Click on the Learning Cubes for These Cool Animal Facts…

Birds & Their Babies. Did You Know?

  1. If you find a baby bird – please gently pick up the baby bird, look for the nest (it shouldn’t be that far away) and place it back in.
  2. A mother bird can’t smell you on the baby. She doesn’t care, all she cares about is her baby

General Facts About Our Environment. Did You Know?

  1. If you have accumulated a “burn pile” last fall, please be careful before you burn. Animals may have used your pile as their home during the winter, and in the early spring, used it to provide a warm comfortable nest for their babies.
  2. Plastics can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, and some plastics NEVER decompose.
  3. Plastic bags and garbage have become a huge concern for wildlife on land and in the water.
  4. Let’s work together toward a plastic free world.

Opossums. Did You Know?

  1. Opossums are Ontario’s only marsupials.
  2. If you see a dead opossum on the road, please check that there are no little babies nestled inside the mother’s pouch.
  3. To learn more about opossums, visit
  4. One single opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks per year.


Rabbits. Did You Know?

A baby rabbit is called a kit, a female is called a doe, and a male is a buck. A group of rabbits is called a herd. Rabbits eat a diet entirely of grasses and other plants.

Your Pets. Did You Know?

Adopting a pet is a full time commitment that spans the lifetime of the animal. So often animals are gifted at Christmastime, or at Easter, only for the animal to be dropped off at a shelter. Here are some tips to help you decide if you are ready to adopt an animal.

  1. Do you know what it costs to adopt an animal?
  2. Do you have enough time and money to commit to the animal’s care?
  3. Is there a chance you will move or change jobs?
  4. Are some of your family or friends allergic?
  5. Are you ready to be selfless and patient with the animal?

Turtles & Snakes. Did You Know?

If you see a dead turtle on the road, there may be eggs inside? Bring them to us… we will see those eggs safely hatched.

Did You Know? Bears and Raccoons are NOT related?

Once thought to be a member of the bear family, the raccoon (scientific name: Procyon lotor) is classified as a Procyonidae. They are also members of the Carnivora group and are distinguished by their small size and the fact that they are omnivorous, meaning that they eat both plants and meat.

Do you see where we get the name for our Wildlife Centre?

Skunks. Did You Know?

  1. Skunks are good to have around since they eat whatever they can scrounge such as plant materials, wild fruits and mice.
  2. They also consume bugs and parasites that can infect crops.
  3. They only spray when they are scared, so keep your dog on a leash to avoid accidental spraying!
  4. Skunks will stamp their feet, raise their tails and hunch their backs when they feel threatened, and can accurately spray the foul smelling fluid up to ten feet.
  5. Live and let live!

More Cool Animal Facts. Did You Know?

  1. Foxes have whiskers on their legs as well as around their faces, which they use to find their way.
  2. Seeing a “nocturnal” animal during the day means no more than a human being out at night.
  3. Squirrels are the Original Foresters? Millions of trees have been planted by squirrels who forgot where they stored their nuts.
  4. White-tailed deer browse for food at dawn and dusk. They have good eyesight and hearing.
  5. Only male deer grow antlers, which are shed each year.

Beavers. Did You Know?

  1. When swimming, beavers use their webbed feet as paddles and flat tails as a rudder.
  2. To waterproof themselves, beavers rub castor oil, produced from a gland near their tail, through their fur using their split toenail (grooming claw).
  3. Beavers remain active throughout winter and can swim and forage under the ice.
  4. Beavers can swim at speeds of up to eight kilometres per hour.
  5. Beavers are herbivores. Their main food source includes tree bark and cambium, the thin layer of tissue that grows just under the tree’s bark.
  6. A beaver’s incisors (teeth) continue growing throughout its life.
  7. Beavers are mainly active at night.

How Beavers Build Dams: Watch this YouTube Video by PBS

  1. Beavers are one of only a few mammals capable of re-engineering the landscape.
  2. Beavers construct their lodges, which can only be accessed through underwater entrances, in ponds, along river edges or in the shallow bays of lakes.
  3. A beaver colony consists of two parents, young kits and yearlings born the previous spring, all under one roof.

How Birds Get Oxygen Inside Their Eggs: Watch this YouTube Video by Skunk Bear

More interesting facts… Did You Know?

MANGE is a type of skin disease

Fox with Mange before treatment
Fox after treatment, fully recovered. ?

MANGE is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Since mites also infect plants, birds, and reptiles, the term “mange”, suggests a poor condition of the hairy coat due to infection. Mange can be seen in domestic animals (cats and dogs), in livestock such as sheep and in wild animals such as coyotes, fox and many others species. If the infected wild animal is brought to a wildlife rehab centre, the disease is fully treatable. Here is a before/after picture of a fox that was admitted to Procyon Wildlife. With the proper medication and TLC this fox is ready to be released today, without it, it would surely have passed away. Another happy ending!

Coyote Admitted 10/24/2017 with the worst case of mange ever seen by Procyon Wildlife Staff.
Last night we admitted a coyote that came in with the worst case of Mange we have seen in a long time. Here’s hoping for another happy ending for this little girl.