Introduction In 1992, wildlife biologist Nathalie Karvonen was working at a humane society in Toronto when she noticed a pressing need for wildlife rehabilitation services. Not only were there few options for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife, there was a lack of information and support for the people who wanted to help. In response, she founded the non-profit organization Toronto Wildlife Centre in 1992 with a handful of dedicated volunteers. What started as a basic wildlife information hotline run from a single phone is now a full service wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center with a dedicated rescue team. Today, Toronto Wildlife Centre's hotline is run by a team of staff and volunteers who handle tens of thousands of calls each year. Over 80,000 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals representing more than 270 different species have been helped -- approximately 5,000 animals a year. This is only the tip of the iceberg. All around the world, hundreds of thousands of wild animals are hurt by direct and indirect contact with humans. But wildlife rehabilitators are changing these odds. This book tells the story of wildlife rehabilitation through the work of one of the busiest wildlife rehabilitation centers in Canada, and was made possible by Toronto Wildlife Centre's dedicated staff, volunteers and donors. Thank you for changing the world one animal at a time! To learn more about the center and how you can help sick, injured and orphaned wild animals visit www.torontowildlifecentre. com. Excerpted from Animal Hospital: Rescuing Urban Wildlife by Julia Coey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
