Our patients
Featured patients 2026
Waterbird compound
This trumpeter swan came to us around Christmas of 2025 with neurological symptoms, including circling and turning his head upside down while thrashing his wings. He has been cleared from lead poisoning and bird flu by the lab. We are suspecting head trauma to be the cause of his symptoms are giving him more time to recover with us.
Featured patients 2025
Duck pen
This male mallard was struck by a vehicle downtown and came in with head-trauma. He was stabilized indoors for a few days and then moved outside into the duck pen until his concussion and eye ulcer have healed completely. He has made fast progress and was soft-released a few weeks later.
Turtle Room
We have two Western Painted Turtles that did not recover completely from their shell fractures/broken shells before the frost this fall. They will be overwintered in our heated turtle room until fit for release next year.
Goose pen
This Canada Goose came to us with a a large wing abscess and several pellets imbedded in its muscles. After debridement surgery of the abscess and managed medically, this goose was successfully released on its home beach in early fall, just in time for migration.
Indoor mammal nursery
This Northern Flying Squirrel was found solo on the road, no parents or siblings in sight. Kind property owners who found it brought it to us and she is being raised for release back to her "home forest" in Lake Country soon. Her intake weight of 45g in June has increased to 114g already by August.
Flex Pen
We have a sole survivor, formerly orphaned skunk kit in our outdoor flex pen now. His mother was kill-trapped to "eradicate" skunks on someone's property, his siblings were nowhere to be found. Not an ideal history, but better than having left it to starve, this formerly scared and then sassy patient grew up fast and was released at the end of the summer.
Bat in Hospital
This Myotis species bat was found entangled in fishing line. A kind finder has freed him and brought to us for assessment. Update: This bat was humanely euthanized as the wing injury was too severe to heal and allow for flight again. Most finger bones were missing, together with a large part of the wing membrane.
Indoor bird nursery
These shorebirds were found on a construction site. They are ground nesting killdeer. Since they were displaced and their habitat was destroyed, we have raised them in our bird nursery on a diet of tiny fish, insects and shrimp. They were moved into our shorebird flight pen and released together once their flight feathers were fully grown in. Update: Both killdeer were released as soon as they were flighted in July.
Turtle pens (indoor/outdoor)
We have three western painted turtles that were hit by a cars and severely injured several parts of their shells. The first 10 days after shell-repair, they have been dry-docked indoors before recovering in our outdoor pool. Update: One was released in July. The other two were released in September.
Porcupine pen
This young porcupine was displaced by accidentally having been transported to Kelowna from Mackenzie in a plane wreck. After a week's stay with us, she was released again in a big community effort. She flew back to her home territory in a private plane by a volunteer pilot and was released by a local Conservation Officer.
Small mammal pen
This yellow-bellied marmot trio was found displaced in separate areas within the same week. Each by human development and excavation activity. We have raised them together, they have spent 2 weeks in a pre-release pen and were released into suitable and undisturbed rocky marmot habitat.
Reptile indoor housing
This alligator lizard was caught by a cat. It is been treated against bacterial infection (Pasteurella). After 2 weeks of antibiotics, it had gained weight, was doing well and got released into an appropriate local wild lizard habitat.
Featured patients 2024
Beaver indoor pen
This orphaned beaver kit was transferred to us by another BC wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is was fed beaver milk formula upon arrival and has since been weaned to join our other kit. Together they will have access to the heated indoor "beaver hotel" and a large outdoor enclosure.
Beaver outdoor pen
Our older orphaned beaver kit was brought to us by another BC wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is on a herbivorous diet of browse and aquatic plants and has been slowly introduced to our younger kit. They will grow up together, keeping each other company and mentally healthy.
Small mammal
indoor nursery
This big brown bat was found grounded and unable to fly at night. We are treating it for a wrist injury whilst housing for restricted movement in a soft sided bat-enclosure.
Update: This bat was humanely euthanized as the injury was too severe to allow for flight.
Waterbird compound
This Canada Goose came to us with a closed leg fracture (broken leg) and a neck abscess. Recovering from its injuries and managed medically, this goose was successfully released in early fall, just in time for migration.
Reptile indoor housing
This great basin gopher snake was found awake in the middle of winter inside a house. We have provided a quiet, temperature controlled space to overwinter and we released it in the spring of 2024.
Turtle outdoor housing
This female western painted turtle was hit by a car and severely injured several parts of its shell, bridge and one front leg has soft tissue damage. She was released at the end of summer in the same pond where she originated from.
Turtle indoor housing
A gravid (pregnant) western painted turtle came to us with shell and face injuries. She has layed her eggs in care and has been released after her injuries healed a few months later. She was named "Myrtle The Turtle".
Turtle incubator
This tiny western painted turtle has hatched from "Myrtle The Turtle's" eggs in our incubator after 59 days. Named "Donnatello", it will overwinter with us prior to release until strong and mature enough for release.
Duck therapy pool
This mallard duck swallowed a fish hook and came for post-operative care to us from Vernon. Her incision healed incredibly fast and she was released 10 days later and wasted no time in swimming off.
Gosling conditioning pool
A group of formerly displaced goslings who's parents had died, is growing up together and has moved into our large conditioning pool for geese end of May. They were released at the end of summer.
Waterfowl brooder box
This group of merganser ducklings arrived in June. They started under a supplemental heat lamp and on a strictly insectivore and piscivore diet. Released once their flight feathers grew, they've stayed with us for 94 days.
Featured patients 2023
Small mammal outdoor pen
These orphaned skunks arrived in June. They were raised at IWRS and released in September 2023
Gosling starter pool
These orphaned goslings arrived in May were raised over the summer at IWRS and subsequently released in August 2023
Semi-aquatic mammal pen
This beaver patient was released in July 2023
Incubator
This orphaned pine squirrel from our incubator graduated to an outdoor pen and was released in October 2023
Duckling starter pool
These orphaned ducklings arrived in May & June. They were raised over the summer at IWRS and released again in August 2023
Indoor isolation room
This silver-haired bat was treated for a wing fracture in the summer and released in September 2023
How to Donate
IWRS is 100% volunteer-run. We are funded solely by private donations and sponsorships. As as registered charity, we can provide tax receipts for your donation!
Via e-transfer
E-transfer us directly and 100% of your donation goes to us: donate@interiorwildlife.ca
Via PayPal
Click on the icon below to get
re-directed to our PayPal account for secure credit card payment
Via Canada Helps
Click on the icon below to get re-directed to our charity account with CanadaHelps.org
Via Snail Mail
Send a cheque to our office:
PO Box 988
V0H1Z0, Summerland,
BC,
Canada
