Medicine River Wildlife Centre located on 4104 Twp 360, in Spruce View held a virtual grand reopening of their newly renovated facility this year because of COVID-19. The finishing touches on the new $1.3 million building are still just finishing up. To celebrate and keep visitors safe, the organization posted a Virtual Grand Reopening video on YouTube.

“We wanted people to at least see what we're doing here and be involved because we have so many Facebook followers, members who receive our newsletter, and people who use our service. We thought we'd really like to reach out and let people see what we're doing in here,” said Carol Kelly, Executive Director at Medicine River Wildlife Centre.

Medicine River Wildlife Centre's Virtual Grand Opening video.

The building was first constructed in 1991 on what Kelly describes as a ‘shoe string budget,’ but over the years the wildlife hospital has earned a special place in people’s hearts and the community.

“We had no idea how big this place was going to get in the demand and as soon as the building went up.  Then, the tourism started and people kept coming and school groups were coming in. This building was crumbling after 25 years. It didn't meet code anymore.  It was not very efficient in any way,” said Kelly.

The new building allows for the organization to operate with ease and will last a long time. It should be completed by the spring but as improvements are made the wildlife hospital still functions from within.

The newly renovated Medicine River Wildlife Centre. Photo courtesy of Dean McNeish.

With fewer staff members and less funding because of COVID-19, Kelly says the Wildlife Centre has plenty to be proud of this year.

 “We had the highest number of patients that we ever received, it was just under 2300. The highest success rate was an overall success rate of 68 per cent. Considering all the challenges, we're really pleased with the way things turned out. People have been very supportive. We don't have any excess money, but we've just barely been able to keep our heads above water and function,” said Carol Kelly, Executive Director at Medicine River Wildlife Centre.

As winter approaches, the Wildlife Centre’s primary calls are dealing with injured birds that are in the process of migration.

“What we're getting a lot of this time of year is people saying, ‘There's a crow outside, or a magpie, or a blue Jay and I've noticed that it's got a broken wing. I think what happens is when there's a lot of them in the summer, people don't notice that one is injured. When they migrate, they leave the one that's broken is left behind. People are noticing those and we're getting a great deal of calls about waterfowl that are not able to fly away,” explained Kelly.

Heading forward, the Medicine River Wildlife Centre is still in need of funding to help wild animals in need. Kelly noted that the organization will be launching a monthly donor campaign in November in an effort to bring in a bit of extra funding. Members of the program will be asked to provide a regular monthly donation to the organization.

“The idea is to have as many people as possible, giving a small amount which adds up to be a big amount in the end. That gives us sustainable money that we’re always going to have coming every month because as we grow I'm going to need to hire more staff and things like that,” added Kelly.

If you would like to donate to Medicine River Wildlife Centre you can check out their donation page, by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Dean McNeish.