Residents of Red Deer had the opportunity to meet one of Medicine River Wildlife Centre’s biggest draws over the weekend, all for a good cause.

About 100 people attended “Tea with Otis” at the Red Deer Memorial Centre Sunday afternoon, where they got to interact with the centre’s famous education owl, Otis.

The event raised funds to help with operating cost such as education programs, community service and the wildlife hospital.

Executive Director for the centre, Carol Kelly, said although they didn’t make a fortune, it was great interacting with the public.

“It’s kind of nice to get our faces out in the public. We need to get out there, because we are always out in the bush or field where nobody sees us,” she laughed.

“So, it’s nice to get out here and have some of supporters come out.”

Their orphan fostering program was also a hot topic of conversation at the event, a program that focuses on nursing the wild animals back to health, but releasing them back into the wild as fast they can.  

Something Kelly said is crucial to maintaining their survival skills.

“We developed the program where we take those babies, find a new home for them in the wild and we just fostered out a baby fox yesterday (April, 29) and that way they grow up naturally.

Talk of their new hospital was also highlighted at the event, with Kelly saying they are short $75,000 to get it up and running, but says a large donation may be coming by mid-June.