September 25, 2016Question: As the days get shorter, I will soon be driving home from work in the dark. What precautions can I take to avoid hitting wildlife on the roads? Sadly, each year, more than 23,000 wild animals are killed in vehicle collisions across the province. Fall and winter are especially dangerous seasons. Not only does …
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News Category: Wildlife
August 25, 2016UPDATE SEPT 9th: Opinion piece in the Vancouver Sun by lawyer Camille Labchuk highlights EAB decision and its implications for wildlife policy The Environmental Appeal Board Panel has ruled in favour of the BC SPCA Wild ARC and Wildlife Rehabilitators Network of BC. This decision supports the BC SPCA Wild ARC’s biologically-responsible and humane approach …
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News Category: Wildlife
August 16, 2016Rabbits may be cute and cuddly-looking, but when they live in a median at a busy Victoria interchange, it can be dangerous for both the motorists and the bunnies themselves. Thanks to concerned community residents, veterinarians and volunteer animal lovers who created the Helmcken Humane Rabbit Rescue/View Royal Rabbit rescue group, 42 of the rabbits …
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News Category: Pet care, Wildlife
July 25, 2016Birds are the fourth most commonly kept companion animal in Canada after cats, dogs and fish. “It’s easy to see why parrots are popular pets,” says Craig Naherniak, general manager of humane education for the BC SPCA. “They’re extremely intelligent and very sociable.” But such popularity comes at a price — and, sadly, parrots are …
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News Category: Pet care, Wildlife
July 20, 2016The BC SPCA’s Wild Animal rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC), in Metchosin on southern Vancouver Island, treats almost 3,000 injured and orphaned wild animals each year. Whether an eagle or deer, raccoon or river otter, Wild ARC’s staff and volunteers work tirelessly to treat and rehabilitate each patient for their eventual release back into the wild. …
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News Category: Wildlife
June 13, 2016Question: I just moved into a house with a large yard, and I’d like to attract some wildlife. What can I do? Practically everywhere, wild animals are facing increased pressure from urban development. Creating wildlife-friendly green spaces, therefore, is an excellent way to help relieve at least some of this pressure. ‘Humane backyards’ offer wild …
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News Category: Wildlife
December 31, 2015The past year proved to be a record-breaker for rehabilitation centres across the province, and the BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) was no exception. Admitting 20 per cent more patients during 2015 than in 2014 (a previous peak year with 2,508 patients), the centre has nearly doubled the number of animals they admitted …
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News Category: Wildlife
February 19, 2015Dr. Sara Dubois, a wildlife expert and chief scientific officer for the BC SPCA, met Wednesday with Oak Bay and Capital Regional District (CRD) staff to reiterate the animal welfare society’s concerns about the District’s deer cull and to ensure that both the District and the contractor hired to carry out the cull are aware …
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News Category: Wildlife
September 5, 2014Slow and steady may win the race when it’s a tale of tortoise vs. hare, but when it comes to owning exotic pets who aren’t native to B.C., there are no winners. Eddie, an African spurred tortoise recently found near Simon Fraser University, came into the care of the Burnaby SPCA when a Good Samaritan …
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News Category: Pet care, Wildlife
October 25, 2013Our province is renowned worldwide for its wildlife. Nowhere is this more apparent than along British Columbia’s coastline, which is home to diverse species such as murrelets, petrels, auklets, puffins, sea otters, and seals among many others. All of these animals would be impacted by an oil spill. A new report released by the provincial …
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News Category: Take action, Wildlife