Here’s your daily dose of the warm and fuzzies!
The BC SPCA recently announced that they rescued a record breaking number of animals across the province in 2021.
According to the SPCA, the ongoing pandemic and unprecedented natural disasters, such as the wildfires and floods, resulted in 118,917 domestic, farm and wild animals being helped last year.
This is 22,000 more animals than in 2020.
“We saw increases in the number of animals in need right across the board – from our cruelty investigations work to injured and orphaned wildlife to the increased demand for help at our veterinary hospitals and clinics,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA.
The non-profit organization provides a wide range of services for animals and pet owners and is the only animal welfare organization in BC with the authority to investigate complaints of animal neglect and abuse.
According to the SPCA, 39,366 of the 118,917 animals rescued in 2021 were assisted through direct rescue, sheltering and rehabilitation.
The remaining 79,551 were animals helped through emergency response and community-based outreach programs.
“So many pet guardians have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic and we were able to expand our community pet food programs right across the province, helping 34,141 animals,” added Chortyk.
“We also responded to families who were displaced by wildfires and floods by providing 12,418 nights of free emergency boarding for their pets, in addition to distributing pet food and supplies at Emergency Support Services centres and rescuing and feeding animals behind evacuation lines.”
Wild ARC, the BC SPCA’s wildlife rehabilitation centre in Metchosin, also saw a large number of incoming animals last year.
According to the centre, 3,128 injured and orphaned wild animals were brought to Wild ARC in 2021, everything from baby hummingbirds to river otters.
