Please know, that injured ADULT deer are never candidates for rehabilitation. This is due to their high stress levels in captivity and a fatal condition that they are very likely to develop when handled or captured for care, even short-term (called „Capture Myopathy“).

This info is put out by the government officials in regards to injured deer in the Okanagan: If you have observed from a distance/via repeated visits or a trail camera (for at least a day), that the adult deer you’re seeing is bleeding or has legs/body parts out of place, call the RAPP line service to speak with a local Conservation Officer, phone number: 1.877.952.7277. 

The mandate of the Conservation Officer Service (COS) is public safety and wildlife/hunting/fishing/pollution law enforcement, not wildlife care or population management.

The mandate of veterinarians is to medically take care of pets, not wildlife husbandry.

Deer fawns are left alone (for 6-8 hrs/day) by the doe for the first 2 wks of their life. Most fawns are intentionally left (or: hidden from predators) by their mothers who are foraging for food. Fawns don’t have a distinct scent, so they’re safer left hidden opposed to constantly staying with the doe. She returns to feed her fawn a few times a day (usually at dusk & dawn). See more info on fawns under “You’ve found injured or orphaned wildlife, now what?” here: https://www.bcwildlife.org/injuredwildlife.htm

Please note, that the management of deer is mandated by provincial laws and rehabilitation of deer fawns is actually not permitted by the government authorities in the Interior (Okanagan & Thompson Regions). Disease transfer amongst deer in our valley is a concern, which led to the local authorities prohibiting rehabilitation for deer (deer of any age are susceptible to “Chronic Wasting Disease”).

Other licensed rehabilitation facilities which are allowed to care for deer fawns are only permitted to accept a small number of deer fawns (should the mother have been witnessed to be dead/hit by car). However, they can only admit fawns of their region, e.g. in the Kootenays, not from the Okanagan. There is no wildlife rehabilitation centre permitted to care for fawns in the Okanagan Valley.

Small mammals may need help, if you see:

• It appears to be covered in bugs
• Disorientation/uncoordinated movement
• Lethargy
• Wounds/ bleeding/ maggots in wound
• Missing lots of fur, or if the fur appears contaminated
• Caught by a cat (seen or suspected)
• Hit by car/farm equipment
• Limping or appears to have any improperly positioned limbs

Please find out what type of squirrel it is: grey, douglas, red, fox or northern flying. 

If you are unsure, you’re welcome to send us a picture and we’ll be glad to assist in telling you what you have in front of you: info@interiorwildlife.ca.

If it is a native red or flying squirrel, now organize transport & email us:

All Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities in BC rely on the public to transport animals in need to them, as we operate mainly with volunteers and have only enough human resources to tend to the animals brought in. No pick-up service. No wildlife ambulance.

If it is an invasive squirrel please email us to get further direction.

Note: The public is legally only allowed to keep wildlife in distress captive for up to 24hrs. 

In the winter our native bats are hibernating. They may get aroused from torpor occasionally when the weather warms for a few days and fly in search for a drink at night. This is normal.

An injured bat will hold a wing in an abnormal position, bleed or be entrapped without an escape route to the outdoors.  Usually bats crawl to a vertical surface to be able to take flight. Remember: Do not handle bats without leather gloves. We’re happy to answer your bat questions. Simply email us!

For more bat info: There is an Okanagan bat conservation group in BC with a great educational website about all things related to local bats: https://bcbats.ca/

If you are seeing a little bat on the ground, it may be having difficulty taking flight. This can be due to injury, a sudden drop in outside temperature or disorientation inside a building. Usually bats crawl to a vertical surface to be able to take flight. Remember: Do not handle bats without leather gloves. We’re happy to answer your bat questions. Simply email us!

For more bat info: There is a bat conservation group in BC with a great educational website about all things related to local bats and why they are important. Find them here: https://bcbats.ca/

Generally, good info on what to do if you’ve found a bat that isn’t flying away by itself – look here: https://batworld.org/what-to-do-if-you-found_a_bat/

Nutria (non-native)

Please note our permits do not allow us to rehabilitate nutria (“white whiskers”).
If you need help with muskrat or beaver, please email us here: info@interiorwildlife.ca

Reunite families

To reunite mother & young (give the adult female access to her babies). Caution: raccoons can carry serious diseases that are zoonotic (we can get sick by touching them or their feces). Always wear gloves when handling this species!

How about we relocate?

Relocation of any kind of wildlife has been proven to be a controversial and outdated option to deal with human-wildlife conflicts. 
Reasons include: spreading of species-specific diseases amongst territories of established populations & fights amongst individual wild animals resulting in intruder eradication by established wildlife, and: new animals taking over the area where an unwanted animal was removed from… etc. 

What can you do?

We discourage any kind of wildlife feeding (including access to garbage), this usually attracts various species of animals and more often than not causes human-wildlife conflict. The raccoon family WILL move on once the juveniles are weaned and able to forage for food by themselves (end of summer). THAT IS YOUR WINDOW to close any gaps, holes, entryways to your house/shed to prevent this raccoon mother to give birth and raise more babies next year in the same spot.

We applaud any action you may be willing to take, in living peacefully with this raccoon family and educating others. 

Interior Wildlife is one of the few licensed rehabilitation centers in BC equipped with an aquatic facility to house and care for aquatic mammals year-round (such as beaver or otter).

If you’ve found and injured or displaced beaver, please email us first, before attempting to collect the animal. We will give you further directions promptly 7 days/weeks: info@interiorwildlife.ca