Online auction to help Sudbury wildlife rescue centre

A Greater Sudbury wildlife refuge is holding an online auction so it can continue operating and build an expansion to meet the growing need.

Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre is located in Greater Sudbury and serves all of northeastern Ontario.

The centre helps orphaned, injured or ill animals with the goal of releasing them back to the wild.

It costs over $45,000 a year to operate the centre. From mealworms and other food to medical supplies and expanding its space to meet the growing need, the centre operates solely on private donations.

To raise money for the centre it is holding the Caring For Our Wildlife Online Auction from April 16 to 23.

"It's great because we serve over 130,000 kilometres of northeastern Ontario. Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre is the only authorized wildlife centre for that huge area. And this way people from all over the north can bid and support our wildlife centre," said Lisa McIvor, the centre's volunteer auction coordinator.

MEET SOME OF THE ANIMALS

After re-bandaging every two days, one snapping turtle that has been at the centre since last October is slowly growing back his shell after being hit by a vehicle.

"He is progressing very well. He is much more active now. He's eating on his own, whereas we use to have to force-feed him to eat. He was in a state of starvation when we got him and his muscle tone is coming back and the healing that is going on is absolutely amazing," said Gloria Morissette, an authorized wildlife custodian at Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre.

It's one of the hundreds of animals being helped at the wildlife rehabilitation centre.

One fox at the centre fox is recovering from mange.

"Over the last year, it's been a record for us. I think we have had over 15 foxes all come in with mange, which is a condition where they get overwhelmed with a skin parasite and they end up dying of either exposure or starvation," Morissette said.

The fox is healthy after being treated and will soon return to the wild.

Turtle Pond has taken in animals from as far away as Kenora, Timmins, North Bay and Manitoulin Island. Officials said the centre's intake has quadrupled in the last two years and continues to grow. In 2021, it cared for 800 wild animals.