2023 Hope for Wildlife Annual Open House

Donations Request for Silent Auction

Hope for Wildlife Society's annual open house is scheduled for August 26th from 12-4PM. We welcome 1000’s visitors each year to our rehabilitation centre, providing a unique "behind-the-scenes" experience of wildlife rehabilitation in Nova Scotia.

As a non-profit charitable organization, we rely solely on grants and donations to sustain our operations. We are not government funded and operate with a small team of dedicated staff and volunteers. Your contribution of goods or services for our auction would greatly support our efforts.

Since our establishment in 1997, we have successfully rescued, rehabilitated, and released over 80,000 injured or orphaned wild animals, representing 250 native species. Our patient intake has been steadily increasing, with a record-breaking 7000 wild patients cared for in 2021.

By donating, you directly assist in rescuing and rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife across Nova Scotia. You can have an item picked up by texting 902-407-9453, or you can drop or mail your item to our address:

5909 Highway 207, Seaforth, Nova Scotia, B0J 2L0  

We sincerely hope you will consider contributing; and please join us at the event.

Yours Sincerely,

Hope Swinimer

Founder & Director, Hope for Wildlife Society

...because they matter.

Hope for Wildlife’s 50/50 Raffle is now open. Tickets on sale now until August 18th. The draw will take place on our Facebook Page August 19th. Click the button below to purchase your tickets.

All proceeds go to support helping Nova Scotia wildlife.

Hook…Line….Release

A couple of weeks ago this bald eagle was reported to us, dragging a wing and unable to fly on a local beach. When we investigated, we discovered that it had a huge fish hook embedded in it's left wing that had caused a bit of damage. We removed the excess fishing line and brought the eagle in for fish hook removal and medical care. Unfortunately, entanglement with fish hooks and fishing line is common for many sea birds.

Amazingly, after a couple weeks of meds and treatment, this eagle was flying strong and ready for us to get him back home! So we did just that!

You can view a video of the release by clicking the image above!

Bath Time!

Apart from cooling off from the heat, bathing is important for a bird’s survival - even in winter. Dirt, parasites, bacteria, and other debris can cause their feathers to become damaged over time, and bathing helps to keep those feathers in good condition. Those pests and bacteria may even cause infections and disease.

Wetting, or even just dampening the feathers loosens the dirt and makes their feathers easier to clean and then to preen. When preening, birds carefully rearrange the feathers and spread oil on them from their preen gland so the feathers remain waterproof. That also helps to create an insulating layer of air underneath the feathers to keep them warm when needed.

In the wild, a bird may bathe during a rain shower, in a puddle, a lake, or a stream. Some birds even nuzzle playfully in wet grasses and vegetation.

You can watch them flap around in the tub, click the image above.

Whatcha Building?

Baby beavers are curious animals who are always interested in whether what you are currently holding would make good material for a dam, and often enjoy testing their theory. You can almost see these little beaver kits working out the math in their head.

Dam building is innate behavior in beavers. While they refine their techniques as they gain experience, and they can learn from their parents and older siblings, young beavers who had never even seen a beaver dam are able to construct dams and lodges!

There are lots of ways you can help Hope for Wildlife. Please check out Our Site under support us

Save A Life - Secure Your Green Bins!

Unsecured green bins can be deadly for raccoons, especially at this time of year. Raccoons often get in easy, but getting back out can be considerably harder, especially if they are too small. Then, in the extreme summer daytime heat they become dangerously dehydrated very quickly - many die as a result.

Raccoons are curious animals and the smells coming from the types of household compost bins used for municipal pick-up can be irresistible to them. Thinking they are a good place to eat and sleep for the night they can get trapped in them.

They can also easily become disoriented by inhaling the fermenting fumes of compost and may end up becoming too lethargic to get out.

The best way to prevent animals from getting into your green bin is to secure the lid down tightly with a thick rubber bungee cord that they can't pry off or chew through. The lid needs to be secure enough that the animal can't pry it open at all. If you can't open it easily, they probably can't open it at all.

Make sure to check your green bins frequently to make sure no critters are inside. If you do find a raccoon or any other animal trapped in your green bin, please call your local wildlife rehabilitator

Baby blue eyes!

Did you know that juvenile American Crows have blue eyes? As they mature, their eye colour will change to brown. Their eye colour is helpful for identifying crows on the ground that are fledglings.

People are often surprised that most young birds don't fly out of the nest; rather they come to the ground for a few days, either finishing growing their flight feathers or getting strong enough to get off the ground. While it does make them vulnerable, it's actually less vulnerable than staying in the nest! We may think of nests as a safe place to be, but predators have a pretty easy time finding a crowded nest full of loud baby birds, so the sooner they leave the nest the sooner they can spread out and hide while being tended to by parents.

So if you see a feathered crow on the ground that can't seem to fly, have a quick look at the eye colour. Another feature to look for is a tiny bit of pink left at the corner of the crow's mouth, called the gape. Also look around for parents - they are usually nearby. As long as the parents are tending to them and there are no obvious injuries, they are probably fine!

If the baby bird is sparsely feathered with lots of down showing, and is not capable of hopping, walking, or fluttering around, it may a nestling that is too young to be on the ground. Give your local wildlife rehabilitation center a call for advice!

Some people got a bit of a surprise the other day when they cut down a tree before they noticed that some merlins had a nest in it. The babies came in a bit wet from the rain, but otherwise unharmed. The adorable little ones fluff up quite a bit when dry!

Merlins are a small species of falcon, with a more broad and stockier build than their more often seen cousins the american kestrels. Most merlins will use abandoned corvid or hawk nests which are in conifer or mixed tree stands. Being not too selective, some will also set up a nest on cliff faces and even on the ground.

It can sometimes be difficult to see bird's nests in trees, especially because many bird species build them so they are not easy to find. But a little patience and through searching before cutting a tree down can be very helpful to our bird populations. These little ones only had about three weeks to go before they would have left the nest and fledged.

This fledgling red-tailed hawk arrived the other day after being observed without a parent around for a couple of days. Upon examination, we discovered she was pretty thin and dehydrated. We'll keep her well fed until she gets stronger and grows in all of her flight feathers. They don’t get their namesake red feathers until the start of their second year, instead sporting these brown tails.

Adult red-tailed hawks make a majestic call that will sound familiar to you because Hollywood loves it. Whenever a bald eagle appears on screen, the cry you hear is a red-tailed hawk! Though the bald eagle looks intimidating, it makes a rather non-intimidating series of squeals.

Before and After!

This herring gull was found covered in what we believe is cooking oil from a fast food restaurant. Famous for their love of french fries, it's actually very common for gulls (as well as other birds and animals) to fall into used cooking oil that is unsecured.

She was pretty filthy, and a bit thin and dehydrated, and had feather damage - probably from repeated trying to fly. But after a good bath, some meds, and a lot of time for recuperation we think she'll be okay. Her appetite has definitely returned - but this time we are feeding her food much more nutritious than french fries.