Wildlife rehab facility gets new home

Injured animals in the Edmonton area are getting a new home.

Staff and volunteers with The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton spent Thursday morning moving about 50 animals, mostly birds, to a new facility just west of Edmonton.

The new centre, a leased 21.5 hectare property is near Spruce Grove and replaces the current site at the University of Alberta Ellerslie Research Station in south Edmonton.

The society takes in about a thousand injured animals every year and the new centre will include specialized treament facilities for all sorts of wildlife. The new facility will offer tubs and pools for injured muskrats and ducks, outdoor pens for bigger animals and a "flying cage" so recovering birds can stretch their wings.

Development coordinator Caroline Barlott said the society had to make the move. "The land that we were on previously is actually on the transportation and utilities corridor, so we do have to move locations. But it's a fantastic move for us because our new facility is actually really well equipped to handle the animals that we have "

The society will continue to follow the same procedures for injured wildlife and the public can call the hotline (780) 914-4118 before delivering an injured animal.

"We get a whole variety of different kinds of animals from raptors, hawks and fawns, fox kits, to baby moose," said Barlott. "We take in a lot of different kinds of animals. So every day is exciting and new."

WRS is a non-partisan, charitable organization that offers care for injured, contaminated and orphaned wildlife and runs various public education programs.