Healing Haven Wildlife Rescue recently built a new otter and beaver facility. (ID 6311926 © Martin Mcmillan | Dreamstime.com)

By Austin Mattes

Healing Haven Wildlife Rescue

Wildlife rehabilitation non-profit hoping public goes ‘Wild for Life’

Sep 13, 2024 | 4:00 PM

From bats to bears, Healing Haven Wildlife Rescue in Dorintosh has helped rehabilitate and aid hundreds of sick, injured and orphaned animals in northwestern Saskatchewan, but now it’s asking for the public’s help to keep the non-profit going.

“The resources are at an all-time low by the end of summer because summers are very busy, bringing in a few hundred animals with all their special needs, it gets expensive,” said Mark Dallyn, who created the organization.

An upcoming annual fundraiser is vital in helping Healing Haven replenish its supplies for the winter so it can continue to rehabilitate wildlife.

Dallyn said it’s a long process they go through to treat the animals and get them back into their natural habitat.

“We start them off with veterinary work…we also treat them for any injuries and give them very specific nutritional requirements that they need. It depends if it’s an orphaned animal, then we need to raise them as close as we can to being raised in the wild,” he said. “They start out in small pens where we can work with them and get them better and raise them up…then we move them into our flight pens or the mammals into our bigger runs. Then, when they’re ready and have all the skills they would need, they get released again back into the wild.”

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The 11^th annual ‘Wild for Life’ Benefit fundraiser will take place on Oct. 5 at the Dorintosh Community Hall, but donations are welcome in other forms too including produce and meat and construction materials.

An injured bear cub rehabilitating at Healing Haven. (Submitted photo/Healing Haven Wildlife Rescue)

Dallyn said it was the generosity of the public that helped them raise enough funds to build a new otter and beaver facility recently. He said it creates a better environment for getting the animals back into the wild.

“It’s going to be an outdoor enclosure that we didn’t have before so they can stay outside and get used to the climate. We can use one side for otters, one side for beavers. They’ll have the entire area for themselves. It’ll be their last move before release time,” Dallyn said. “They’ll also be close to running water so we can hose it and wash everything down and refill up the swimming pools.”

He encouraged anyone who comes across a distressed, injured or orphaned animal to call Healing Haven Wildlife Rescue at (306) 240-5459 or the provincial helpline at (306) 242-7177.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter/X: AustinMattes