News & Events
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Student Volunteers Busy
Student Volunteers Flock to MARS Seeking opportunity, west coast experience BY RAY Every day is different for student volunteers at the MARS Wildlife Centre on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, many of them from faraway homelands. “I wanted to help...
Swans Annual Visitors
Tundra Swan Rescued From Marsh Swans annual island visitors BY JAMIE MARS Supervisor of wildlife care, Reg Westcott, got more than his feet wet rescuing a weak and injured trumpeter swan from a pond on the edge of Comox Lake on Vancouver Island, BC. A concerned...
Barn Owl Evasive
Barn Owl Hides From Rescuers Nocturnal hunter turns up in broad daylight BY BRIAN Nocturnal British Columbia Barn owls are seldom seen and are never on the ground in the daytime unless something is terribly wrong. A local resident walking her dog in the Comox Valley...
Early morning planning by the animal caregivers
The caregiver crew starts each morning with the white board. This board lists all of the patients in care, their diets, frequency of feedings, medications and/or other treatment required. It is often a little daunting when the patient load is as high as...
Happy Earth Day! Do something for your Environment TODAY!
MARS Volunteers were out on the NEW MARS property on Sunday Bashing BROOM, an evil invasive plant spreading its yellow death up the coast of Vancouver Island. If you want to help - BASH Broom in BLOOM, pick up garbage, in fact don't put...
Amazing Things Come In Small Packages!
While the majestic bald eagle patients get the most attention, our tiniest patients are just as deserving in their own right! This male rufous hummingbird was brought in last week after being found on the ground unable to fly. He was missing...
The Great Blue Heron Project
The Great Blue Heron Project The shorelines along the east coast of Vancouver Island are home to one of the most easily recognized shore birds: the Great Blue Heron. This elegant, graceful bird is also fiercely territorial and a stealthy,...
Entangled Kingfisher
This male Belted Kingfisher was found on the bank of the Quinsam River by a fisherman. The bird was entangled in fishing line. He was driven to Campbell River Veterinary Hospital, where Dr. Woodward painstakingly removed the very fine mono...
An Unknown Toxin
On Thursday, this eagle was spotted on a remote logging road by a truck driver. MARS volunteer, Laurie, drove out to pick her up. Showing symptoms of exposure to an unknown toxin, she was treated with charcoal and is being given lots of fluids...
Three Amigos!
We currently have three eagles in our flight pen. On the left is Noel, on the right is Lucky and in the middle is the most recent addition, Stormy. All three will need to be moved to other centres with larger flight pens for proper conditioning...