Image Credit: FACEBOOK/OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society
July 04, 2021 - 9:00 AM
A B.C. raptor rehabilitation society is seeing a spike in young birds arriving at their centre on the heels of a heat wave that's had devastating consequences.
The OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, in Delta, B.C., saw a record of 12-20 raptors coming into the society every day this week.
"That is way above our average intakes even during past busy seasons. Most are young birds that fled the heat by leaving the nest too soon or have broken bones from the fall. Our intensive care unit has never been so full,” according to the society’s Facebook post.
“There have also been many other calls from around the province, in some cases if the birds are older fledglings we can help by reuniting them with their families. Other times the birds are too young and we cannot locate the parents, or the bird is injured so unable to reunite,” the non-profit wrote.
This week, the B.C. Wildfire Park in Kamloops also took in 50 animals in three days that were exposed to extremely high heat.
Thirty of those animals were juvenile merlins, a small species of falcon, according to animal care manager Tracy Reynolds.
The birds have been taken to the wildlife park from all around the region, including from Savona, Eagle Bay and Mara Lake. They continue to receive calls regarding animals in the region feeling the effects of the record-setting heat wave.
READ MORE: B.C. Wildlife Park is treating 50 new animals feeling the effects of the heat wave
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