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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 26, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of What to do when running into wildlife If you see what you think may be sick, injured or orphaned wildlife, don't remove it from its natural habitat. The bird or animal may not need assistance and you could actually do more harm in your attempt to help. Where an animal is in need of help, it requires specialized care to recover and return to the wild. You cannot keep wildlife in captivity without approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources. In the southern region of Ontario, however, a person may possess a wild animal for up to 24 hours to transport it to a wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian. Some species leave their offspring alone temporarily, especially during the day. To determine if young wildlife is truly orphaned, check the animal periodically for 24-48 hours to see if it is still around. Keep your distance. Keep cats and dogs away from the area inhabited by the young animal; the adult may not return if it is noisy or if predators or people are close by. Contact your local Ministry of Natural Resources office for help in assessing the situation and on what action you should take. · Visit http://ontario.ca/mnroffices to contact your local district office · Call 1-800-667-1940, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. · View a list of wildlife rehabilitators who have agreed to have their contact information included on the ministry's website If you must handle the animal, take care to minimize the risk of injury to yourself and to the animal. Wear protective clothing and equipment, such as leather gloves, to avoid bites or scratches and wash your hands well after handling the animal. Check the animal for signs of injury or illness, such as: · Blood, wounds or swelling on body · Body covered in fleas · Unusual/uneven loss of fur/feathers · Difficult or raspy breathing/sneezing · A dangling leg or wing · Closed eyes; head tucked under wing It is important to recognize that many of the volunteer-operated organizations have limited capacity to accept animals, especially during the spring. To report dead animals, including birds or bats, contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (www.ccwhc.ca) at 1-866-673-4781. If you suspect there is a public health risk from a sick wild animal, such as rabies, or you or your pet had contact with a suspected rabid animal, contact your local Public Health Unit immediately -- rabies is fatal for humans and animals if not treated. Symptoms of rabies and several other diseases in animals can include tremors, aggressive behaviour, partial paralysis, convulsions, and loss of fear of humans. For more information or to contact your Public Health Unit, call 1-866-532-3161 between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, or visit www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/ contact/phu/phuloc_mn.html for a list of public health units. For the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, call 1-866-673-4781 or visit www.ccwhc.ca. For more information on wildlife, visit ontario.ca/wildlife. Ministry of Natural Resources Letter to the Editor Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award HONOURED: The Optimist Club of Oakville annually honours both law enforcement officers and civilians who have contributed to respecting the law in the community. From left to right, Richard Messer (accepting for Donna Messer), Optimist Bruce Crowther, Const. Les Baylis (recipient) and Superintendant Marty Power. SUBMITTED PHOTO Eyes of the world are on London as Games begin Tomorrow night, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games officially open in London -- the city that also hosted the Games in 1908 and 1948 -- with what will surely be (sarcasm alert) tasteful and understated Opening Ceremonies. Tasteful and understated? Held at Olympic Stadium in East London, directed by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), amplified by a million-watt sound system, with a guest appearance by none other than James Bond (Daniel Craig), featuring the traditional parade of thousands of athletes from 204 nations and territories, and watched live by 60,000 (and an estimated world audience of one-billion viewers), the three-hour production will cost some 27-million pounds. And that, my friends, is a lot of pounds for 180-minutes of pop. Unsure of how much money that actually is? Let's just say that it's enough to support a Third-World country for 10 years, or roughly the same amount that Sir Paul McCartney, who will close the Opening Ceremonies, paid for the luxury of divorcing Heather Mills. And speaking of Sir Paul: once the final note has sounded on his inevitable Hey Jude sing-along -- fireworks to follow for those enjoying it live -- the Games will officially be open. Only, a few events will have already been contested. Contested. Before the Opening Ceremonies. Ah, you have to love the pretzel logic of the Olympics. Personally, I love the Olympics. And I hate the Olympics. You might say I am Olympic Ambivalent. The Olympics, after all -- if I can borrow from Charles Dickens, one of Britain's most famous citizens -- typically represent "the best of times and the worst of Andy Juniper times." The Worst of Times: Can you watch the Olympics without lamenting the billions of dollars spent, without wondering what that tidy sum could have accomplished if put toward, say, finding a cure for cancer, or eradicating world poverty? Can you watch the Olympics without at least contemplating the documented sleaze that's behind the Games? The Olympics are run by the International Olympic Committee, a private company that has been involved in more scandals than Charlie Sheen and the Kardashians combined. Alas, can you watch the Olympics without shaking your head at the crass commercialism wherein every inch of Olympic space, every second of Olympic time, is officially branded and crammed down your throat? Finally, can you watch without cynically wondering whether the champions reached the peak of the podium on their own merit, or are they pharmaceutically enhanced? The Best of Times: Give me one moment, one magical (bordering on mystical) moment, by one anointed athlete --from Bob Beamon's long jump in 1968 to Usain Bolt's Beijing breakout in 2008, and all examples of unworldly athletic excellence in between -- and, momentarily, all of the above is almost forgiven and almost forgotten. "Inspire A Generation." That's the official motto of the London Games, and that's what the Olympics have the potential and power to do via the performances, and by the way the young athletes conduct themselves ­ hopefully rising above all the Olympic overspending and avarice and bribery and branding. It's a tall order. Thankfully, athletes of this calibre aren't used to coming up short. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter. com/thesportjesters.