Cheryl Winkler has devoted much of her life to animal rescue. As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and founder of Moose Mountain Recoup and Release (MMRR)-a non-profit facility and registered charity-Winkler says of her calling, “It's innate.”
“Sometimes I wish it wasn't,” she laughs. “But it's always been a part of me. When we moved here, my first rescue was a raccoon. When my mom worked at Moose Mountain Provincial Park, the conservation officer asked her if her daughter would raise three little raccoons.”
“Since then, raccoons have had a hold on my heart for a long time and here we are today.”
“Here” is Moose Mountain Recoup and Release, located on the border of Moose Mountain Provincial Park, near Kenosee's Red Market Barn. The three-acre facility is also where Winkler's home is located, as well as structures that house each species separately and well apart from each other's temporary homes.
“It's 365 days a year,” says Winkler. “Our ultimate aim is to release healthy animals and birds back into the wild once they are able to survive in the wild again. That's why we limit human interaction. It's for the animals' protection. I'm the person who does all of the feeding, for that reason.”
Winkler says the number of animals and birds who are given refuge at the facility vary.
“Right now, I've got three moose, one elk, three foxes, two coyotes, one fawn, 13 skunks, 21 raccoons, one Swainson's hawk, one redtail hawk and one seagull. The number of animals vary and some stay a long time.”
“We probably average about 100 animals a year,” adds Winkler. “Over winter, it's usually the ungulates (all hooved animals) and raccoons. These are over-wintered because they spend their first winter with their mom(s).”
“The smallest animal we've ever rescued was a mouse,” she says. “It was a call from a business. It didn't even have its eyes open. They were moving some crates and they heard a high-pitched squeal. It was on its own. They went to the extent of calling the (Saskatchewan) Wildlife Hotline. They called us and said, 'This is an unusual call, but it's from your area, can you take it?' If people are going to the trouble of calling and then driving it to us from an hour away, how can we not take it?”
“I syringe fed that little mouse and then released it in the spring.”
“The largest animal we've rehabilitated and released is probably a moose,” says Winkler. “We've had them in before, but often they're too badly injured...Last year, we had our first successful moose, who came into care three days old and when Mercy the moose was released this spring, he weighed over 1,000 pounds.”
“Mercy was our first successful moose. My granddaughter named him, because for three days, a team of people up by Wapella were searching for this orphaned calf. She said, 'Grandma, so many people showed so much mercy to this moose, that's what we should call him.'”
Mercy's story inspired a line of fundraising products for MMRR-including coffee mugs, painted boxes and chocolate-covered almonds.
“Moose Mountain Recoup and Release is a non-profit, registered charity,” says Winkler. “We give tax receipts for any donation over $20, and we also accept in-kind donations of all types: food, household items such as garbage bags, paper towels, laundry soap and bleach, lumber, newpapers....There's a whole wishlist on our website, www.moosemountainrnr.org.”
“We also accept regular meat, game meat and produce. Sometimes people are just cleaning out their fridge or freezer and just drop stuff off that they don't want anymore; but it's still good for us to use.”
Winkler says the expenses involved in rehabilitating wildlife are considerable and ongoing, which is why MMRR is planning its first-ever fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 24 at The Red Market Barn.
“The average weekly costs for rehabilitating wildlife range from $10 a week for a duckling to $150 for a coyote and $200 for a moose,” says Winkler. “Each species has its own formula to drink, with different levels of fats and proteins, according to the animal. We order those from the States.”
“Coyotes, for example, are huge meat-eaters,” she adds. “All of my meat and foods are as close to nature as possible. We feed them mice. We also feed them garden produce-apples, crabapples, zucchini, lettuce. It's all part of getting them ready for release.”
Winkler also readies wildlife for a return to their natural habitat by reinforcing the creatures' natural instincts and survival skills.
“Our volunteers come to clean and help with other chores,” she says. “I am the only one that feeds the animals. The fewer caregivers they have, the better. It's about limiting their contact with humans as much as possible.”
“Enrichment is important. We give them den boxes, places the animals can climb, a paddling pool where they can catch minnows and crayfish, all depending on the species, of course, so they can survive once they're released back into the wild.”
“That's why we're so excited for our fundraiser on Oct. 24. It's called 'Moose Mountain Gone Wild!' and it's really exciting to have Shirley and Jim Galloway of Oxbow on board.”
“It's at the Red Market Barn and only 200 tickets will be sold. Jimmy G and the Cable Guys will be playing the dance after the banquet downstairs in the barn and in the loft, there will be a silent auction. Tickets are $50 each and corporate tables of eight will receive a tax receipt.”
“There's already a Facebook page: Moose Mountain Gone Wild!”
Along with her career as a wildlife rehabilitator, Winkler is also a gifted wildlife artist, and proceeds from her award-winning paintings-which are created on canvas, wood and feathers and jewelry, also support MMRR.
“I am in the loft at the Red Barn, and I sell my work there,” says Winkler. “Moose Mountain Recoup and Release covers 200 miles in each direction,” she says. “To Yorkton, the Manitoba border, to the U.S. border and to Regina. So it's a big area, and a lot of people have visited us at the Barn and checked out our website. One of our most unusual calls was also the rare occasion where we turned away an animal. It was a call about a baby moose, but the call came from Alaska,” she laughs. “That was a little too far away, even for us! But they found my website and I guess they liked what they saw.”
Winkler says, “I'm all about co-existence. I grew up in this beautiful area and it's still beautiful, but it's changed a lot. There's been incredible growth in the past 10 years and we need to make sure our wildlife continues to survive.”
“All kinds of people call in about animals that need help. I've had guys from a rig bring in two pigeons, cottagers, people from all walks of life. We're all in this together and I think people realize that.”
“It's a struggle sometimes and we welcome any help we can get. That's why I'm so excited about our October fundraiser. But for me personally, holding the babies you can't save as they take their last breath is heartbreaking.”
“But when they latch on to that bottle and they decide to live, that's my reward. To see them flourish and return back to their natural home, that's why I do what I do.”
For more information, check out: www.moosemountainrnr.org or Moose Mountain Mountain R n R Wildlife Rehabilitation on Facebook.
For 'Moose Mountain Gone Wild!' updates and ticket information, check out their Facebook page.
