All creatures great and small

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/05/2025 (370 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lisa Tretiak cares about wildlife. For decades she’s been rescuing animals, big and small, from squirrels, rabbits, crows, and magpies, to woodpeckers, falcons and hawks. And she’s done it thousands of times.

“Every animal is important; everybody has a right to be here,” said the president of the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (PWRC), the non-profit she founded in 2007 with a group of other animal-loving volunteers.

PWRC was created to treat injured and orphaned wildlife and to release them back into their natural habitat. PWRC uses integrative medical therapies — including both conventional and homeopathic medications — as well as attention to environmental enrichment techniques to maximize survival rates and ensure integration once the creatures are released.

PWRC is actively involved in public education regarding wildlife issues as well as research activities, including tracking released animals and documenting the success of natural treatments to assist other wildlife rehabilitation organizations. It offers a range of wildlife education programs and services and encourages Manitobans to call them when they see any injured animal.

“When a person finds an animal, they’re stressed and unsure of what to do,” Tretiak said. “We have years of training and experience. We want to do our best for these animals to get them back out.

“Years ago, back in the day, we thought bread and milk was what you give baby birds, which is completely toxic. Now we know that nutrition is important in getting them back out into the world. We want to keep them temporarily with us — this little pit stop in wildlife rehab — before hopefully going off to breed, hunt and migrate and do everything they’re supposed to do.”

Tretiak always enjoyed spending time with wildlife, even as a small child, and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. For practical reasons she shifted her goal and, for over 30 years, has been identifying animals, assessing and understanding injuries and helping to treat and heal them.

She became the first Manitoban — and only the fourth person in Canada — to be a certified wildlife rehabilitator (CWR) through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. She now occasionally works for the council, offering classes throughout Canada and online.

She says most calls come to the PWRC between April and October, many about injured squirrels, rabbits and birds.

PWRC has two paid staff, one on the education side, the other working on the donor side. For Tretiak, it’s a labour of love, as she puts in 18-hour days — most days entirely as a volunteer because of how deeply she cares about the well-being of wildlife.

In Manitoba, there are several species on the endangered or threatened list, including swifts, migrating peregrine falcons, hawks, short-eared owls, songbird species such as swallows and a few amphibians.

Tretiak says it’s important that people are aware of this — that an injured animal could be a member of an endangered species.

“We want people to give us a call right away,” she said, adding it can be dangerous to care for injured animals and that taking them into your home is not recommended as they may have parasites or other health conditions.

PWRC operates with the help of a small group of volunteers on the outskirts of St. Adolphe. The organization has purchased property in Selkirk and is hoping to get everything up and running there within five years.

“It takes a long time to get reports in order. The goal is to move to that property, a more permanent site,” she explained, noting that with limited resources, volunteers are more focused on animal care but will eventually get all of the administrative work required to move.

The current rural private property is only fully functional in the summertime, though some animals are with foster volunteers during winter months.

Tretiak has seen some heartbreaking losses over the years and she’s also witnessed unbelievably joyous moments.

“Two years ago, we had two young squirrel siblings. One was not doing well and was declining in health. We had to separate them for in-care treatment for three or four days. When it was introduced back into the cage, the other squirrel began hugging its sibling,” she recalled, saying she’d never seen anything like it before.

She remembers rescuing a mother goose who had fishing line wrapped around her legs.

“We needed to capture her, she was protective of her babies. We managed to catch her. She needed to get medical treatment from the vet. For three weeks they were separated and then she was returned to the family. I remember the father being so excited, they’d sniff each other and go off,” she said, recalling the happy reunion.

“We have to understand that these animals have been hurt by humans directly or indirectly: hit by cars, people chopping down trees, not of old age or cancer, but because we’ve interfered.”

At this time of year birds are more likely to see their reflection in windows, come flying by and end up injured or dead. Tretiak suggests getting window stickers and applying them all over the window, getting the kids to draw on the windows, keeping windows dirty (a layer of dust is a good thing in this case), and/or installing a hanging basket or other decorative item that dangles and sways across the window.

“We want people to have empathy and compassion for all wildlife,” Tretiak said.

“That is the goal. Every animal is important. Everybody has a right to be here. They’ve been around for centuries. They’re part of the environment and they have their roles. Our goal is to humanely relocate instead of trapping and killing, which is not solving the actual problem. Everything deserves to be protected and helped along the way.”

Accessing funding for PWRC’s operating budget continues to be challenging. The organization appreciates its sponsors, donors and volunteers. Monetary donations are critical, and charitable tax receipts will be issued. PWRC also has wish lists, which include artificial plants, kiddie pools, heating pads and a variety of tools.

If you have your own transportation, love animals and would like to help take care of them, call for details — visit: pwildlife.ca. Volunteers are also needed for events and online tasks.

The annual Walk for Wildlife fundraiser is Sept. 6, from 8 a.m. to noon at St. Vital Park.

To register visit wfp.to/wildlifewalk.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca