Constance Creek Wildlife Refuge

CCWR differs from other animal welfare organizations in several important ways:

1) It is home to rescued pets and rescued farm animals as well as a rehabilitation centre for orphaned and injured wildlife. This is to support the view that we are all animals, and we shouldn't categorize in ways that allow us to respect and care about some animals more than others.

2) Farm animals are given permanent sanctuary and provide hands-on educational and therapeutic interactions. Visitors can go right in with the farm animals; we don't allow feeding so no barriers are needed and visitors learn about the animals and interact with them socially instead of through food. Visitors are told the animals' names and how each has their own personality. They are required to respect the animals' needs; no forced contact, no chasing.
In some cases, we have placed animals in foster care at good homes where the animals will benefit. We do not permanently adopt out animals because we do not want them to end up in bad homes or being sold or sent to slaughter.

3) Education is a key part of our mission. Tours always include education. We run "We are All Animals" summer day camps where children ages 4 to 11 learn all about the care these animals need, why they needed rescue, what makes them interesting and unique, and the responsibility and commitment of caring for an animal. We hope our summer camp participants will continue to advocate for animals among their peers.

We know we will never have the capacity to take in all of the animals that need our help. We can help reduce this need by educating the public, especially future generations, about animal welfare issues.

4) CCWR applies annually for Canada Summer Jobs funding so we can provide pay and valuable work experience to young people putting themselves through college or university. We believe in a $15/hr minimum wage, so we top up the funding to pay our summer students at this higher rate.

5) Summer camp fees are on a sliding scale so that they are accessible. Transportation can also be provided to further reduce barriers to sending children to camp.

6) We provide high quality care to wildlife undergoing rehabilitation. CCWR orders special wildlife species formulas from Fox Valley Animal Nutrition. We also vaccinate animals before release to ensure they contribute to a healthy wildlfe population.

7) The Executive Director, Lynne Rowe, is vegan.