main reasons people choose to make Northern Ontario their home. When a wild animal in distress is found, it is also a stressful situation for people. It brings peace of mind to rescuers when they can deliver an animal to Wild at Heart and know that it will receive veterinary attention and a second chance at wild life. It is simply the right thing to do. Compassion isn't reserved solely for humans.
While wildlife rehabilitation is the key focus, the centre is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the community about local wildlife issues, and to be a resource for the public regarding wildlife. Our educational outreach has been done through the development of a website, public presentations/appearances, open houses, and brochure distribution whenever possible. While these are all beneficial, in order to be as effective as possible we plan to expand by developing hands-on, interactive programs and displays for area schools and community groups in the City of
Greater Sudbury
.
As
Northern Ontario
cities expand into wild spaces and human-wildlife interactions increase, there is a greater need for a wildlife rehabilitation centre. Wild at Heart Wildlife Refuge Centre is the only registered wildlife rehabilitation centre in Northern Ontario (north of Parry Sound), and currently operates within a limited space in and around the
Walden
Animal
Hospital
in Lively. Our current facility allows us to treat approximately 50 animals at any given time. Due to increasing awareness and demand for wildlife rehabilitation services and the new Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) guidelines for wildlife rehabilitation centres, Wild at Heart Refuge Centre must expand and build a new facility in order to continue to care for wildlife and meet the public’s demand for these services.
Construction of our new facility began in the late fall of 2008. Once complete in 2010, it will double the centre’s current capacity to treat wild animals. The new facility is located adjacent to the
Walden
Animal
Hospital
to allow for continued access to veterinary expertise and equipment. In keeping with Wild at Heart’s respect for nature and our environmental stewardship, our new facility is a "green" facility, utilizing geothermal heating and cooling, solar air and hot water system, energy star rated construction materials, and more. The facility itself and how it is built will be an attraction. We anticipate that the centre will also serve as an inspiration to homebuilders to create more environmentally-friendly dwellings.
Inside, visitors will be able to view wild animals that are in for treatment via unobtrusive ways – such as one-way glass and web cameras. They will also be able to learn about the wild animals of
Northern Ontario
and their care through educational exhibits and programs offered at the new facility. The main public area will provide space for an exhibit about our native wildlife, and will be utilized to provide curriculum-based educational programming for school groups. Once all of this is in place, Wild at Heart will be on its way to being a self-sustaining endeavor, and small fees will be charged for admission to support our services. Access to the Trans-Canada Trail system will be available from the centre in the near future.
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