Ways to help Wildlife & Donations
Can you help Wild Things?
YES!
There are lots of ways to help! The best way to help wildlife is to educate yourself about the wild things that surround you and your home. Make sure that you do the best you can to protect them .
Some ideas...
* Drive carefully and be alert for animals. Remember that animals don’t mean to run in front of your car, but sometimes they are so scared that they get disorientated and run in the wrong direction trying to get away. Just imagine of you were in their paws and a giant loud monster was flying towards you, I bet humans wouldn’t do half as well as most wildlife trying to get out of the way!
* Watch your pets when they go outdoors. Dogs and cats don’t know that “playing” with a turtle or flying squirrel can harm and kill those animals! See the “Cats & Wildlife” page for more information.
* Think about using biodegradable cleaning products and toiletries so that whatever gets washed down your drain doesn’t end up poisoning the groundwater and the wildlife that depends on it. There have been more and more findings that animal populations that rely on water supplies near places that wash a lot of waste or medications down drains are in poor health.
Also, switch to an animal friendly anti-freeze for your car or truck. Many animals like the taste of antifreeze and will readily consume it when given the opportunity. However, antifreeze, even in the smallest amounts, can be deadly: as many as 88% of animal encounters with the toxin will end in fatality. There is a less toxic alternative to the ethylene glycol-based antifreeze that is most commonly used. Pet-friendly antifreeze is propylene glycol-based and is now available at many retail outlets. It has anti-corrosive properties, is biodegradable, and is recyclable, making propylene-based antifreeze a better choice for the safety of pets and wildlife, personal health, vehicle engine protection, and for the environment. Try Prestone LowTox and Sierra AntiFreeze brands.
* Find out about your local wildlife rehabilitators and see if they need any help and donations. You can find a list of rehabilitators in your area on several directory websites, e.g.:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm
www.wildliferehabilitators.com/links.htm
Remember that the animals were here before humans moved in, and they don’t mean to be a nuisance, but sometimes they don’t have other options! For example, deer used to have unlimited acres to graze, but with human settlement, these acres have become less and less, so they can’t help it if they help themselves to some delicious garden shrubs! If this bothers you then learn about plants that deer avoid and plant these in your gardens, or put guards around your plantings to protect them from hungry deer!
Can I help Wild Things Sanctuary?
YES, all donations are very welcome!! Financial donations can be made through my www.hairlesscrusader.com website, which has a link to paypal. Alternatively, please email me and I will let you know where to send a cheque.
NB: As soon as I get my 501(3)c status, which means that I'm a federally listed non-profit company, all donations will be tax-deductible! I'll make sure to post when all this paper work gets completed, but it may take quite a few months. Hopefully by mid-2008!
Supplies are also very welcome and you can donate them too! Here’s a list of some things that I need/can always use more of:
* Blankets, towels, sheets & fleece (the latter makes excellent blankets)
* Cages, pet carriers & aquariums (in all different sizes)
* Heating pads and heat lamps
* Bandages & rolls/squares of gauze- the same used for human first aid is great for animals!
* Enrichment toys, this can take the form of PCV tubes for squirrels to run through & hide in, old tyres for raccoons to swing on or dog houses for foxes to den inside! Also, things that you would buy for a pet guinea pig/hamster/gerbil, like hay-balls, wheels and little hiding-huts, are loved by little mammals!
* Feeding & water dishes
* Scale(s) to weigh the animals (a gram scale up to a kg scale!)
* Animal food (birdseed, mammal feed, nuts, etc.)
* incubators
* Nets
* A playpen or 2- great for young baby fawns
* Antibiotic ointments like Neosporin & Silvadene cream, great things to have around for injured animals
* syringes and needles
* Hot-plate for heating formula
* Small refrigerator for medications, food & keeping open formula and the like
* Esbilac & KMR powder for baby animal formula, see:
http://tinyurl.com/4mybvb
http://tinyurl.com/495fxf
* Critical Care for Herbivores & Carnivore Care, see: http://www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp?page=CriticalCare
* Teats for nursing babies, needed in all different sizes (from tiny flying squirrel babies to fawns), see http://www.squirrelstore.com/site/744999/page/511350
* dog & cat food, "rodent chow" and "monkey chow"- you can find monkey "biscuits" at http://www.squirrelstore.com/site/744999/page/226347
* electrolyte solutions, such as lactated ringers solution (LRS) and pedialyte
* Nest boxes of various sizes. These are great to have in the woods around WTS as it can be hard to find a place to nest, and this way newly released animals will have places to nest and make into a home.
* flea & tick powder & flea combs
* Have-a-heart traps in various sizes, see; http://www.havahart.com/nuisance/cagetrap_quickguide.asp
* Plastic tubs (for animals to practice swimming!)
* Supplies to build outdoor enclosures…and people wiling to help me do it!
* Biodegradable laundry detergent. Lots of laundry is done at WTS!
* Volunteers willing to help me build outdoor enclosures & help clear some of the woods in my backyard so there will be space for these enclosures (the previous owner cut down a lot of trees, but just left them lying on the ground, so I do need help clearing that up!). I'd also love some help making brush-piles for wildlife with all the downed trees and branches in the Wild Things woods.
