FILE PHOTO - Porcupine
Image Credit: Pixabay
March 25, 2021 - 6:00 AM
A newly formed society is hoping to raise $150,000 to establish a wildlife recovery centre in the Central Okanagan.
Eva Hartmann, president and founder of the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, which formed last year, said there’s a need for a Kelowna centre as the next closest wildlife rehab location is in Kamloops at the B.C. Wildlife Park. A Raptor Rehabilitation Center is also located in Oliver.
The society will hold its first online auction called Wild About Spring in May and hopes to raise $150,000. The society is currently asking for donations for the auction and the deadline to reach out is April 15 for businesses with the actual auction being held May 1-24.
The funds will be put towards an admission building with plans to expand to have enclosures for different species, Hartmann said.
READ MORE: Kelowna woman plans to open first wildlife rehab centre in southern Interior
Hartmann has spent years volunteering at other rehabilitation centres and saw while working in the veterinary industry that vets had to euthanize wildlife since there was no wildlife facility to bring them to in Kelowna, she said.
Plans for a location are also still in the works, pending permits, she said. The types of animals able to be treated at the centre is also dependent on permits but the society wants to accept species that aren’t accepted at other locations and to treat birds and mammals.
“If we can accept species that would include water birds, that would be great. That all depends on the funding as well. Housing water birds is pretty specific. We’re going to need pools and if we can raise enough money to construct pools then yes, we will certainly try for that,” Hartmann said.
Once completed, the centre will offer rehabilitation for wild animals, general information on wildlife and to provide education to the public on the health of local populations.
The society aims to have a permit by next spring with the hope of opening next year but that also depends on funds, she said.
Businesses that want to be a part of the auction can learn more through the society’s website.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2021