Local Vets Help MARS Help Wildlife
700 treated each year
BY RAY
A duck with a broken leg, an owl with a damaged wing, or an eagle hit by a car all need emergency medical attention. Birds and animals with serious, life-threatening injuries require professional medical care beyond the scope of MARS staff and volunteers.
“It is common for us to take an injured bird or animal to a local vet,” says Robert McLennan, manager of the MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre near Merville, British Columbia.
“Sometimes we are at a vet’s office a couple of times a week – and often our injured wildlife patients are seen before other clients the vet may have.”
Local veterinarian firms are always available to help by providing diagnostic services, surgeries and other medical treatments. Veterinarians from up and down Vancouver Island stand by whenever MARS calls.
Vets time and effort invaluable, appreciated
Two firms in particular stand out – Sunrise Veterinary Clinic and Shamrock Veterinary are frequently involved with MARS. Stacey Gastis, of Sunrise, is the Vet of record for MARS – a government permit requirement. Other firms from Port Hardy, Port McNeil and Campbell River also pitch in when necessary.
MARS staff and volunteers have taken dozens of patients to local vet offices who often require surgeries, x-rays and other diagnostic services. Badly injured wildlife would not survive without intervention from vet partners.
“The value of these services to is about $20,000,” noted McLennan. “And while we may pay for some materials used to repair injured wildlife, our vet partners are donating their time and professional services. We could not do what we do without their willingness to help and their incredible generosity.”
MARS takes in more than 700 injured, ill and orphaned birds and animals in a typical year.
Robert McLennan
Operations Manager
“Our vet partners donate time and professional services. We could not do without their willingness to help and their incredible generosity.”