An Overview
The Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation Program employs a total of three full-time staff and includes the Animal Curator and two Animal Care Technicians.
The program operates on three main fronts:
- Care & Maintenance of Salmonier Nature Park Exhibit Animals
- Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
- Endangered Species Recovery
Care & Maintenance of Salmonier Nature Park Exhibit Animals
This is the primary aspect of the Animal Care program and accounts for the major allocation of resources. It is the eventual ambition of SNP to display most, if not all, the land-based mammals of the Province, along with a good overview of the avifauna also found here. The diversity of this inventory requires dedicated staff with multi-faceted backgrounds.
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
AC staff contribute significant time and effort to the capture, repair, recovery and release of injured wildlife throughout the Province. A small percentage of this time involved direct action by AC staff to pick up or otherwise arrange delivery of injured animals to SNP and to advise the public and other wildlife staff in proper handling techniques for various wildlife species and situations. In addition to action initiated directly by AC staff, SNP staff also complement the work of Conservation Officers in responding to and resolving problem animal-human conflicts. SNP also serves on behalf of the Wildlife Division as a holding facility for injured, orphaned, problem, or otherwise non-releasable animals. This role includes the holding and maintenance of confiscated and forfeited wild animals on behalf of legislative agencies, where such wild animals are being held as exhibits in court actions.
Endangered Species Recovery
Increasingly, zoological parks are becoming involved in Species Survival Plans for various endangered animal species. In this Province, the Newfoundland (Pine) Marten population has faced serious threat of extinction but is now recovering. The primary purpose of captive marten at Salmonier Nature Park is now information and education, although we have provided some animals for wild release. This research project also contributes valuable information on the breeding biology of this elusive species.