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 www.rideauwildlife.org/help and choose the links in the left menu for extensive information by age and 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, a detailed description of how you found it, and the date and 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 located on private property, we are not a public drop-in centre, and our first line of defence is to try to reunite babies with their mom when feasible. 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.

Animal is in Immediate Danger

If an animal is in immediate danger or is suffering, you can take it to the Ottawa Humane Society, Lost and Found door (no need to call in advance). Please visit their website for operating hours.  We have worked with OHS for more than 20 years and they are extremely caring and skilled as we have trained them on wildlife–they do not automatically euthanize wildlife. OHS will triage for us and we will pick up the animal if it can be rehabilitated. If the animal is suffering, has no chance of survival or release back to the wild, OHS can euthanize the animal, where as RVWS cannot.

You can also call Ottawa Bylaw at 311 for rescue or pick-up.

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 24/7 to request an investigation of the incident at 1-833-9-ANIMAL. Their website is 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. You can also reach out to Safewings at 613-216-8999.