Hope for Wildlife sees uptick in animal drop-offs as warmer months approach

It's proving to be another busy spring season at Hope for Wildlife. 

The animal rehabilitation centre in Seaforth, N.S., tends to see an uptick in baby animal drop-offs this time of year.

One of those babies currently in need of care is a groundhog named Pickles.

"So, his mom was hit by a car and he was found where she was," said a staff member at Hope for Wildlife.

Pickles is fed formula about five times a day – a schedule the staff is juggling along with the needs of 400 other animals.

Many of the animals are dropped off by concerned citizens like Kristina Matthews, who noticed a baby raccoon in the middle of the road doing circles and wanted to help.

"I figured his mom might be gone or he got kind of lost, so I figured I'd bring him here to get checked out and see if he needed to be here or if they're going to release him later," said Matthews.

Hope Swinimer, the founder of Hope for Wildlife, says the centre already has several litters of raccoons this year.

"Most of our raccoons could be preventable if people would do a late winter check of their home to make sure there was no areas that raccoons could get in," said Swinimer.

According to Swinimer, raccoons tend to go to people's attics to give birth.

"People will often trap out the mom, leaving the babies orphaned, so it's always good to try to get the mom to move on her own, and you can simply play loud music and bright lights," she explained.

The staff is also caring for turtles, foxes, squirrels and even ducklings.

"I have to keep them (the ducklings) really clean because one of the biggest problems is their feathers won't develop properly if they get dirty," said Amy Honey, a staff member at Hope for Wildlife.

Swinimer says the staff is armed with the patience and skill to care for the animals, but would prefer if there wasn't a need.

"Our job is to educate people about how to avoid coming into conflict with nature," said Swinimer.

"So, it's important to remember to slow down on the roads, watch for turtles, don't live trap animals, especially this time of year because there's usually babies that will be left behind."