Toronto Wildlife Centre

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Frequently Asked Questions: General

Frequently Asked Questions: by Species

1. What do I do if I find a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal?

Click here for more information.

2. I have a nuisance situation involving a wild animal - what should I do?

If you have a nuisance situation involving a wild animal living in part of your home or on your property, there are solutions that are safe and humane for the animal, and very effective for you, the homeowner.

Trapping and relocating nuisance wildlife used to be considered the best option for resolving these situations, but we now know that there are many drawbacks to this approach:

The animal does not usually survive the relocation. When introduced to a new and unfamiliar area, a relocated animal has no idea where to find food, water or shelter, and has to contend with other wildlife defending the territory they already occupy
There is a high risk of causing the orphaning of wild babies. Young of the relocated animal are often left behind, and by the time the babies are found, there is no way to re-unite them with their mother - shipped by this time to a faraway location
It encourages the spread of diseases such as rabies. As a result, it is now illegal to relocate wild animals

If you have a nuisance situation involving wildlife, Toronto Wildlife Centre recommends calling AAA Wildlife Control for help. If AAA does not handle your specific issue, please call Toronto Wildlife Centre for advice. With more than 20 years of experience, AAA uses humane methods to solve problems, always taking into consideration the possible presence of baby wildlife before deciding on what course of action to take. This company also guarantees its work.

AAA Wildlife Control: (416) 750-9453

3. I'm considering keeping a wild animal as a pet - what should I know?

The first things to know are:
1) Wild animals do not usually make good pets.
2) In most cases, it is actually illegal to keep wild animals as pets.

Why don't wild animals make good pets? While domestic animals have had their wild instincts bred out of them over centuries of living alongside humans, wild animals are a very different story. They still maintain many wild instincts even when raised by humans, and this can be dangerous for both humans and the animals themselves.

When a young wild animal reaches sexual maturity, it will naturally become very aggressive with whomever it considers its family. To many people, the onset of this type of behaviour seems like the ideal time to release the animal back into the wild. However, by this point, the animal would face real challenges to its survival: not having had the proper training from its natural parents, it would not know how to avoid predators, socialise with its own species, or find its natural food items.

Therefore, while it may seem exciting and exotic to have a wild animal as a pet, it really is not fair to deny this type of animal the life it would have had in its natural environment. If you have a situation involving a wild animal that has been raised by humans, do not release it . Call Toronto Wildlife Centre for advice.

There are always thousands of domestic animals in shelters in Ontario that need homes - animals that would love to be a part of your family! Please keep wildlife in your heart, not in your home.

4. Is it a good idea to feed wildlife?

Toronto Wildlife Centre does not encourage feeding wild animals for several reasons:

Feeding wild animals encourages them to view humans as a food source, when humans should be viewed as the potentially dangerous predators they are. It may be tempting to offer food to a cute Raccoon that has been coming to your backyard, but what happens when that same raccoon approaches another person who does not have such good intentions? That person may feel threatened and may harm the animal, not realizing the Raccoon has been trained to expect food from a human. Toronto Wildlife Centre receives many calls about conflicts with wildlife for this very reason
Feeding wild animals discourages them from foraging for their natural food sources. This can lead to health problems, as fed wildlife may not get all of the necessary nutritional requirements from what is for them an unnatural, and very likely unbalanced, diet. For example, many people enjoy feeding bread to Canada geese. Unfortunately, bread is not a nutritious or natural food source for geese, and the result is that they produce much more feces than they would with a more nutritional diet. This is because there is less nutrients to absorb into the goose's system, so more is passed as waste. It is therefore best to allow the animals to find and eat their natural food items
Feeding wildlife often encourages different species to congregate together when they would not naturally do so, leading to potentially fatal problems for some wildlife. Backyard birdfeeders (especially ones that are not cleaned out on a regular basis) often harbour bacteria and other organisms which can cause infections in some birds. For example, Toronto Wildlife Centre has admitted many birds in the finch family suffering from conjunctivitis, a condition that causes inflammation of the eye tissues. A bird with this condition will die without proper medical treatment at a wildlife centre

Knowing all of this, it is easy to see that there are many more benefits to not feeding wildlife than there are to feeding them. If you would like to offer a food source to wild animals, consider planting native flowers, shrubs and trees in your yard that would offer a natural food source, while at the same time providing shelter and other habitat benefits.

5. I found a dead animal. Who can I call to remove it?

Click Here for information.

6. What do I do if I have found a sick, injured, orphaned, or trapped animal and Toronto Wildlife Centre is closed?

Click Here for information.

7. I found a domestic animal (e.g., cat, dog, budgie). Who can I call?

Your local Animal Services organization or humane society is one option for questions about and placements for domestic animals, although they may have restrictions on what animals they are able to take or place. Another alternative is to look into volunteer rescue groups in your area. You may be able to find contact information for such groups on the internet, or through vet clinics or humane societies.

TORONTO
Toronto Animal Services.....................................(416) 338-7297
Toronto Humane Society....................................(416) 392-2273

YORK REGION
Markham Animal Services..................................(416) 338-7297
Kennel Inn...........................................................(905) 727-4646
(Animal Services for Aurora, Richmond Hill, Vaughan)
Newmarket SPCA...............................................(905) 898-7122
(No After-Hours Service)

HALTON REGION
Burlington Animal Services..................................(905) 335-3030
Oakville Humane Society...................................(905) 845-1551
Brampton Animal Services..................................(905) 458-5800
Caledon Animal Services...................................(905) 857-5208
Mississauga Animal Services................................(905) 896-5858

DURHAM REGION
Ajax Animal Services...........................................(905) 683-8275
Clarington Animal Services................................(905) 623-7651
Oshawa Animal Services....................................(905) 723-3488
Whitby Animal Services.......................................(905) 655-0283

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN SOUTH WESTERN ONTARIO
Cambridge/Guelph Animal Services..................(519) 621-0740
Hamilton Animal Services...................................(905) 574-3433
Hamilton/Burlington SPCA..................................(905) 574-7722
Kitchener/Waterloo Animal Services..................(519) 745-5615
London Animal Services.....................................(519) 661-4965

8. How do I become a volunteer?

Toronto Wildlife Centre has many different volunteer positions, so whether you would like to work directly with our wild patients or would prefer to help in other areas, you will find a position that is just right for you! To find out more, click here.

9. I brought an animal to you for care - how do I find out how it is?

Unfortunately, we are not able to return follow-up calls about animals between the dates of April 15th to October 14th , due to an extremely high volume of emergency calls. Toronto Wildlife Centre receives up to 200 urgent calls a day in peak season (spring to early fall), and priority must go to the animals in immediate need of help. However, we do appreciate that you would like to find out the animal's outcome, so if you would like to call back after October 14th for an update, we will be happy to let you know then about the patient's outcome.

If you are calling outside of peak season, you can contact us to find out how the animal you have brought in for care is doing. Call the Wildlife Hotline (416-631-0662) and leave a detailed message with your name, number, and the reference number of the animal you are calling about. We will call you back as soon as possible. If you do not have the reference number, please leave your contact info, the species of the animal and the date you brought it to TWC.

10. How do I make a donation to Toronto Wildlife Centre?

If you would like to help wildlife in need by making a donation to Toronto Wildlife Centre, please click here.

11. What are your hours of operation?

Open from 9AM until 6PM, 7 days a week, year round

*Please note that on December 24^th, 25^th, 26^th, 31^st, and January 1^st, hours are 9am to 4pm.

12. Where are you located?

Toronto Wildlife Centre is located at 60 Carl Hall Road , Unit 4, in Downsview Park near the intersection of Keele and Sheppard in North York .

Always be sure to call Toronto Wildlife Centre's Wildlife Hotline before bringing in an animal: there are many circumstances in which bringing an animal into the Centre before consulting with a Hotline staff member can actually do more harm than good. If you have found a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal, click here for more information on what to do next.