The Atlantic Wildlife Institute cares for the rescue and rehabilitation of animals that have been displaced.
Director of Wildlife Care Pam Novak says 2019 was a very busy year in terms of the variety and number of animals they saw, “So we’ve seen everything from another Canada Lynx which is an endangered species, right to lots of mallards and ducks that we had to raise as orphans because the mothers get hit on the roadways, especially around the Moncton area.”
She says they also see a lot of birds of prey, including hawks and eagles.
Caring for these animals can be very costly.
Novak says, “You can get one bird in that you might be able to turn around in a day or two, so that might be just a couple hundred dollars in materials. Or you can have animals that stretch six to eight months or even over a year, that could cost thousands of dollars to care for.”
She says they rely on public donations to provide the required care.
Novak says they even took in a garter snake, that was found on the snow on a driveway on Christmas Eve. These snakes are normally inactive during the colder months.