Sanctuary ‘overwhelmed’ by support after devastating poisoning incident

Speaking of Wildlife (SOW) staff and volunteers, as well as the animals in their care, are still trying to recover from a horrific poisoning incident last weekend.

Last Saturday afternoon, SOW owner Krystal Hewitt discovered that nine animals and birds at the shelter north of Orillia had come into contact with rodenticide poison from an open bag of donated cat food.

Dior, a local skunk, died from ingesting the poisoned croquettes.

Meanwhile, Chanel, another skunk, was found in acute distress and Rocket (raccoon) was showing signs of poisoning. The six others (three ravens, Scout the raccoon, Maple the coyote and Cinder the gray fox) were monitored for signs of poisoning.

“It's been a very tough week,” said Hewitt. “Fortunately, all the other animals and birds are fine, but Chanel is still in intensive care.”

Chanel has been under 24-hour monitoring and care. Veterinarian Dr. Cliff Redford, owner of Wellington Vet Hospital in Markham, examined Chanel this morning.

“Chanel is in a lot of pain. She is receiving exemplary care, including antibiotics, fluids, pain medication and oxygen,” Redford said.

“She's in the incubator and has even eaten a little, but she's hit a bit of a plateau. I've approved an increase in her pain medication in the hope that she can get through this and that her organs aren't too damaged,” Redford explained.

Hewitt said the popular skunk's recovery will not be easy.

“Chanel is a senior skunk, nine years old, and suffers from a heart murmur. That's also a difficult situation for her,” she said.

Redford concluded: “At this point, the poison has been eliminated from her body and the damage has been done. The next 72 hours will tell us more.”

The community has rallied around Hewitt, her staff and her animal residents in a big way. After the publication of the original Village media When I read the story on SOW’s social media, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming.

“We are absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our supporters,” said Hewitt. “Our inbox is full of kind messages, our fridge is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables and meat for the week, our dry food supplies have been replenished, vitamin K donations have come in, and although I haven't had time to tally them up yet, monetary donations to date total over $10,000!”

The week was full of ups and downs for Hewitt and her team.

“While all of this was going on, our education team did their best to maintain as many of our external programs as possible so that funds continued to flow in,” Hewitt said.

“We faced another challenge when our delivery truck broke down on Wednesday en route to a program,” lamented Hewitt. “We had to cancel five more programs while we waited for parts and would like to apologize to our partners and anyone who missed us this week.”

She said the incident had pushed staff and volunteers to their limits.

“We are all trying really hard, but we are all emotionally and physically stressed to the limit right now,” she said.

“This week has undoubtedly been one of the most daunting and challenging we have ever experienced, but the love and support of our community has restored our faith in humanity,” Hewitt said. “We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”

Donations to Speaking of Wildlife can be made via e-transfer to [email protected].