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BC SPCA rehab centre calling for donations of building materials to keep wild animals safe

A rescued deer at the BC SPCA's Wild ARC in Metchosin, B.C. (CTV News) A rescued deer at the BC SPCA's Wild ARC in Metchosin, B.C. (CTV News)
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Staff at the BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) say they are in desperate need of construction supplies to help keep animals in their care safe.

Many of the animal enclosures at the more-than-four-hectare Metchosin, B.C., property are in need of repair, or require modifications to accommodate the wild animals housed at the rehabilitation facility.

The agency is appealing to the public for donations of lumber and plywood as it prepares to take in new animals in need of care.

“We are a non-profit so we don’t have a lot of money to do things,” said Wild ARC manager Ginelle Smith. “There’s a lot of building and construction going on and I’m sure there’s a lot of companies or individuals that have spare pieces that they don’t need.”

Smith says Wild ARC is looking for a range of lumber, from lengths of two-by-twos, to two-by-fours to sheets of plywood. She says the need to rebuild the enclosures is even greater this year due to climate change.

“Certain improvements are needed due to heat domes in the summer and [also] avian flu outbreaks,” said Smith. “We have to rebuild a certain way for quarantine and what we’re asking for is help for us to do that.”

Smith says that in 2021 staff at Wild ARC rehabilitated more than 3,200 wild animals at the Malloch Road facility. She says the organization expects to care for even more animals in 2022.

“We get busier every year and we just need more spaces for our patients who come here,” said Smith. “Our flight pen, our outdoor deer and our avian enclosures all need to be improved.”

Smith says staff did have some lumber stored at the facility, but due to demands for new spaces, it has now been depleted, leaving their reserves empty.

“If we could get two dozen of each size [of lumber] that would hold us for a while,” said Smith. “It's extremely important as we have big projects going on now at Wild ARC because we’ve got patients that will be here any day now.”

Smith says the wild animal rehabilitation centre has been operating under a significant amount of strain due to a series viruses affecting wild animals, such as deer and birds.

“We’ve especially had to revamp our deer area for the deer fawns when they arrive,” said Smith. “It’s extremely important to get the lumber so we can get through what we have to get through.”

Donations of lumber can be dropped off at Wild ARC at 1020 Malloch Road, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. seven days a week.

  

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