Alarming increases in the number of animals rescued by shelters in 2016

Baby beavers, great horned owls and a white-faced ibis are just some of the animals rescued around Regina in 2016.

“Our last year has been quite busy actually. We usually average about 500 patients a year, and we expect to be well over that number this year,” Megan Lawrence, Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation’s director, said.

Many animals are orphaned or have been hit by a car, Lawrence said.

“Unfortunately we have seen a lot of animals inside and outside the city that have been shot either intentionally or accidentally,” Lawrence said.

“It’s very concerning because we’re not sure why people are shooting these animals. We’ve seen a number of raptors that have been shot, as well as crows, jackrabbits, ducks, geese and other animals as well, but we’re not sure why it’s happening.”

Bright Eyes Dog Rescue has adopted out more than 300 dogs this year, which is a hundred more than last year.

“We’ve had a great deal of success, and I think one of the things that’s helped that is a great deal of support from the community,” Bright Eyes Dog Rescue’s director Peggy Martin-McGuire said.

The dog rescue has also brought in three street dogs from Peru. All of them now have permanent homes.

“The conditions down there were pretty terrible. It’s heartbreaking for those who would like to see their lives improve,” said Martin-McGuire.

Martin-McGuire said the dog rescue’s main priority is still animals in Saskatchewan. “But if we’ve got these special opportunities to bring the occasional dog in from Peru…it’s been a really fun partnership, and I feel very fortunate we’ve had that opportunity,” she added.

Bright Eyes Dog Rescue was also able to save 30 dogs from a home where they were being hoarded. All of those dogs now have new homes.

The Regina Humane Society is calling 2016 the year of the cat. The shelter had an extra 450 cats in 2016 compared to last year, said Bill Thorn, Regina Humane Society’s director of public relations.

He said that a mild winter last year, followed by warm spring and fall, gave cats the conditions they needed to thrive.

“They were healthier, there were more litters, there was really time for a whole extra breeding cycle this year,” Thorn said, adding that many of these extra cats ended up at the animal shelter.

Thorn said cat adoption numbers are up by about 17 per cent, but so are calls from concerned citizens.

“Our animal protection officers have received over 7,000 calls so far in 2016, which is an increase of about 800,” Thorn said. “People are more aware of animal protection laws and they’re responding by contacting us.”

Thorn said the shelter had been able to increase the number of cats and dogs returned to their owners by about 17 per cent this year.

“We think this is largely the result of education programs and things like microchips, permanent identification that we’ve been encouraging people to do,” he explained

Thorn said he’s hoping the number of animals coming into the shelter returns to normal levels next year.

He’s also hoping a new, more modern building will be in the works soon to help the organization meet growing demand.

“The vision of it is that it’s an animal community centre. It would be a building and facility that the community would be proud to have,” Thorn said.

A new building would have glass enclosures instead of gates and cages and better bio-security in hospital areas, he said.