At Elizabeth’s Wildlife Center in Abbotsford, B.C., the number of small mammals and birds in need of care is already overwhelming.
“We can have 50 in here easily. Baby robins, baby this, baby that,” Elizabeth Melnick, the owner of Elizabeth’s Wildlife Center told Global News.
Melnick and other staff never turn animals away and care for injured, orphaned wild birds and small mammals and have done so since 1986.
“I don’t even know how many animals we have in here right now and it’s just going to get busier, and busier and busier,” Kristie Johnson, a staff member said.
But the ability to pay for added staff and supplies has reached the breaking point.
“I am stressing out because financially we (have) really hit rock bottom,” Melnick said.
She said the worries about how she is going to keep the wildlife center open are beginning to take a toll on her health.
“Well, I still haven’t had my day off but keep getting encouraged to take at least one day off a week, but, I don’t know,” Melnick said.
The centre operates predominantly on public donations but added funds would help to hire more staff as some of the orphaned babies require constant care and feeding every 15 minutes.
“By the time you finished the last one, guess what,” Melnick said. “You pretty much need a person just sitting there… just feeding the baby birds.”
The latest additions are two baby opossums who were left orphaned when their mother was hit by a car.
“She was not obviously going to survive … so I had to go in and take the babies out,” Johnson said.
A squirrel is also a new resident after he had some bad luck with a crow.
“He’s got a broken nose and at this point he can’t eat on his own so he’s being tube fed,” Johnson added.
Melnick and staff are hoping that if anyone can help them with some finances then they will be able to give the tiny critters a second chance at life.
Donations can be made on their website.