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web site has been created as a public service by R.C.S. Animal
Care. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the currency
and accuracy of the information presented at the Site. However,
R.C.S. Animal Care assumes no responsibility and Users of this Site
should verify the information from other sources prior to making
decisions or acting upon it.
To
contact us:
R.C.S. Animal Care
Dorchester, ON
519-268-7447
info@rcsanimalcare.com
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My husband and I have always been
passionate animal lovers and grew up with domestic animals all of our
lives. While we cared for
baby robins, doves, squirrels and numerous other critters that had
graced our backyard over the years, we did not realize our actions were
illegal.
The wonderful and incredible experience we enjoyed raising them
however, far outweighed the risks. We
often talked about increasing our knowledge base and familiarizing
ourselves with more wildlife – a goal we thought impossible.
Fortunately, just prior to retiring from The
Corporation of the City of London, a colleague and I were chatting
and strangely enough, found out that we shared the same idea of raising
wildlife. Deb knew of a
remarkable lady by the name of Carol Clarke,
a licensed Authorized Wildlife Custodian.
Deb introduced Carol to my husband Horst and shared with him the
wonderful world of rehabbing. She
offered both Deb and Horst the prospect of realizing the dream to raise
critters. Embracing this
opportunity, I was somehow not surprised to arrive home one night, to
find three furry little baby raccoons peeking through a milk crate!
Horst and I both became foster parents under Carol’s license and,
following our successful raising and release of “The Schliewinsky
Triplets”, it was in our blood!
On one
side, the general public was questioning the environmental impact of
raising, releasing and overpopulating areas with wildlife; on the other,
those that felt that as we humans were responsible for the displacement
and/or accidental death (motor vehicle accidents) of existing wildlife,
it was our responsibility to intervene.
While I’m still personally debating this argument, I will
continue to do what I love to do until my integrity convinces me
otherwise.
Through our association with Carol, we became part of the Volunteer
Wildlife Custodians (VWC), a group comprising the most wonderful
individuals who all shared the same interest, compassion and love for
wildlife. Volunteering to
rehab wildlife meant we would report to the Ministry of Natural
Resources. Meeting once a
month, VWC provided an excellent resource and vehicle to share
information and/or equipment; to socialize and to bring each other
up-to-date on the latest rules and regulations from the Ministry.
We knew there would be policies and protocols to adhere to and
that over time, rules would change; however, we could not fully
comprehend the
impact it would have on our new adventure!
For more information on this and the Environmental Registry
documents that outlines the impacts, please check out the MNR
(Ministry of Natural Resources) page!
For those who were familiar with my first web site (Country Critters),
they will know that it was inspired by and dedicated to my friend and
mentor, Carol Clarke; however, Country Critters resulted in more of a
personal site. My purpose in creating this web site was to focus on the
issues at hand—the animals and the impacts of the Ministry of Natural
Resources policies.
This new website, R.C.S. Animal Care, is dedicated to a very special
person in my life, an animal lover to her very core, my mum, Kay (1922
-1970). I hope and trust she
would be proud.
Click on any of the links on the left for
further information and enjoy!
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Carol
has been there for me every step of the way. She never ceases to
amaze me and is ready to give me assistance, advice, and/or share her
infinite wisdom of the animals she lovingly cares for, raises and
subsequently releases to the wild.
Following our introduction to Carol, and taking my first workshop on
First Aid for Wildlife, I applied for and received my AWC license from
the Ministry of Natural Resources and R.C.S. Animal Care was born!
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