Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION THROUGH REHABILITATION EDUCATION, & RESEARCH

Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) is a registered charity and non-profit society that has been operating a wildlife hospital since 1993. We are located northwest of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and service Calgary, Southern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

OUR VISION:

To lead Alberta by becoming a world model for wildlife and habitat conservation within the profession of wildlife rehabilitation

OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

To collaboratively pursue conservation of native species in Alberta, and their habitat, with the broader community by:

Providing comprehensive and humane rehabilitation programs for injured or orphaned wildlife with the goal of releasing them into their original habitat.Scientifically researching current wildlife issues, thereby contributing to a greater understanding of native species.Acquiring and protecting significant habitat in the area northwest of Calgary, within the municipal district of Rockyview Promoting public awareness and encouraging, through educational programming, a greater stewardship of our wildife and the habitat in which they live.

OUR PEOPLE:

AIWC is managed by a wildlife biologist with nearly twenty years of rehabilitation experience, and three wildlife technicians, who are also biologists or certified wildlife rehabilitators. They receive assistance from 5 volunteer veterinarians, and 112 highly trained volunteers, many of whom are also biologists and certified rehabiliators.

OUR CENTRE:

Our trauma centre is a donated church that was completely renovated to include a clinic, classroom, and hospital cages for patients who need intensive care. There are also large rooms for patients who need more exercise and a unique brooder room for raising baby ducklings, goslings, and shorebirds. Outdoor enclosures include a large flight cage for raptors, two songbird houses, an ungulate pasture, and a deluxe waterfowl pen. Our newest addition is an enclosure for digging and climbing mammals such as foxes, coyotes, badgers, porcupines, and skunks.

In 2004, we began construction of several new enclosures that include more spaces for songbirds, shorebirds, and small mammals. We have also added a garage with quarantine and numerous landscape enhancements to help break the wind and improve privacy for the animals.

OUR PATIENTS:

We accept native injured and orphaned wildlife, ranging in size from hummingbirds to baby moose. 95% of our patients are injured or orphaned due to human activities. They are often orphaned by needless "rescuing" of babies who should have been left where they were. They may be hit by cars, electrocuted on powerlines, tangled up in barbed wire fences and fishing lines, injured by pet cats and dogs, or poisoned. In 2005, we treated 1877 patients, a new record! We expect our numbers to continue to grow yearly.

Tel: (403) 946-2361 * Fax: (403) 946-5689 * Box 68, Madden, AB, T0M 1L0

OUR LOGO:

FLASH: A Powerful Symbol for Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation:

Flash was a very young owl when she flew through an electrical substation in 1995 and received about 8000 volts of electricity. She knocked out the electrical service to thousands of homes and had a temporary impact on those communities. Her impact at Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation has been electrifying in a very different sense. It was impossible to imagine that she could have survived the accident. Her feathers were so badly burnt that there was nothing left but quills. Her feet, wings, and even eyelids were burnt. Every day she had to put up with treatments. Her bandages were checked and changed and her condition closely watched, to make sure there were no complications. She also had to be fed by hand, as her feet were too badly burned to handle her own food. The best medical treatment and tender loving care were important, but it was her fierce spirit that pulled her through against all odds.

Flash grew into a beautiful adult great-horned owl, but unfortunately, damage to one wing made release back to the wild impossible. The stubborn attitude that helped her miraculous recovery made her unsuitable as an education animal, but Flash had an important job at AIWC. Each spring, young owlets arrive at the centre and Flash became their foster parent - teaching them how to behave like owls. She passed on her wild spirit to many generations of owls.

At AIWC, Flash will always be remembered. After her amazing recovery, we replaced our old logo with a picture of her. To us, she is a powerful symbol of the thousands of injured and orphaned wild animals that we have seen since 1993. She also reminds us that every wild spirit is an individual and deserves a fighting chance.