FAQ's

Great question! The short answer is for the safety of all of the children participating in our programming and the animals that call Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue home.

The long answer.

When we opened Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue is 2016 we had our address listed online. Very quickly it lead to people showing up at our home at all hours of the night. There were even instances of intoxicated people throwing rocks at our windows at 2:00am to wake us up to care for an animal they had stolen from the wild for fun. This caused a great amount of stress as it had proven to be a safety concern for our young family.

In addition, these encounters would happen during the day. Individuals would show up to our house by the buses demanding to meet our animal ambassadors, even on holidays.

Unfortunately due to the aggressiveness of these individuals we made the choice to remove our address and provide it only to those that required it.

This choice may be inconvenient to those that are looking to drop off an animal or donation but the decision was made for the safety of our family, the children that attend programs and the animals that reside here.

We appreciate you asking the question.

Yes. Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue is licensed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and Canadian Wildlife Services to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick, injured, orphaned or abandoned wildlife.

We are also licensed by the MNRF, allowing us to keep specially protected animals in captivity for the purpose of education. Keeping native wildlife is a federal offense without a license.

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue participates in a voluntary, bi-annual inspection by Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA). We are proud to announce that after multiple inspections of our facility and policies and procedures that they left without any recommendations. We welcome our OSPCA inspectors to visit Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue as often as possible.

Other animal protection affiliates such as the Pickering Animal Services and the MNRF have visited our facility. Again, leaving without any recommendations. We are now excited to say we are working hand-in-hand with many of these affiliates to help educate the public on wildlife concerns.

In addition to oversight from the OSPCA and the MNRF, the founder of Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue has over 18 years working for Canada’s Accredited Zoos & Aquarium (CAZA) accredited facilities as senior management in addition to being an active CAZA member for 8 years.

Yes, our goal is to release all animals that come into our rehabilitation centre back into the wild when it is safe to do so. It is best for all animals to live in their wild native habitat. This is why we have designed our rehabilitation centre within a natural setting, the forest. Unfortunately with the increased development of the Durham Region we are seeing a greater need for wildlife rehabilitation as their homes are being destroyed.

Some animals that are cared for through Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue have come to us from unfortunate circumstances for a variety of reasons, are not able to be released to the wild. These are our Animal Ambassadors which help to generate funds to support our ability to do wildlife rehabilitation. There is no government funding for the work we do. It is all done for the love of animals, out of our own pocket.

Yes. All of our Animal Ambassadors are under the veterinary care of Dr. Linda Carter, owner of Carter Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Cater ensures that all of our animals are up to date on their vaccines, deworming and receive appropriate medical care when needed. She is part of our WILD family.

Animals coming into our rehabilitation center are not vaccinated. Specific species, Rabies Vector Species, are vaccinated for rabies prior to release.

Dr. Linda Carter owner of Carter Veterinary Hospital in Bowmanville. She leads a team of supporting staff in wildlife care.

Visit Carter Veterinary Hospital

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, is Durham Regions ONLY Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Our operation is not funded by the government or any other agency. The ability to offer wildlife rehabilitation depends solely on the success of our educational programming.

Running a wildlife rehabilitation center is very expensive as the animals that come into our care stay for an extended period of time. Infants require around the clock feeding on specialized formula. Those that are sick and injured are provided with proper medical treatment and recover until their injuries are healed. Some examples of costs involved include: veterinary check-ups, treatment and medication, high quality diets, bedding, enrichment, as well as building and maintaining of enclosures.

Educational & Fun
Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue is dedicated to providing programs that are both fun and exciting, as well as educational. Our goal is to reconnect children of all ages and abilities with the great outdoors, and to leave them with resources and tools that will continue to keep them engaged with the world around them.

Thinking Global, Staying Local!
When you choose to learn with Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, you are choosing to learn about the wildlife, plants and animals right in your backyard. Animals and their environments all over the world are at risk, but there are things we can do right here, right now to impact and support North American species.

Making A Difference
As a wildlife refuge, Soper Creek is home to various animal friends that have come to us from unfortunate circumstances. When you support Soper Creek, you are helping to provide food, shelter and veterinary care for these remarkable creatures.

A lot! All of our staff come from various backgrounds involving wildlife, exotic animals and education. Our wildlife educators are all certified through the Canadian Wildlife Federation as Project WILD and Below Zero facilitators. In addition to this, all of our staff receive first aid training. Our WOW Program facilitators are registered teachers with the Ontario College of Teachers and Educations.

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue does not take in domesticated animals or pets. We are a native wildlife rehabilitation centre. We take in sick, injured, orphaned or abandoned wildlife.

We do not offer pest removal services.

We also provide homes to animals that can not be released back into the wild, have come to us from unfortunate circumstances or have been born into captivity.

We do not offer pest removal services.

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue does not take in domesticated animals or pets. We are a native wildlife rehabilitation centre. We take in sick, injured, orphaned or abandoned wildlife.

We also provide homes to animals that can not be released back into the wild, have come to us from unfortunate circumstances or have been born into captivity.