Beacon of light wildlife centre

Beacon of Light Wildlife Centre 953 Concession 2 Nanticoke, Ontario N0A 1L0 905-776-3775 email: beaconwildlife@execulink.com caring for orphaned and injured wildlife.

2008 has been a hectic year, the amount of orphaned and injured animals that came into our care this year has been enormous. it has been a hard year trying to keep up with the cost, We have had a very small amount of animals accompanied by a donation brought in to us. the only way we can help wildlife return to the wild is with donations from the public. I have had to use my personal money to care for the animals brought into care, I cannot do this in 2009. If we do not get enough finances in to cover the costs of animals we will have to turn them away. This means that the spca or animal control will have to pick them up and if there is no place for them to go to be rehabilitated they will have to be euthanized. We have also had a large number of rehabilitation centres close down due to lack of donations, and right now there are quite a few closed for the winter season for the same reason. The only way to help the birds and animals that need our care is for donations to come in to cover their feeding, medical and housing expenses etc. If anyone is interested in volunteering in any areas such as driving, fund raising, fostering or volunteering please email us with any qualifications you may have in the area of interest and let us know if you are willing to participate in training. You must be over the age of 18 to handle animals. if anyone has any fund raising ideas, we would like to hear about them, please feel free to email me (Debbie) at beaconwildlife@hotmail.com We hope you will think of helping our wildlife in need, and I know the animals and birds thank you. They deserve a second chance. Most injuries of the wildlife brought in are due to humans, it's nice to know there are other humans out there that care, because without the compassion of the rare few we would not be able to care for all of the animals brought to us. We cover a large area of Ontario, the number of animals brought in to us from our immediate area are small. most wildlife come in from Cities and Towns such as Hamilton, Oakville, Niagara falls, Missisauga, Simcoe, Toronto etc... without the support of these communities we will not be able to continue covering these areas. we are always in need of towels, blankets, baby bottles, etc...

Beacon of Light Wildlife Centre charitable # 814082079RR0001

Update:  A new message board has been created, to post questions or just talk and share pictures and stories, please visit    http://groups.msn.com/BeaconoflightWildlifetalk-/_whatsnew.msnw  (click on link) 

Beacon of Light Wildlife Centre is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of our native wildlife. We are located in Nanticoke, about half an hour south of Hamilton. Our on site wildlife custodian Debbie Beacon holds authorizations with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Canadian Wildlife Services, and is also a member of Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation Education Network and International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.

We are run soley on donations, Remember; Every little bit helps, When we open our mail and find $5.00 in there, we are jumping for joy, that small amount can feed an owl for 2 days, or be put to something else we need.  Every penny goes to good use, so please think about helping our Native Wildlife.  We are in need of monetary donations at this time, the expense of caring for all the animals is enormous, and we are hoping to be able to expand our facilities for 2007 to be able to accomodate more animals that need our assistance. If you can help please make cheques payable to: Beacon of Light Wildlife centre. and mail to 953 Concession 2, Nanticoke, Ontario, N0A 1L0.  We will send you a tax receipt.  We thank you in advance for caring and helping.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND>>>>>>>>>

This year our big concern is deer fawns, We have had  alot brought in that were not truly orphaned.  Female deer (does) leave their fawns alone on purpose.  It is in the best interest of the mother and fawn if the fawn remains well hidden between feedings because the baby is well camouflaged and has very little odor to attract predators.  Even at a very young age, the mom may only return to feed the baby every 8 hours.  If there are humans nearby it is very unlikely you will see the deer and the fawn together.  Obviously there are sure signs the fawn needs help, if the mom is dead nearby, or if it is wandering around crying and bleating like a goat or sheep. This either could mean it is hungry or might be seperated from mom.   If the fawn is laying quietly curled up on the ground it is probably fine, the best thing to do is leave it and check the spot 24 hours later.  Remember the best place for a healthy baby to be is with it's mother. 

Some animals can be reunited with their mothers, If you find a baby bird try to locate the nest it fell out of if it is reachable put the baby back into the nest, if it is feathered it may be a fledgling learning to fly, watch to see if mom is visiting the baby and feeding it.  Remember fledgling birds are LEARNING to fly, they will hop around on the ground and fly small distances, the parents will still feed the baby while it is learning it's skills.  Please make sure the bird needs assisstance beore intervening.

squirrels can also be reunited with mom, if they have fallen out of a nest you can place it in a small box with a heated object like a water bottle filled with hot water and placed into a sock to keep it warm while you watch from a distance to see if mom comes to fetch the baby, the same goes for raccoon babies.  If you have a mother and a nest you need moved, (ie in your attic, garage etc..)please call a rehabilitator there are lots of ways to make mom move her babies without having to seperate them.

If you find a bunny nest and mom is not in sight, this is also normal as mom usually only visits the nest at dawn and dusk to feed her babies, you can place 2 twigs in a cross on top of the nest and see if they have been disturbed by mom when she returns, or you can place flour around the nest and check for bunny prints in the morning.  If the bunnies are out of the nest they may be hungry and looking for mom, but if they are cosy in the nest there is probably nothing to worry about.

If you find a baby oppossum they usually always need help as mom will not return to retrieve their babies.

Unless the baby is injured always call a rehabilitator to find out what exactly to do before taking any action.

you can visit www.owren-online.org if you need help finding a rehabilitator in your area. or call your local office of the Ministry of Natural Resources found in your blue pages of the phone book. 

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THANKS FOR CARING AND HELPING.