Turtles by the tail, chipmunks in cages: How to help wildlife as green space shrinks in York Region

5 ways you can help

Yorkregion.com
July 4, 2023
Kim Zarzour

Shelley Oliver couldn’t believe her eyes.

It was early Saturday morning.

The northeast Aurora subdivision streets were quiet -- and there was a man, walking down the sidewalk, carrying a big snapping turtle by the tail.

Stunned, she pulled her car up alongside him and asked him about it.

“The man just waved his hand, kept walking,” Oliver said.

“I didn’t know who to call. I was devastated. Was he going to take it home and kill it for turtle soup or something?”

She followed as he carried the turtle 1.5-km and into a house.

“To see this poor thing hauled for 20 minutes down the road by its tail -- what would that do to his spine?” she wondered.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the town, Jamie Bletcher was putting out a social media call.

“Anyone know who to call regarding a neighbour capturing a chipmunk? Caught, captured, caged.”

Bletcher also wondered if this was legal, how to help the creature, and who had authority over wildlife welfare.

Across York Region, especially in nature’s baby-making springtime, people are puzzling over bunnies, birds and all manner of wildlife that may -- or may not -- need their help.

Lynn Perrier, a Thornhill resident and animal activist, said the confusion is understandable.

“People really do need to know how to recognize when (an animal) needs help or to leave it alone. It scares the hell out of me every summer.”

Animal rehabilitators say the concern is justified. With green space and habitats disappearing, human-wildlife interaction is increasing -- often not in a good way.

In the case of the snapping turtle, tails are never ‘carrying handles’, says Gail Lenten, with Shades of Hope in Georgina.

“It’s going to separate the vertebrae and put a hell of a lot stress on the lower body. It’s not a safe or painless way to transport, just horrible”

Snapping turtles are at risk under the Endangered Species Act; move or mess with them and you face fine or imprisonment.

In fact, under Ontario law, it’s unlawful to keep any wildlife in captivity.

An adult animal must be released within 1 km of where it was found, says Debra Spilar, with Procyon Wildlife in Beeton.

That’s because it may have a family, it’s established itself in the pecking order, it may spread disease, and will likely spend the rest of its life trying to find its way back home.

And adopting wildlife as a pet? Not a good idea.

“To have chipmunks as a pet, first of all, if it was a baby, when it gets to be eight or nine months old, that thing is going to rip them to shreds because it’s a first-generation wildlife animal,” Spilar says.

Shades of Hope is currently caring for two squirrels that people tried to domesticate, Lenten says.

“The animal matures, reaches sexual maturity and they don’t know what to do with it because they go crazy.”

Sometimes these animals must be euthanized because they can’t be reintroduced into the wild, she says.

Oliver says she contacted police, then local Animal Services and finally the Ministry of Natural Resources before she finally found help for the Aurora turtle.

“The man told Natural Resources they wanted him as a pet,” she said.

The family showed authorities a video to indicate they’d released the turtle into another pond, Oliver says, but she remains concerned.

“We have so many bodies of water in town and they like to talk about how ‘green’ and environmentally conscious they are (as they bulldoze it), yet we don’t have any signage to protect these species.

“Even a simple sign at the ponds with graphics would help.”

How to help
It's baby season in the wild world.

That means almost every wildlife rehab centre is at maximum capacity because there aren’t enough and there is no government funding.

Ontario's 200 centres in 2015 have dwindled to 48, says Debra Spilar, director of Procyon Wildlife.

Shades of Hope, in Pefferlaw, cares for animals from as far away as Hamilton, Peterborough and Sudbury.

Making matters worse, habitats are disappearing and animals displaced at an alarming rate, founder Gail Lenten says.

1. Most turtle species in Ontario are classified as at risk. If convicted of an offence under the Endagered Species Act, you may be fined up to $250,000 or one-year imprisonment. If felt there is a violation, the public is encouraged to call 1-866-MOETIPS .

2. If you see a turtle at the side of the road (common as they look to lay eggs this time of year), leave it alone. If it’s in the middle of the road, you may move it in the direction it’s travelling by pushing it from the back end of the shell on either side of the tail or placing it on a car floormat and dragging.

3. This time of year, you may see baby wildlife that seems to need help.

"I always caution people against throwing on their little red cape and going to the rescue," Lenten says.

Keep your distance. An adult may not return to baby if it's noisy or predators are nearby. Assess the situation: Are cars, dogs, other wild animals or humans, a threat? If possible, watch to see if a mother returns.

Red flags an animal needs help: wandering aimlessly, approaching people, covered in fleas and ticks or crying. If concerned, call (don't email) a rehab centre for advice.

4. OntarioWildlifeRescue.ca lists all rehabs in Ontario, what type of animal they take and a map for the closest centres.

5. Support local rehab centres. Donations are always appreciated but there are other ways to help.

"We’re always looking for volunteers," Spilar says. "There are all kinds of ways to volunteer that don’t have to do with animal care. If you’re a senior or retired, you can help with phone calls, or grant writing from your home. You can build pages for the website or, if you’re a carpenter, you can build nest boxes."