Here's how donating your Christmas tree can help orphaned animals
Instead of putting your Christmas tree to the curb, the Procyon Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre would like you to consider donating it to help injured or orphaned animals.
"We and any wildlife rehabilitation and in anybody's area would love your donations of Christmas trees so long as they are real and they don't have plastic, tinsel, or anything like that that an animal could ingest," said staffer Kylee Hinde.
With over 45 outdoor enclosures at the Beeton centre, staff members aspire to have a tree in each enclosure.
"Our squirrels really love them, our raccoons love them, skunks use them for hiding places, our possums climb them as well," Hinde said.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Volunteer Elizabeth Trickey highlighted the importance of creating a natural environment for the animals.
"Sometimes we get animals in that are orphaned, and sometimes all they know is the small enclosure that we provide for them, and that's not realistic, so what we do is, we put trees in them, we put stuff that they'd find on the floor of the forest. So, it makes it a little bit more realistic, and that helps them be more successful when we release them," Trickey noted.
And staff say there are others donations that go a long way to helping the animals in their rehabilitation.
"Even if you don't have a full-size Christmas tree but you have live evergreen of any kind that you've used as a garland or for fresh bows on your front porch or in your house, so long as they don't have plastic tinsel or metal, and wine bottles or liquor bottles that you've had company over for the holidays if you can donate those, that goes so far," added Hinde.
The empty bottles are used to bring in money to help provide formula and vaccines for the animals.
This year alone, more than 1,500 animals have been admitted at the centre, an increase of 500 compared to 2022.
Anyone interested in donating empty bottles, Christmas trees or evergreens can do so at the main entrance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From collapsing ecosystems to artificial intelligence running wild, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the coming years.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.