Click on the links below to learn more about some of the
native wildlife we have worked with.
Mammals:
Bats, Bears, Beavers, Coy dogs,
Coyotes, Deer, Fishers,
Fox, Minks, Moose,
Porcupine, Raccoon,
Skunks, Squirrels,
Lynx, Otter, Weasels,
Wolves
Birds:
Crows, Ducks, Geese, Hawks, Owls, Ravens, Seagulls and a variety of
song birds
Wild animals DO NOT make good pets!
From red-eared sliders to foxes, and from a prairie dog to an african
lion, Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary has provided a permanent home to a
variety of exotic and native animals, after people have discovered that
they did not make very good pets.
Here’s why:
Dogs, cats, horses and other domestic animals have been specially bred
for thousands of years. Unwanted characteristics, such as aggressive
behaviour and the urge to escape humans have been eliminated, producing in
the end, an animal very different from the original one.
Wild animals are born to be their own masters - to live free, to defend
their young and their territory, to hunt and kill if necessary. Every
instinct of the wolf is to roam over hundreds of miles hunting for its
food, no cage will give it the freedom it deserves. The desire to
"own" a wolf is generally a macho desire to dominate an animal,
which, in captivity, can be unpredictable and dangerous.
Please leave wild animals in the wilds and adopt a suitable domestic
pet. There are hundreds of animal shelters filled with wonderful pets
looking for a good home.
For an in-depth look at the exotic pet trade in Canada, please see:
Animal Wrongs
by Susan McClelland
with Rught Atherley
Macleans Magazine, cover story
January 22, 2001
