Birds of a feather flock together

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Injured animals including large birds have a warm home this winter thanks to an animal rehabilitation centre just south of Winnipeg.

"This time of year at Wildlife Haven it's interesting because we're settling into winter. This includes some special considerations for some of the patients that we have," says Zoe Nakata, the Executive Director of Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre in Ile des Chenes, Man.

Some of those patients include pelicans, trumpeter swans, ducks, and a Canadian goose.

"Many patients that we have based on their injuries and also on the natural behaviour of the species, we can't release them in the dead of winter," she says.

The Centre has a special enclosure just for these types of birds as they spend their time recovering and waiting out the winter.

"They need good ponds to be able to swim in and preen their feathers. We have 1,200 sq feet with heated pools for them."

If they had not been injured, these birds would have migrated south for the winter months with the rest of their kind. 

"We'll wait for the ice and snow to melt, but also watch for when the flocks come back. That's our biggest indicator to know when to release our patients," says Nakata.

The centre feeds their patients the food they normally eat in nature in the same form, without cutting anything up. This is to give the animal the best chance of being integrated back into nature once it's healed.

"We're encouraging people to support these pelicans and swans by donating to the Wildlife Haven on Giving Tuesday," says Nakata.