BCWP Rehabilitation team
250-573-3242 ext. 230
The Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre cares for more than 400 animals, annually. We can accept most birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals.
Due to permit restrictions and resource limitations we are unable to rehabilitation the following species:
Make sure the situation is safe - do not put your safety or the safety of anyone else in jeopardy while attempting a rescue.
Rehabilitating wildlife requires extensive knowledge, sometimes specialized equipment, and a substantial amount of time. Although well-intentioned members of the public may want to try and rehabilitate or care for wildlife that we are unable to accept, this often leads to increased pain and suffering for the animal.
Please note it is illegal to keep a wild animal, as outlined in the British Columbia Wildlife Act.
People have the best intentions for deer fawns that appear helpless and abandoned unfortunately they are not in need of a rescue.
Mother deer do not often visit their newly born fawns during the day, because they are trying to avoid attracting predators like wolves, bobcats or humans. They will keep their twins separated for the same reason. Mother deer will leave their fawns for long periods of time; eight hours or more is not unheard of and the mother will not return if humans are around waiting and watching.
Deer fawns have very little smell so they are nearly invisible to a passing coyote. They lay still with their ears flat and go limp if they suspect a predator nearby. This is how we find them, and the public often perceives this as a deer fawn in need of rescue.
Occasionally deer fawns will wander onto highways or roads and then lay down because they now realize they are in the open and exposed. Gently pick up the deer fawn, touching it as little as possible, and place it off the road and in the nearby grass or trees. If it is not a busy road, leave it alone and continue on.
This is very rare and requires a call to a rehabilitation facility for more advice. Do not interact with the fawn. The more this deer fawn is habituated, the less chance it has to survive in the wild.
Fledgling birds are young birds that have left the nest but are not yet able to fly. It’s a normal stage of development for most birds, and it can be a very vulnerable time for them.
If you find a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest, try and locate the nest. If you can safely replace the baby bird, do it. A bird's sense of smell is not as important to them as it is to mammals. Do not over handle the bird, but simply return it to its nest. Observe the nest from a distance to see if the parents return.
If a bird hits your window and does not immediately fly off, take these steps to help it out:
Look for any immediately obvious injuries (drooping wings, bleeding, or difficulty breathing). Collect the bird into a box and contact a rehabber immediately.
If the bird appears stunned and is not flying away, but does not appear to be otherwise overtly injured, you can place it in a secure box or container with air holes and keep it in a dark, quiet room for a few hours. You can periodically check on its condition and look for improvement, but otherwise give the bird lots of space and privacy so that it can recover comfortably. If after some time it is fluttering around in the box and appears normal, take it back outside and attempt to release it. If it does not show signs of improvement after a few hours or does not fly away when attempting to release it, call a rehabber for assistance.
If window strikes are a common occurrence at your home, consider making your windows more bird friendly.
Domestic cats are not natural predators in our landscape, and many birds and other small mammals die each year as a result of cat attacks. If your cat attacks or injures an animal, it is an emergency and the animal will likely require antibiotic therapy to survive. Call a rehabber right away for advice, even if the animal does not appear to be significantly injured.
Please consider finding ways to keep your cat indoors, or check out Cats and Birds for more tips.