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| 2004 - Amy Canada;
Cliff Canada; Ruth
Fitzell, Canada; Patricia Statham,
Australia; Shauna Bosetti, Canada; ; Chloe
Garner, Canada; Jennifer Garner, Canada; Kelly
Johnson, Canada; Julie Long, Canada; Robin
Martens, Canada; Jennifer Myhre, Canada;
Devika Ramcharan, Canada; Katharina Martin,
Germany; Laura Hughes, Great Britain; Rowina
Isaacs, Great Britain; Takuya Anraku, Japan; Ai
Suzuki, Japan; Heather Craighead, USA; Petra
Franzen, USA; Christy Kayser, USA; Allyce
Sullivan, USA |
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| Amy &
Walker |
My dog Walker and I started at Critter Care
the last days of February till the end of May
2004. Previous to coming here my main experience
was working in a domestic vet clinic and I wanted
to learn how to work with wildlife. During my
adventure I learned loads of new skills, I had
the opportunity to work with beaver, skunk,
raccoon, opossum, squirrels, coyote, and, of
course, the resident bobcat, Hoover. I’ll
never think of a squirrel the same again. They
were the most frequent visitors at the center,
lots of babies!
The staff at Critter Care made my stay fun and
eventful, the supervisors have a great attitude,
and ethic in the animal field, thanks Christi,
Susy, Jacinta, Gail and everyone else. The volunteers
were great and I met lost of people with the
same interests and goals as me. I’ll miss
the bonfires, and laser tag everyone, thanx
for the fun time.
I found it very rewarding to go on the releases
of last years baby raccoons. And see the other
end of the rehabilitation process. I’ll
never forget the curious hands of the coons,
how they feel the world around them through
touch. Walker learned lots too!
Being from Northern Canada, the different species
of animals at Critter Care were new to me. This
sparked my interest in learning to work in wildlife
rehabilitation. I plan to further my education
in this field.
For those of you interested in applying to do
an internship here, keep in mind that its not
all fun and games – the laundry is endless,
expect little shut-eye, early mornings, screaming
babies, and lots of poop. It can be heart breaking
when not all can be saved, there is the rainbow
bridge for some, but if you have a genuine love
for animals it is a very rewarding experience.
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| Cliff |
What have I learned at Critter Care Wildlife
Society? That is what you are interested in reading
about, right? Have you ever been involved with
animal rehabilitation or conservation efforts
before or is this your first time considering
it? There are a few things that you should first
consider before making a choice like this. First
decide the type of person you are, do you truly
love animals and want what is best for them? Or
are you just thinking of this as something to
do for a learning experience? Both are fine but
it just lets you now your commitment to the center,
the animals and how much you are willing to do.
This is not an easy industry to get involved with
unless you can be dedicated and committed to it.
The hours are long, sometimes leaving you short
on sleep because you are up in the middle of the
night feeding babies. There are times when they
need to be fed every four hours, even every three.
It can mess with your normal cycle and is something
that you need to adjust to. These lives are put
in your hands. There is SO MUCH cleaning to be
don, sweeping, mopping, bathrooms, bunkhouse,
dishes, and all sorts of things. Be prepared for
cleaning cages everyday because the animals need
that to be done.
These animals are wild and the hope is to keep
them that way or you are putting their lives at
risk. Have you ever been bitten by a squirrel?
What about any other animal? Be prepared for that
to happen because it will, it is not going to
kill you. You will be getting poo, pee, blood,
puss, mites, fleas, and other things on you or
even in your mouth as you work. Again, it is not
going to kill you. Animals have claws so they
will claw your hands up a bit while you are trying
to treat them or feed them. Are you capable of
handling this?
If you are still interested in this line of work
after considering these few things then you are
good to go. It is such a rewarding feeling to
know that because of you and your efforts, these
animals received another chance at life. With
my time here I have learned so much, in ways that
I can’t even explain. My entire outlook
on animal life has changed from what it once was.
