Contact

The Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary relies on digital communication as we do not have full time staffing resources to monitor and respond to the volume of phone calls we receive.

If you have found an injured or orphaned wild mammal or reptile, please first visit our Orphaned or Injured Wildlife page for extensive information by species on when to rescue wildlife, how to reunite babies with their mom and solutions to common problems. Many issues can be resolved through these resources.

If you still have questions or need help, please send a detailed email to info@rideauwildlife.org with your phone number, a photo of the animal, how you found it and the address you found it.

We check emails as frequently as possible and try to return urgent, wildlife emergency emails within 4 hours. Non-emergency calls are returned within 48 hours. Please be patient. Each inquiry requires careful consideration and time, and the most urgent inquiries are returned first.

Email: info@rideauwildlife.org
Mailing address: P.O. Box 266, North Gower, ON K0A 2T0
Street address: Email for an appointment
Phone: 613-258-9480

Street Address

Our street address is not published since RVWS is not a public drop-in centre and it’s on private property. Please do not bring animals to RVWS without first speaking with our staff, as there are many situations that we can resolve by email or over the phone. Also, whenever RVWS receives a call about a potentially orphaned wild mammal, our first priority is to determine if the baby can be reunited with its mother, who is better at raising her young than we are.

Animal is in Immediate Danger

If an animal is in immediate danger or is suffering, call the City of Ottawa Bylaw at 311 for rescue or pick-up. If an animal requires immediate euthanasia (e.g. a deer is hit by a car), call the local police at 911.

You can also bring injured wildlife to the the Ottawa Humane Society, Municipal Animal Shelter, Lost and Found door, 245 West Hunt Club Rd (no need to call in advance). Please visit their website for operating hours. OHS will triage for us and we will pick up the animal if the animal can be rehabilitated.

Animal Cruelty or Neglect

If an animal’s life is in immediate distress as a result of cruelty or neglect, please contact the police at 911. You can then contact the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre, who will investigate the incident, at 1-833-9ANIAML, solgen.correspondence@ontario.ca, www.ontario.ca/page/animal-welfare.

Wild Birds

For birds, please contact the Wild Bird Care Centre at (613) 854-2849 or visit www.wildbirdcarecentre.org.