Click here to read our bear stories!

Click here to read Hoovers story!

Dougie the Douglas Squirrel

Dougie was the fourth animal admitted in 2012, after the finder observed the poor little guy getting hit by a car.  The woman drove up and down the street until she found him lying in the road near the centre line and brought him in to Critter Care.  Dougie was suffering from head trauma, and for several days the CCWS staff and interns were very worried about him, but the medication did its job and Dougie is feeling much better.  Now the biggest worry the intern assigned to his care has is chasing him around the exam room every time he escapes while she cleans his cage.

Schnappi the Angry Raccoon

On the evening of January 4th, 2012, Critter Care received a call from a woman very concerned about a raccoon that has been a good friend of her cats for the past year.   At first she thought the raccoon had tomato sauce all over his head, but quickly realized it was actually a large gash.  She called Critter Care, and a supervisor set a trap outside her home in Surrey.  Shortly after midnight, one of the resident supervisors received a call on her cell phone, asking if the trapped raccoon could be transported to CCWS immediately.  Of course the answer was “yes!”  and although Schnappi was not the least bit grateful for the after-hours emergency medical help, the large wound on his head is healing nicely.  The supervisor's hand that – in Schnappi's opinion - came too close to his face during his initial examination is also healing nicely.

Pickles the Grey Squirrel

Pickles came to Critter Care on January 2, 2012.   He was most likely hit by a car before being brought into a Chilliwack home by the finder’s cat, where he was contained in a cardboard box and CCWS was called.   Since the finders were unable to bring him to Langley, we called the President of Critter Care who had just gone home to Chilliwack a few hours earlier, and she was more than happy to pick him up and drive him all the way back to Langley.  It was touch and go for Pickles for 48 hours while the extent of his head trauma was monitored, but he is responding well to treatment and a full recovery is expected.

Reuben

One of our newest little additions to Critter Care is this juvenile raccoon, Reuben. An elderly couple, from Richmond, became concerned when they heard animals fighting during the night. Sure enough, the following morning, they found this little boy sat quivering on their deck. He had no tail left, was cold, wet and looking a bit lost. It is likely that he unknowingly wandered into another raccoon's territory, which led to a dispute. As he is only about 7 months old, he is continuing to grow up and still has much to learn about looking after himself in the wild. Fortunately, the couple trapped the terrified raccoon and brought him to Critter Care, where he was treated by our staff.
After a week in care, he has now settled in nicely and has a whole room to himself where he sleeps, plays and explores day and night. His carer hides his food, as well as treats and toys which he loves foraging for (and is extremely proud of himself when he finds something yummy). This is helping hone the skills he needs to survive when he goes back into the wild, and hopefully will allow him to avoid any future conflicts!

Taz and Georgina

Flying squirrels are not capable of powered flight like birds or bats. Instead, they glide between trees  by stretching open their patagium, a furry parachute-like membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle.   The two flying squirrels currently residing together at CCWS for the winter were actually admitted nearly two months apart.  Taz arrived September 8th 2011 when a woman in Surrey found him lying on a pathway and rescued him. He was already a juvenile, but is believed to have fallen out of a tree and was suffering from the trauma.  Georgina was brought in October 29th after being attacked by a cat in Brookswood.  Following a course of antibiotics and syringe feeding, Georgina was slowly introduced to Taz in his big outdoor squirrel enclosure.  First she was put in the enclosure inside her smaller cage, and when it was determined that they were not fighting, she was let out of the cage.  At first each squirrel had their own den box within the enclosure, but after a few days of finding them curled up together in one den box, the second box was removed.  Taz and Georgina will live happily ever after together until their Spring release.

Artemis and Zeke

Of the 26 orphaned raccoons Critter Care Wildlife Society will be caring for over the winter, one is a little bit more special than the others. Artemis and Zeke were admitted May 31st 2011, and although they were actually about 7 weeks old, they were thought to be only 4 weeks old initially because they were so weak and emaciated.

Why is Artemis so special?  Because he is a blond raccoon!  His brother Zeke from the same litter has the same colouring as all the other raccoon kits that came to CCWS last summer, but Artemis has a blond body with light brown tail rings
and mask. Artemis and Zeke were discovered by new homeowners when they were heard crying in the wall.  The homeowners ripped open their brand new wall to rescue the kits and rushed them over to Critter Care.  They were in such critical condition - Artemis had pneumonia - that one of the supervisors had to bottle feed them both every two hours around the clock for a week before their health finally started to improve.  Now, five and a half months later, they are thriving in an outdoor enclosure with other juvenile raccoons until they are released into the wilderness this Spring.

Lenny and Lucy - The beavers

Lenny and Lucy were found on the exit ramp of Highway 1 in Chilliwack. A lady who drives there daily, first found Lenny. She immediately called Critter Care who went out to pick him up. A day later Lucy was found at the exact same spot by the same lady. She called Critter Care once more who went out immediately to pick up Lucy as well. Critter Care's investigation showed that road workers dismantled a beaver dam a few days before the two beavers were found. Unfortunately we were not able to find their family or any signs of a new beaver dam in the area. At their arrival in June the baby beavers were about eight weeks old, too young to be on their own, so Critter Care took them into care. Lucy and Lenny are enjoying a daily dive in their big pool, even in cooler weather. Lots of fresh branches every day keep them busy when they are in their warm shed.

Rosie – released December 31st, 2011

What an exciting New Year’s Eve for Rosie the mink!  Rosie came to Critter Care healthy, but as an escapee from a mink farm, she lacked the killer instinct a mink requires to survive in the wild.  After several weeks at Critter Care where she learned to hunt and was kept strictly off limits for human interaction, Rosie was taken to an ideal swampy area with unlimited food sources and released.

Fellon and Claire - released December 27th, 2011

Fellon and Claire are two lucky opossums.  They were given what is known as a “soft release” on the property of a wonderful lady close to Critter Care.  They were released in an open shed on her property, and she will make sure there is always food available for them as they transition to being on their own.  Her property is “opossum paradise” with a duck pond, wooded and marshy areas - so as Fellon and Claire’s instincts strengthen, they will gradually move away from her shed and have no problem making it on their own.

Sirius - released December 18th, 2011

Sirius, the streetwise raccoon, stayed at Critter Care for almost a month while he recovered from his wounds.  Once his course of antibiotics ended, and it was determined that his tail was no longer infected, he was strong and healthy again, he was taken back to the neighbourhood where he was caught.  The people he scared so badly when they let him into their home still have a soft spot for old Sirius, and have been keeping an eye on him for us since his release.

Buzz - released December 18th, 2011

Buzz, the skunk, only has one eye. As skunks have poor vision anyway, that will not affect him negatively in the wild.  Buzz was fattened up for over a month and a half before CCWS took him to an ideal release site with lots of swampy areas and ground cover.  Buzz will have no trouble sniffing out food, and of course if any other animals try to mess with him he has fully functioning scent glands.

Winky and Jacky - released December 1st, 2011

Winky and Jacky the squirrels were at Critter Care longer than expected, because it took quite a while for them to grow back their fur and full, bushy tails.  Finally after a month and a half, they were strong and healthy enough to be taken to a dense forested area and released.