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Critter Care there to help wildlife

Too many animals fall through the cracks, but Critter Care is there to help wild native mammals.
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Critter Care takes in a wide variety of native wild mammals, including these three young skunks several years ago.

Editor:  Dear Maureen Miller (The Times, Sept. 24), I would like to reply to your letter headlined “Many animals falling through the cracks.”

Yes, unfortunately  like people, many animals fall through the cracks.  To say that organizations like LAPS, Mountainview Conservation Centre, SPCA or Critter Care Wildlife Society, of which I am the founder/executive director, do not care about animals is totally offensive and untrue.

All of these organizations do great work in specialized areas. No one can do it all.  Yes, I agree with most of your article, because for 28 years I have  dealt with wild mammals who are admitted in leghold traps, butchered in cult ceremonies,  burned in chimneys and the list goes on.

Critter Care has saved more than 35,000 wild mammals in 28 years. It’s not for us, but for them. Nothing is ever done for cruelty cases, because they are just a raccoon, coyote or whatever. We as humans seem to have no compassion for each other, so why would we have it for wildlife?

I know what it is like to see the pain and suffering in the eyes of many of these animals. I have also learned the hard way that, as much as we would like to, we simply cannot save them all.

Critter Care works under government  permit to rehab our native mammal species.  We do not have a permit to take in peacocks, which we would not do anyway, as exotic animals from other countries can carry different diseases which could be transferred to our native animals.

I and likely all these organizations feel your frustration, but your frustration needs to be directed in the right place. If there were rules to prevent the breeding and sale of exotic animals, then maybe we would not have to be dealing with peacock issues.

People are not allowed to keep, sell or breed our native wildlife, but people are allowed to sell and breed wildlife from other countries. You can also direct your frustration and anger to the person or persons who own this peacock, and who should be more responsible.

For your information, Critter Care has admitted more than 1,100 of our native mammals so far this year.  Perhaps if you have time, you could volunteer at one of these organizations to see what we are all up against.

Gail Martin,

Langley