The Medicine River Wildlife Centre is seeking some unique donations for the summer and upcoming winter for their feathery friends.The centre, which houses approximately 250 birds of prey that have been injured, is accepting any pocket gophers (moles) or whole suckerfish to go towards feeding the birds currently in rehabilitation at their facility.“They need to eat what they eat in the wild,” said executive director Carol Kelly. “It's the same as eating a proper diet for humans.”While the centre also has old laying hens and ground squirrels, some of their resident birds, such as hawks, cannot eat the larger food, and moles are more in line with their diet.As for the suckerfish, Kelly said that they're commonly fished up due to their prolific numbers, but are usually left on the shore by those who have fished them out for other animals to eat.“We have a pelican here who would love to have them,” said Kelly.The centre offers tax receipts for people who bring in their caught moles or suckerfish as well.“Over the years, we've neglected to tell people about the tax receipt,” said Kelly. “We want to put it out there, it makes it more worthwhile for those trapping. We never get as many as we need, especially for the winter.”Kelly added that the mole population can become overabundant as well, and the trapping of them keeps the population in balance.“In nature, this would happen, the birds would be hunting their own,” said Kelly.Of the birds at the wildlife centre, almost 99 per cent of them have been injured by human hazards, such as cars, electric poles and barbed wires.“These hazards are our cause,” said Kelly. “In a way we're paying our dues to help these birds.”For more information about the centre or mole or suckerfish donations, please email Kelly at [email protected].
