NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH HUMANE SOCIETY
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The Guelph Humane Society (GHS) is pleased to announce it is a proud recipient of a Summerlee Foundation grant for $14,500 USD to support its award-winning Wildlife Program.
In springtime, GHS sees an increase in the number of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife needing care, and this grant will help ensure it can support the over 1200 wild animals admitted to GHS each year. The grant monies will fund a full-time student or recent graduate, as well as food, medication, field supplies, and equipment to enhance GHS’s Wildlife Program.
In 2018, GHS won a Leadership and Innovation Award from Humane Canada for its work with wildlife, which is not traditionally undertaken by local humane societies.
GHS actively provides community education about wildlife through social media, its website, and communication with those calling in with wildlife concerns/questions and visitors stopping into 500 Wellington St. W., in addition to providing short-term, emergency care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.
“We have created a framework that allows us to help as many wild animals as possible”, says Lisa Veit, Associate Director of GHS. “We are absolutely thrilled to receive a grant from the Summerlee Foundation. It’s our busiest time of year for wildlife, so having a dedicated staff person during the spring and summer months to oversee the intake and manage the initial care will have a huge impact on our community.”
GHS is not a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, and therefore, cannot hold animals for longer than 24 hours. The organization works closely with several specialized rehabilitation centres across Ontario, including the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre and Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge. GHS relies on dedicated volunteer drivers to transport rescued wild animals to licensed rehabilitation centres, which are sometimes as far away as three hours.
“We are so fortunate to live in a compassionate community like Guelph,” says Veit. “Being able to provide the same level of care and support for sick, injured and orphaned wild animals is an important part of our charitable mission...to advocate for all animals in our community.”
If you find a wild animal that you believe is in distress, call the Guelph Humane Society at 519-824- 3091 before touching the animal or disturbing a nest. Highly trained staff are available 24-hours a day to assist citizens with concerns about sick, injured or orphaned wildlife.
If you would like to learn more about GHS’s Wildlife Program go to https://guelphhumane.ca/services/wildlife/ or to learn how to become a Volunteer Wildlife Driver, visit: https://guelphhumane.ca/get-involved/volunteer/.
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