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THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, AUGUST 1,2001 PAGE 7 Wildlife sanctuary operator seeks volunteers to help BY MIKE RUTA Staff Writer PICKERING -- Taking care of orphaned and injured animals is a way of life for Joyce Smith. And the founder of Pickering's Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary gives up a lot to lead it. "I don't live a normal life," the 72 year old admits in an interview. "I don't gel up and have breakfast, lunch and dinner. I get up and start running." Caring for the animals is a 16- to 20-hour-a-day job, and Ms. Smith says she generally cats before going to bed. Second Chance was founded six years ago on Concession 7 in north Pickering. Before that, Ms. Smith cared for creatures like skunks and raccoons at her urban Pickering home. She tried to keep the number of animals down, but she just couldn't couldn't refuse an orphan, and as the number number of animals swelled, so did the cost of caring for them. "I went broke pretty quick and 1 either had to start the sanctuary or give it up," she says, adding some neighbours objected to her keeping animals. Clublink, the corporation that owns the Cherry Downs Golf Club, gave Ms. Smith a parcel of land adjacent adjacent to the golf course to set up the sanctuary. It had a house on it, but it was in ruins, as was the stable that would eventually house the animals. Thanks to Whitby jail inmates on a work program, the house was repaired repaired and made habitable. Miller Paving put in a driveway for her, and Miller Waste supplied Ms. Smith with a dumpster that they empty at no charge when it becomes full. Local veterinarians give her a deal on needles for the cats she cares for. And, area residents and businesses businesses support the sanctuary with donations, though there's never enough money. "I've had a lot of help," she says. "When I first came here people said I was crazy, that I would never be able to live here." Ms. Smith needs more help. At present the sanctuary is so full of animals animals she isn't accepting any more. Six baby skunks and roughly 30 baby raccoons alone represent a huge time commitment. With no mother, they have to be fed a bottle until they are old enough to move on to solid food. The centre is holding a volunteer night this summer. Prospective volunteers volunteers see how the centre operates and what needs to be done. Ms. Smith tells them straight out that the job generally involves a lot of cleaning cleaning up after the animals. She feeds most of the animals and only an experienced experienced volunteer who has watched her can help in that area. "This is at least a four-person job up here and I do it alone sometimes," she says. She recognizes volunteers have lives and can't make the same commitment commitment she docs. But long weekends, weekends, Christmas, New Year's and other holidays are the toughest times to find help. Volunteer Gail Tonks describes Ms. Smith as "a very, very remarkable remarkable woman". The amount of work Ms. Smith docs in a day is astonishing to Ms. Tonks, who owned a bakery and is familiar with a 15-hour workday. "She has not, in the eight years I've known her, taken a day off," she says. Ms. Smith most frequently cares for raccoons. A car has often killed their mother and the babies would die without help. She says she has been asked: 'Why do you save raccoons? raccoons? There are so many of them.' "Well, the little raccoons are glad I saved them," she replies. Once an animal has been weaned off milk, Ms. Smith places it in a large enclosure, where it receives a lot less attention and gets used to being on its own. The goal is to release release the animal into the wild, as close to where it was found as possible. possible. Cats are another story. She has too many right now and hopes to adopt them out. "If someone throws an animal on my driveway, what can I do?" she asks. Ms. Smith will give you advice on what to do with an animal you've found. She says people often find baby birds that have fallen from the nest and take them in. Better to put the bird in a basket and hang it from the nearest tree, says Ms. Smith. The mother and father will feed it, even if it's on the ground, but it is also vulnerable to predators there. Ms. Smith is stumped when asked what is the most unusual creature she has ever looked after. "I've had muskrats, foxes; unusual? unusual? I don't know," she says. "They're all the same to me; they're little critters critters that need help." Second Chance is at 2060 Concession Concession 7, east of Brock Road and beside Cherry Downs Golf Club. The volunteer night is Aug. 21 between between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The sanctuary sanctuary can be reached at 905-649- 8282. Ms. Tonks is willing to give prospective volunteers a ride to the sanctuary on the volunteer night. Her number is 905-686-8127. Rotarians save Durham CNIB newsletter DURHAM - Clients of the CNIB in Durham Region will continue to get their quarterly newsletter thanks to the Parkwood Rotary Club. The club has donated $1,700 to CNIB Durham, which will allow the organization to continue publishing its newsletter for 1,300 clients. "We are deeply grateful to Park- wood Rotarians," said CNIB Durham district manager Iris Milne. "The client newsletter has literally been saved and will allow for the continued flow of information about service, technology and events that can make a difference in the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired." The newsletter was in danger of being discontinued, due to the costs of producing it in three formats, along with photocopying and postage. The newsletter is produced in large print, on tape and in Braille. www.durhamc.on.ca Attention NEW students, parents and/or spouses! You're invited to student orientation! on Saturday, August 25 You can: • get to know your college • take a campus tour • meet the President and college staff • learn tips for a great start to your college studies Visit us at: www.durhamc.on.ca or call: 905-721-3111, ext. 6777 We look forward to meeting you and your family! JASON LIEBREGTS/ Statesman photo Joyce Smith of the Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary help her look after the animals, which are often or- liolds a baby skunk. She is looking for volunteers to plumed. Advertorial Warning: Don't Hire A Family or Divorce Lawyer Until You read This! FREE REPORT Written by "Tough" Lawyer Reveals Information You Must Have To Avoid Financial Disaster In A Divorce (Or Separation) If you sign a separation agreement or go, to court without proper legal advice, you might find yourself in serious financial difficulties. You could end up with serious problems with custody and access to your kids if you don't have a lawyer. 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