Wildlife injured in Manitoba fires finding refuge

CTV’s Joseph Bernacki looks at how the wildfires in Manitoba are displacing and affecting wildlife.

A common nighthawk is receiving care for an injured eye at Wildlife Haven and staff believe the injury was the result of wildfires raging across Manitoba.

“It’s a very intensive rehab journey for him right now,” said Carter Phillips, rehabilitation manager at Wildlife Haven. “We’re picking it up to feed…it every two hours or so right now.”

His team believes this nighthawk – whose migration route takes it through northern Manitoba- was displaced by wildfires.

“Typically we don’t see them at all this time of year,” Phillips said. “They’re normally a little bit farther up north hunkering down, more active at night. The fact that we have this one in care. We’ve had calls about many others.”

The fires have made for a busy spring for the team.

“We already have over 650-some patients that have come through our doors this year and the wildfires are just adding to that,” Phillips said.

Zoé Nakata, executive director of Wildlife Haven, said it’s been challenging for her staff to see the impact of fire on wild animals every day.

A tiny hoary bat was brought in with its deceased mother, and Nakata said it was perhaps another casualty of wildfires.

“That tells us that the mom, we’re thinking, might have fled from a fire situation, found a spot to give birth,” Nakata said.

“We’re looking at, could it have been smoke inhalation? We’re not quite sure. Sometimes we have to kind of piece together the story based on the clues that we’ve gathered.”

Dr. Stephen Petersen, director of conservation and research at Assiniboine Park Zoo, said larger mammals will find bodies of water and escape and little ones are generally caught up in the fires.

In the midsize category – it’s survival of the fittest.

“There’s this middle segment of body size and mammals that are probably at a higher risk of, you know, getting killed or getting harmed by the fire,” Petersen said.

Back at Wildlife Haven, staff expect more casualties from the fires and they need the public’s support.

“It’s very busy,” Phillips said. “Any support that the community can give is always incredibly helpful. We’re here to try and do the best for these animals.”