When Hornby Island wildlife is injured, ill, or in distress, there are some special people to aid them that we call the
HORNBY EAGLE ADVANCED RESPONSE TEAM (aka
HEART). Composed primarily of Hornby Island residents boonibarb and winterwren, HEART responds to reports of wildlife possibly in need of help, assesses the situation, and takes action if needed.
In 2010, rescued eaglets Niner, Brig, and Decker were successfully rehabilitated and released. In 2011, Oriole, a seal pup, and Shredder, an eaglet, were also rescued and released after rehab care. This (2013) summer alone, HEART has rescued four eagles, one heron, and one seal pup.
In each case, the HEART team member was assisted by local Hornby Island folks who stepped up to help with the nets, towels, or other rescue gear. In the case of a buck entangled in a net, helpers kept the animal covered with blankets to keep him calm while boonibarb carefully cut through each strand entwined around the buck's antlers & jaw.
Norm Snihur, a private helicopter pilot, transported the seal pups as well as one of the eaglets to different wildlife care centers. Unsuspecting travelers waiting in line for the ferry agreed to take eagles and other birds to Buckley Bay, where they were met by representatives of HEGPS or MARS for transport to the rehab centre.
Sometimes the animals are so severely injured that they are not held long but must be humanely euthanized. In happier cases, the animal is treated at the rehab centre and ultimately released to the wild. In Decker's case, he was held for several months, first at MARS and then at NIWRA (North Island Wildlife Recovery Association), before being released. Other eaglets have been fostered at O.W.L. (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society) until they were healthy enough to be returned to Vancouver Island for release.
How can you be a "Friend with HEART" ?
As you might imagine, care at a wildlife rehab facility can be costly. In the past, HEGPS has held auctions and sponsorship drives in order to donate to those centres where Hornby Island wildlife have been treated. Most recently, individual members of HEGPS sent donations to MARS to sponsor "Big Blue" who came from the Tribune Bay area. Currently, "Big Blue" is at OWL to use their big flight cage, "Salal" an eaglet from Whaling Station Bay is at MARS, and "Fathom" a seal pup is at Island Wildlife Natural Care Centre (IWNCC) on Salt Spring Island.
If you would like to be one of the "Friends with HEART" and both honor the HEART team as well as help out the animals' caregivers, please consider supporting the rehab effort by making a contribution to the rehab centres, either directly or through HEGPS. We (HEGPS) have set up a "Hornby Wildlife Sponsorship Fund" in order to either help with rehab costs for rescued wildlife and/or sponsor the release of that creature back to its wild home.
To contribute via HEGPS please see our website:
http://www.hornbyeagles.com/support.htm The easiest way is to use the PayPal donate button on that page. The next easiest way is to log in to your own PayPal account and enter the following address under the "send money" tab: donate@hornbyeagles.com
Please be sure to include a "message to recipient" that your donation is for the
Hornby Wildlife Sponsorship Fund.If you prefer to donate directly to the rehab centres, please be sure to mention Hornby Island when you make your contribution.To donate directly to MARS (for Big Blue and Salal):
http://wingtips.org/mars/help-wildlife-2/donate/ orhttps://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspxTo donate directly to IWNCC for Fathom the seal pup:
https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspxTo donate directly to OWL (for Big Blue and Salal, who will use OWL's big flight cages):
http://www.owlcanada.org/you-can-help/If you have any questions, please email info@hornbyeagles.com
