Speaking of Wildlife is giving the community an opportunity to meet some of the world’s most notorious nocturnal animals and examine spooky skeletons to see if they can figure out which animal it belongs to. It will all happen during the Hoot N’ Howl event that takes place on Saturday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 31.
The pay-what-you-can event includes a 30-minute guided tour given by one of Speaking of Wildlife’s interpreters. Participants are encouraged to dress for rainy and cold weather and bring a flashlight.
“You will get to meet our nocturnal or creepier animals, and some of the tours are even offered after dark,” said Krystal Hewitt, a wildlife educator with Speaking of Wildlife.
Speaking of Wildlife is a Ministry of Natural Resources-licenced and SPCA-inspected wildlife education centre that gives permanent homes to non-releasable Ontario wildlife.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre hasn’t been able to travel off-site to participate in educational wildlife events.
“We thought it would be cool if we could start doing some on-site programming, and it’s a way for us to give back to those who have helped us through COVID and have contributed. It’s also a way for us to put on a fun event for Halloween,” she said.
Hewitt says there will be skulls, bones, and other artifacts on site for visitors to check out. Participants will also be able to engage with a wolf and an owl.
Each participant will be going home with a treat bag to enjoy on Halloween.
All money raised from the event will be used to help the centre feed and provide top-quality care for the animals who reside at Speaking of Wildlife.
“It doesn’t even have to be a monetary contribution to participate in the tours, it could be a physical donation of cleaning supplies, fresh produce, fresh and frozen meat, and those kinds of things,” she said.
Tour times are at 4 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:45 p.m. Registration for the event is required and you can do so by emailing [email protected]
