The Toronto Wildlife Centre is looking for a new place to take care of sick, injured and orphaned animals as urban sprawl closes in on its present site in Scarborough.
And Mississauga just might have the ideal spot — on the site of the former Winding Lane Bird Sanctuary made famous by the late ornithologist Roy Ivor.
Centre executive director Nathalie Karvonen confirmed the facility on the edge of Rouge Park near the Toronto Zoo is now too close to housing and a private petting zoo. That wasn’t the case when the centre set up there about 10 years ago.
“These are wild animals and very frightened of humans,” Karvonen said of why a quieter, more natural setting on a larger site is needed.
A staff member checked out the Mississauga site yesterday. It will be considered further once city officials have been contacted to determine if the property is available.
The Toronto Wildlife Centre is a non-profit, charitable organization and welcomes public offers of land that might be suitable for the centre, Karvonen said. She can be reached at 416-631-0662.
