Delta's Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) is doing its part to aid the wildlife displaced in B.C.'s wildfire zones.
In the past week, OWL has taken in several baby sharp-skinned hawks that were rescued near Williams Lake, a young falcon known as Merlin and a nest of young saw-whet owls.
"We also have some, like the owls, that we took in before the fires started, but we can't send back given the wildfire conditions," said OWL spokesperson Rob Hope. "The birds were young and orphaned. The sharp-skinned hawks were rescued by a firefighter, taken to Quesnel and then shipped to us."
Hope said staff are caring for the birds, which are all putting on weight and recovering from any injuries they incurred in the fire zone.
"Merlin was actually rescued near 100 Mile House with the help of CDART, which is the animal rescue group that helps rescue animals out of evacuation zones, so their volunteers got Merlin to us," said Hope. "We probably have gotten just a drop in the bucket. Anything that is young or that couldn't run or fly probably was lost in the fires. The adults would have been able to take off."
Delta sends more firefighters
The Corporation of Delta has increased its presence in Central B.C. in an effort to battle the devastating wildfire situation.
Last Thursday morning, Delta Fire & Emergency Services, at the request of the Office of the Fire Commissioner, sent six more Delta firefighters along with a fire truck, which are staged for deployment at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in Kelowna.
This is in addition to the 15-plus Delta fire, police and corporate staff who have been in the Central Okanagan for the last 20 days assisting with emergency operation centres and evacuation orders.
"The situation across British Columbia right now is very tragic," said Mayor Lois Jackson in a news release. "On behalf of Delta council, I want to further extend our thoughts, prayers and best wishes to all the brave staff and first responders, as well as all those affected by the fires."
In recent weeks, Delta has opened up community centre parking lots to allow fire evacuees to park their RVs and access services at the community centres.
Residents throughout South Delta have also opened up their hearts and homes providing shelter for evacuees and their animals, collected food and goods that have filled trucks and trailers driven up to the evacuation centres, and started other fundraising efforts.