When you are sitting there feeding a little baby
with a syringe full of milk, the feeling is priceless.
To be able to watch them grow and experience life
as they learning new things. This is life at its
best and you can be part of it.
I came from the Northwest Territories and we do
not have the majority of animals that they have
here at Critter Care. That meant that it was mostly
new to me, we have beavers, squirrels, and bunnies
but never came this close to these experiences
with them. How often does the opportunity come
along to be able to hold such wild animals? To
be able to observe them and learn from the, it’s
great. I am leaving here with such fulfillment
and a great feeling of satisfaction.
Aside from the animal aspect, I met some really
great people and left some new friends. Living
at the center with a bunch of other people was
a great experience, you learn a lot from people
with other points of view. People come here from
all over the world, each with their own experiences
and stories to tell. I will definitely miss being
a part of this family, thanks goes out to Gail
for allowing me this chance of a lifetime. Second
thanks goes out to the supervisors, Christi, Susie
Q, and Jacinta for showing me the way. Also to
the ladies, Edith and Judy who showed me where
to find the tools and put me to work. To Ruth,
Jen, Chloe, Devika, and Sam, see you down the
road. For everyone, thanks for putting up with
this crazy northern van man, it was a blast.
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Ruth Fitzell
 I
came across Critter Care years ago as I was
searching for internships in animal
rehabilitation centers around the world, but
unfortunately the time never seemed to be right
for me to apply. So I was thrilled this past
summer when I finally had the time to devote
almost 3 months to working at Critter Care.
Since I want to work in wildlife rehabilitation
in the future, I came into this internship eager
to learn as much as I could about as many kinds
of animals as I could, as well as what it takes
to run a place like this. I was pleased to find
that working at Critter Care can give you a vast
range of knowledge and experience in all areas
of animal care. I had the pleasure of raising 8
baby raccoons, 6 baby skunks together with
Chloe, as well as helping out with countless
other raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and
rabbits. I also had the opportunity to learn
about the deer, coyotes, otters, beaver and
weasel as they came into the center. Not only do
you get to work with the animals directly, but
you also have the opportunity to learn how to
admit animals, do exams, administer medications,
vaccinations and injections, as well as the food
and housing requirements for each species, among
other things.
One of the best parts about working in
rehabilitation is that every day seems to bring
a new challenge. There is always a new animal
coming in or a new problem to face. My first 4
baby raccoons were affectionately known by most
people in the center as “the Bad Boys” because
they were so difficult to feed, and my next 4 I
dubbed “the Wild Ones” because they would hardly
let anyone touch them for weeks. This made for
many stressful days and sleepless nights, but it
really was an honour to be entrusted with the
care of these animals.
On top of the invaluable work experience, I also
had the opportunity to meet some truly amazing
people. It’s rare to find so many people that
you have so much in common with in one place. It
is the animals and also the people that make
Critter Care what it is, and Gail, Richard,
Judy, Edith, Mo, the supervisors, interns and
the many dedicated volunteers made it a pleasure
to live and work there. I met some friends that
I really hope I will stay in contact with long
into the future (you know who you are – don’t
leave me dangling!)
If you’re thinking about doing an internship at
Critter Care, let me just say that I don’t think
you can prepare yourself for the amount of work
that you will be faced with. It is no
exaggeration to say that I often worked 16 or 17
hours days, especially when my babies were young
and being fed in the middle of the night. And on
top of taking care of the animals there is also
the endless laundry, daily cleaning and other
chores and outdoor work to do. I can’t say that
it was an easy 3 months, but if you’re willing
to put in the work you can be sure that you
won’t regret it. There is nothing more rewarding
than seeing the babies grow into healthy adults
and being released back into the wild where they
belong. I have no regrets and can honestly say
that I leave my time at Critter Care with many
fond memories, new friendships, and an
inconceivable amount of invaluable experience. I
hope this helps anyone who’s thinking of
applying, good luck everyone!
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