Founder and CEO of Salthaven Brian Salt (left), Operations Supervisor Mackenzie Shaw (middle), and Administrative and Facilities Manager Sydney Phillips (right): (Salthaven)
On Monday, a black bear was spotted in north London by the wooded area near Adelaide Street North and Windmere Road.
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources said this week’s sighting is one of many in the area since July 15. But this is not the first time a bear has ventured into the city of London.
“Animals are moving down from the north,” explains Wildlife Rehabilitator Brian Salt. “They’re being pushed down because those residential areas are growing up, and it’s hard for them. But we make it even harder when we’re not prepared to deal with it.”
Salt founded Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre back in the 1990s with just two volunteers. The interest in wildlife however goes back to Salt’s early childhood.
“My dad, when I was only six years old, bought me a book called Wild Animals of North America, and used to read it to me at bedtime. I still have that book, actually it’s tattered now and the binding is coming apart, but it kind of instilled in me a desire to know more. I recognized from a very early age that animals were thinking, and logical little beings.”
“I mean, you go home and you say to your dog, ‘do you want to go for a walk?’ They get really excited and start wagging their tail. That darn dog understands English for crying out loud, and these animals are capable of emotion. They’re capable of being afraid. They’re capable of being happy and playful,” he explains.
Salthaven cares and administers the needs of sick, injured or orphaned wild animals. What started as a team of two volunteers now holds one hundred and twenty who are all taught to care for over 2,000 wild animals.
This Belted Kingfisher was admitted to #Salthaven after flying into a window however she healed quickly & within 48 hours was released.
DYK, fossils of this species dating back 600,000 years have been unearthed in several U.S. states! #ldnont @BirdFriendlyLdn pic.twitter.com/6P0n082EAz
— Salthaven Wildlife (@salthaven_org) July 23, 2021
“Since I’ve started Salthaven, I’ve come to recognize that they [animals] are on a much deeper level than what we had imagined before.”
Salt explains how this realization is what helped him embark on the educational side of Salthaven in order to help those understand our Canadian Wildlife.
Through a series of presentations, now moved towards an online setting, Salthaven’s wildlife education programs cover a variety of topics including Species at Risk, and Wild Inspired. That presentation features Salt’s most memorable adventures of rescue and recovery.
“People are coming away with a greater sense of who these animals are and what they’re capable of.”
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But what does this term rehabilitation mean? What does this process look like?
“The rehabilitation process is as varied as the animals that come in,” Salt explains. “Our main goal is to get them back into their natural habitat again as quickly as possible, and avoid habituation and imprinting and all those things. But our first goal is to get the animal physically well and then we attend to their emotional needs.”
‘A Day in the Life of Salthaven’ presentation (Salthaven)
They do this by distancing human interaction. He explains how the injured animals are put into pre-release pens where there is no human contact for four to six weeks.
“We try really, really hard to put them back into the natural environment where they would have grown up before. [But] I would suspect that there are many of them that don’t make it in the wild because they don’t have the skills that mom would have taught them through example, but it’s the best we can do.”
That’s where the emotional aspect comes into the rehabilitation process. Not just for the injured wildlife that enters into their care, but to those who administer it.
“The volunteers themselves feel something for these animals and that it helps them to have empathy for them. So they’re being educated and at the same time they’re helping these animals.”
“Sometimes you give help and you receive help at the same time.”
But there is a darker side to Salthaven as Salt explains.
“Sometimes it’s an emotionally painful experience when an animal that you’ve worked with is just not gonna make it and, so it doesn’t have to face the consequences of being torn up by a predator, we choose to give them an easier way out and end the suffering. Those are all difficult moments for volunteers here at Salthaven, but it’s the necessary part of rehabilitation as to knowing when things are not going to work.”
A sad day. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't save this fawn from head injuries after it was hit by a car. For 2 days our #Salthaven team worked diligently to provide medication & fluids, but the fawn kept deteriorating so we made the decision to end his suffering. #ldnont pic.twitter.com/SbSVcByUTH
— Salthaven Wildlife (@salthaven_org) July 18, 2021
The story of Salthaven, a childhood interest carried into a reality, now gives people the chance to get involved on a personal level. But that level includes those necessary parts of the rehabilitation process mentioned before.
But going back to this week’s black bear sighting, Salt says that it’s important to be properly prepared.
“The police always seem to be involved when bears get too close to the urban side of life. I think they should have rubber bullets that they can use as a deterrent to bears… They can also probably invest in a tranquilizer gun which would help immensely. Up north, police departments have those kinds of things.”
A black bear was spotted in a wooded area near Adelaide Street North and Windmere Road on the morning of July 26, 2021. (Google Maps)
With more and more sightings of wildlife such as black bears and even coyotes being reported in the London region, those with pets should remain cautious when going out for walks. Salt explains that coyotes aren’t necessarily aggressive, but they are if they’re hungry, and when they’re hungry, they’re usually hunting in a pack.
Here are some of Salt’s tips on what to do should you encounter a potentially dangerous animal within your route:
- If you come across a black bear on a path, you don’t want to turn and run. That will incite a chase. You just need to back away slowly and if he pursues you, then you need to pick up things and throw them and make a lot of noise.
- **Air horns are very effective**
- Be prepared.
- Carry things with you such as sticks to throw towards, but not at them.
- A whistle can work as well if an air horn is not available to you.
- Don’t leave food out
- Leaving food out on your back porch for feral cats is attracting not only coyotes but great horned owls.
“This is where the education side comes in and helps people to understand what they need to do in order to protect themselves but also how to live harmoniously with our Canadian Wildlife.”
If you have found a wild animal that is orphaned, sick, or injured, call Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre at (519-264-2440). For additional information, visit https://www.salthaven.org/what-to-do
Sourced Image: Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre
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