Speaking of Wildlife (SOW) staff and volunteers, along with the animals in their care, are still in the process of trying to recover from a horrific poisoning incident last weekend.
Last Saturday afternoon, SOW owner Krystal Hewitt discovered that nine animals and birds at the animal sanctuary just north of Orillia had been exposed to rodenticide poison from an open bag of donated cat kibble.
Dior, a resident skunk, passed away from ingesting the poisoned kibble.
Meanwhile, Chanel, another skunk, was found in acute distress, and Rocket (raccoon) showed symptoms of poisoning. The six others (three ravens, Scout the raccoon, Maple the coyote and Cinder the grey fox) were being monitored for signs of poisoning.
“It has been a very hard week,” said Hewitt. “Thankfully, all of the other animals and birds are holding steady in recovery, but Chanel is still in intensive care.”
Chanel has been under 24-hour surveillance and care. Veterinarian Dr. Cliff Redford, owner of Wellington Vet Hospital in Markham, saw Chanel this morning.
“Chanel is in a lot of pain. She has been receiving exemplary care, including antibiotics, fluids, pain medications, and oxygen," Redford said.
"She is in an incubator, she has even been eating a bit, but she has hit a bit of a plateau. I authorized increasing her pain medication in the hopes she can get through this and there hasn’t been too much damage to her organs," Redford explained.
Hewitt said recovery won't be easy for the much-loved skunk.
“Chanel is a senior skunk, at nine years of age, and has a pre-existing heart murmur, so she is having a tough time with that as well," she said.
Redford concluded, “At this point, the toxin is out of her system and the damage has been done. The next 72 hours will tell us more.”
The community has rallied around Hewitt, her staff, and her animal residents in a big way. After posting the original OrilliaMatters story on SOW social media, the response was immediate and overwhelming.
“We are absolutely blown away by the kindness and generosity of our supporters,” said Hewitt. “Our inbox is full of kind messages, our fridge is stocked with fresh produce and meat for the week, our kibble stocks have been replenished, donations of vitamin K have been received and, while I haven't had a moment to tally, monetary contributions to date have mounted to more than $10,000!”
The week has been full of ups and downs for Hewitt and her team.
“While all this has been going on, our education team has been doing their best to maintain as much of our off-site programming as possible, to keep funds coming in,” Hewitt said.
"We were challenged once again when our van broke down on the way to a program on Wednesday," lamented Hewitt. "We have had to cancel five more programs while we wait for parts, and want to apologize to our partners and to anyone that missed us this week.”
She said the incident has pushed staff and volunteers to the breaking point.
“We are all really trying, but are taxed to the absolute limit emotionally and physically at this point," she said.
Harvey’s in Orillia, led by franchise owner Laura Clayton Dixon, has also stepped in to support SOW. Staff are currently collecting donations at their tills for SOW, and on Friday (Aug. 16) 10 per cent of all sales will be donated to Speaking of Wildlife.
“It’s just horrible that this happened, and my thoughts are with everyone at the centre,” said Dixon. “I just figured I could do a fundraiser to help with medical costs and care to the animals, and to support any way I can.”
When told of the fundraiser, Hewitt was full of gratitude.
“We are so touched by the kindness and community support exhibited by Harvey's in Orillia,” she said.
“This week has undoubtedly been one of the most disheartening and challenging weeks we have ever faced, but experiencing the love and support of our community has restored our faith in humans," said Hewitt. "Thank you to everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”
Donations to Speaking of Wildlife can be made via etransfer at [email protected] or this week, by cash, debit or credit at Harvey’s Orillia, 370 Memorial Ave.
