Wildlife calls surge in Jarvis during COVID-19 pandemic

Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge has been fielding a lot more calls since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

A lot of other facilities closed or have stopped accepting wildlife," said Chantal Theijn, founder of the organization, which is located in Jarvis but serves a large number of municipalities, including Haldimand, Hamilton, Milton and Niagara.

We're going from like 30 calls a day to over 100."

Dave Lowe, her spouse, said the pandemic is also increasing their numbers because people are more aware of wildlife, between being at home and watching their wildlife around their houses and doing more outdoor activities."

They've already cared for over 2,300 animals this year, and it's only August; in the whole of 2019, they treated approximately 3,000.

We're obviously going to surpass that," Theijn said.

The couple runs the wildlife foundation, which is a registered charity, on their one-acre property. They don't get paid for their tireless work, which sees them responding to sick and injured animals at all hours of the day and night, every day of the year.

Hazel Addison is on Hobbitstee's board of directors.

It's a very well-known wildlife organization, working on a small parcel of land with a tight budget," she said. It's wonderful and should be celebrated."

In February, the organization was gifted $200,000 as a memorial from a family who had lost a loved one.

That generosity fast-forwarded a goal that has been on Theijn and Lowe's minds for a while: acquiring a larger piece of land and expanding their operation.

Ideally, they would like to get a property that's about 16 hectares.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that we would like to create a greater separation from our predators and prey," Theijn said.

Right now, while these animals can't see each other while in care, they are still close enough to smell and sense the other, which can cause a lot of undue stress.

Also, the rehabilitation facilities they have aren't sufficient to properly help the animals they're treating.

For instance, while they recently constructed a flight cage that's about 50 metres long - the biggest they were permitted to build on their property - it's not enough for larger rescued birds, like ospreys, to get a good workout and rebuild the muscles necessary for their survival after injury or illness.

Also, Theijn said, if they had more land to work with, they would be able to be more self-sufficient by growing some of the food necessary for the animals in care, as well as having a nursery of native plants to sell and generate income.

Theijn is hoping more members of the community will show them support. There are a variety of ways for people to do so: donating land, or selling it at a reduced cost, is at the top of Theijn's wish list.

But cash donations, volunteering - particularly with administrative work and construction - and building supplies would be greatly appreciated as well.

A lot of the wildlife we care for is in distress as a direct result of human activity," Theijn said. As people and a society, we have an obligation to reduce our impact as much as we can."