Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre Inc.

The results to our Bat Naming survey are in. You overwhelmingly told us that you want the Salthaven Bat Squad to name bats in its care this season after famous Canadians. Thank you to everyone who participated and provided suggestions. ... Let’s get things started. We’d like to introduce you to Michael Bublé. He was found outside the guard shack at Accuride in London. He was there for almost a week, so the Bat Squad went and picked him up. He appears to be in good shape and will be with us until the spring. #Salthaven #ldnont Michael Bublé

We’re doing everything we can to save this cottontail. He was found entangled in a soccer net and when he arrived at Salthaven he was suffering from organ congestion (the heart can’t beat well enough to push blood through the body; blood begins to back up leading to congestion) and shock. It’s still too early to tell what his prognosis is. We are treating him for shock and keeping him comfortable and warm.

This rough-legged hawk is rehabilitating at Salthaven after an altercation with a wind turbine near Zurich in Huron County. He fractured his ulna, a lower bone in one of his wings. Injuries like this can usually heal simply by wrapping the wing, however it will take several weeks and lots of therapy before he’s able to be released. Rough-legged hawks breed in the Arctic but spend their winters in open areas across southern Canada and into the U.S. ... You’ll most often spot them perched on utility poles or fence posts, looking for prey. To learn more about the rough-legged hawk, visit: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rough-legged_Hawk/id #Salthaven #ldnont

We get lots of visitors to the Salthaven pond but the steep embankment makes it challenging for young geese and ducks to get in and out. That shouldn’t be a problem anymore. A big shout out going to Wes and Bryce from Firefield Landscape in Strathroy for generously donating their time and equipment to level out an area and help those little webbed feet access what we fondly refer to as the Great Salt Lake. Thank you!

Bat Squad’s Back! With the weather turning colder Salthaven’s Bat Squad is back, ready to help rehabilitate sick or injured bats over the winter months. Will we have another set of twins born this season? We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you find a bat in need of help, give us a call at 519-264-2440.

Update: The eastern screech owl we’ve been caring for continues to improve. He’s eating well on his own and appears to be stable in his overall physiology. Our next step is to get an appointment with a veterinarian ophthalmologist to figure out how much sight he has in both eyes. That will give us a better idea of his prognosis. We aren't entirely sure what caused his eye injury but based on where he was found and the extent of the injury we are reasonably sure he was hit by a vehicle. #Salthaven #ldnont

Gus is an 8 foot black rat snake and one of Salthaven’s wildlife ambassadors. Like all of us, she loved the summer-like weather this past week and was given the freedom to roam our property. Rat snakes are indigenous to southwestern Ontario. However, because of habitat destruction and secondary rodenticide poisoning they can only be found in two small segregated areas in Ontario and as a result are very rare.

An important part of our work at #Salthaven includes raising awareness and educating people about wildlife. Salthaven founder Brian Salt regales audiences with some of his most memorable wildlife rescues and you can usually count on one of our wildlife ambassadors to make an appearance. COVID-19 has forced us to move our presentations online and through January we are waiving all fees.... So, get your class, community group or seniors’ group together and book a presentation today! Email [email protected] or visit our website and click on the Education tab http://www.salthaven.org/presentation-list #ldnont

Yesterday we showed you an easy way to help prevent birds from flying into your windows. Today, the Salthaven team is nursing a northern saw-whet owl back to good health after it collided with a window. Just one example of the many birds and owls we see each year that have been injured after a window strike.

Check out this beautiful purple finch. He came to Salthaven after flying into a window suffering from torticollis (a severe head tilt). His prognosis wasn’t good, but we didn’t give up. He was put on pain medication and a daily anti-inflammatory and Dr Steve from Pathways Holistic Petcare Centre provided laser therapy.... After a lot of care and patience, he was nursed back to health and 25 days later, was sent home. Another successful release! @PathwaysHolisticPetcare #Salthaven #ldnont