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Shelburne Free Press https://shelburnefreepress.ca/?p=5947 Export date: Tue Jul 23 21:15:08 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Procyon Wildlife provides a new home for orphaned deer fawns Way too many deer fawns are orphaned each year. And many concerned animal lovers go to great lengths to save them. But until now, the situation has been grim because there have not been enough wildlife centres in Ontario to provide a refuge for orphaned fawns. We are proud to announce that the situation has now changed for the better. After many years of dedicated fund-raising, Procyon Wildlife Veterinary and Rehabilitation Services in Beeton finally received enough money to build a much-needed sanctuary for orphaned deer. Shell Oil provided about half of the funds through their Fuelling Change grant. The remainder of the money came from caring donors eager to help save orphaned and injured deer in our area. Construction of the new deer enclosures started this past summer when our crew of volunteers marked out the enclosure perimeters and cleared the area for fencing to be erected. In the fall, the crew from Simcoe Fence Company constructed 2 one-acre deer enclosures, each of which can house up to eight adult deer. Volunteers built gates and installed electric fence to keep predators out. Lee Sheds donated a small barn to provide shelter from the wind and cold. At last the enclosures were ready to go! And none too soon, either. Only a few weeks before the enclosures were finished, we received a young fawn who was paralyzed in her hind end. X-rays showed no sign of spinal fracture but we think she had been hit by a car because she had wounds on her back. We treated her for pain and swelling to see if her condition would improve. We housed her in a small enclosure large enough for her to move around but small enough to prevent further injuries. Our volunteers provided physiotherapy twice a day, holding her up and encouraging her to walk on the lawn outside her cage. One volunteer named her Willow because it was her favourite food. We monitored her progress and, though we thought we saw slight signs of improvement, we were concerned that she may never walk again. Then, suddenly one day when I went out to feed her, there she was- standing in her pen, waiting for her breakfast! Success! We were all thrilled! Now Willow is walking almost normally and we acquired a friend to keep her company during her stay at Procyon Wildlife. His name is Hawthorne. He's a very handsome boy, a little older than Willow. For Willow it was love at first sight; she was so happy to have a new friend! They're inseparable and they're enjoying their new home in one of the new enclosures. They'll be there until spring when they will be released together close to where they were found. Two enclosures are great but we're not stopping there. The need for deer rehabilitation in this province is so great that we have two more enclosures planned. And so the fund-raising continues. If you'd like to help, call us at 905 729-0033, mail your donation to Procyon Wildlife at 6441 7th Line, Beeton, ON, L0G 1A0, or donate through our website, procyonwildlife.com By Dr. Cynthia Post, DVM |
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Post date: 2014-02-05 18:47:17 Post date GMT: 2014-02-05 23:47:17 Post modified date: 2014-02-12 14:12:00 Post modified date GMT: 2014-02-12 19:12:00 |
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