Wildlife Preservation Canada

09/07/2026

The Arboretum Expo is back! ⁠
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Join us on Saturday, September 12th from 10am-3pm for a day of events at the University of Guelph Arboretum (200 Arboretum Rd, Guelph) in Ontario.⁠
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Throughout the Arboretum there will be nature hikes, music, food trucks, a plant sale, and more... ⁠including an info booth from WPC!⁠
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Our Bumble Bee Recovery Team will be at the event spreading the word about pollinator conservation - it's a great opportunity to learn more about bumble bees and the work we do to conserve them.⁠
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We can't wait to see you there 💚⁠

📸A. Bowman
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More about our Bumble Bee Recovery Program:⁠
Since the 1990s, bumble bee numbers have been plummeting and that spells ecological disaster. Here at Wildlife Preservation Canada, we work to save at risk species of bumble bee from disappearing by monitoring them in the wild, breeding them for release at our conservation lab in Ontario, and studying their p**p for parasites! We even host special community science events across the province to track population sizes, locate declining populations and provide hands-on training programs with the goal of expanding our efforts across Canada. We are the only organization in the country working to rebuild at risk bumble bee populations through conservation breeding. ⁠
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09/06/2026

Precious cargo coming through!⁠
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When most people think about conservation work, they probably don't picture a group of students nervously transporting tiny juniper cuttings through the Scottish Highlands...⁠
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But that's exactly what's happening at Dalnacardoch Estate and the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Scotland. Juniper cuttings are taken to the rewilding centre to spend years being carefully grown before they are returned back to the estate!⁠
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In Daryn's latest blog (WPC's 36th Canada's New Noah) dive into some conservation work that is essentially plant headstarting and see what she learned before heading off to Mauritius.⁠
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🔗https://wildlifepreservation.ca/blog/a-most-precious-cargo/
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More about the Canada's New Noah Program:⁠
Since 1988, the Canada’s New Noah program has provided conservation biologists in Canada the opportunity of a lifetime. Each year, WPC selects a dedicated biologist from applicants across Canada to undertake a 3-month course at the Durrell Conservation Academy in the U.K. followed by a 6-month internship on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This is an opportunity unlike any other for young Canadians to learn firsthand how the world’s most successful conservation recovery programs are managed and to bring this knowledge and experience back to improve Canada’s conservation capacity. For the first time ever, WPC is offering this placement to two biologists. Our 2026 New Noahs are Jenna Kissel and Daryn Farrant. Both report on their experiences and how they will apply them upon return to Canada. Thank you to the Alan & Patricia Koval Foundation for their many years supporting the Canada’s New Noah Program and for going above and beyond supporting two Koval Foundation New Noah Internships in 2026.⁠
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09/05/2026

Keep calm and carrion....⁠
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It's International Vulture Awareness Day and what better way to celebrate these unique birds than taking a look at some behind-the-scenes vulture conservation work taking place in the U.K.⁠
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Jenna, WPC's 35th Canada's New Noah, had the opportunity to visit with the Horstmann Trust before flying off to Mauritius to complete her New Noah placement. Dedicated to vulture conservation, this charity works to prevent the loss of these imperilled species through conservation breeding and release!⁠
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Head to our blog to hear about Jenna's best two weeks of her life and dive right in to vulture conservation!⁠

🔗https://wildlifepreservation.ca/blog/keep-calm-and-carrion/
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More about the Canada's New Noah Program:⁠
Since 1988, the Canada’s New Noah program has provided conservation biologists in Canada the opportunity of a lifetime. Each year, WPC selects a dedicated biologist from applicants across Canada to undertake a 3-month course at the Durrell Conservation Academy in the U.K. followed by a 6-month internship on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This is an opportunity unlike any other for young Canadians to learn firsthand how the world’s most successful conservation recovery programs are managed and to bring this knowledge and experience back to improve Canada’s conservation capacity. For the first time ever, WPC is offering this placement to two biologists. Our 2026 New Noahs are Jenna Kissel and Daryn Farrant. Both report on their experiences and how they will apply them upon return to Canada. Thank you to the Alan & Patricia Koval Foundation for their many years supporting the Canada’s New Noah Program and for going above and beyond supporting two Koval Foundation New Noah Internships in 2026.⁠
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09/05/2026

Unbox some shrikes with us 💚⁠
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In this video, you'll see our biologists releasing endangered eastern loggerhead shrikes back into their outdoor enclosure. ⁠
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First these birds started their journey at our amazing breeding partners, we then received the birds and placed them in our outdoor release enclosures in Napanee and Carden, Ontario. Here the birds acclimate to their wild environment. Then we need to band them! This is because every single shrike that we release into the wild first needs to be banded to ensure we can identify them in the future.⁠
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To do this, our team quietly enters the enclosures, captures each bird using large nets, places them in their own box and then one by one we band each bird. This entire process is done very quickly and quietly to reduce any stress the birds may experience.⁠
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Then comes the unboxing! Our team opens each box, releasing each shrike back into the enclosure - keeping a watchful eye on their flight as they leave the boxes. We're looking for a strong, upward flight - something every single bird displayed here.⁠
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Now that the birds are banded, they'll go through a final pre-release health check and then the doors will open and they will be free to enter the wild.⁠
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📹️H. Hess⁠
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More about WPC's Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Program: ⁠
After a precipitous drop in the wild eastern loggerhead shrike population in the 1990s, Environment Canada invited Wildlife Preservation Canada to lead the multi-partner recovery effort in 2003. Since then, the wild population size has fluctuated. WPC works to prevent the endangered eastern loggerhead shrike from disappearing by building the wild population in Ontario, and studying the species to learn more about the threats they face. Breeding these special songbirds in large enclosures, we transfer them to their natural habitat where the young birds can learn key survival skills before release. To date, we have bred and released more than 1,500 shrikes which we can say without a doubt has prevented this feisty songbird from disappearing from Canada's grasslands.⁠
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09/04/2026

Today is , a day to celebrate Canada's at-risk species and reflect on conservation efforts being made by organizations like us, and people like you!

Even the smallest act can have a lasting impact on at-risk species, from learning about an animal that shares its habitat with your neighbourhood to engaging in local community science events. Without a caring community, protecting wildlife would be a lot harder!

We are grateful for all of our partners and supporters who stand with us as we protect Canada's at-species, 365 days a year. 💚

09/03/2026

Sometimes wild species are serene and majestic, other times you capture photos like this one of these eastern loggerhead shrikes. How would you caption this photo? Tell us in the comments! 💬⁠
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📸C. Hill

More about WPC's Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Program:
After a precipitous drop in the wild eastern loggerhead shrike population in the 1990s, Environment Canada invited Wildlife Preservation Canada to lead the multi-partner recovery effort in 2003. Since then, the wild population size has fluctuated. WPC works to prevent the endangered eastern loggerhead shrike from disappearing by building the wild population in Ontario, and studying the species to learn more about the threats they face. Breeding these special songbirds in large enclosures, we transfer them to their natural habitat where the young birds can learn key survival skills before release. To date, we have bred and released more than 1,500 shrikes which we can say without a doubt has prevented this feisty songbird from disappearing from Canada's grasslands.

09/02/2026

Home sweet home 🏠️ ⁠
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Protecting at-risk species becomes easier when the habitats they call home are protected too. Wildlife Preservation Canada is grateful for our partnering organizations and private land owners who help keep at-risk species like the eastern loggerhead shrike in their natural habitat where they can thrive. 💚

If you are looking for simple ways to help at-risk species, look to your local outdoor space. Cleaning up litter, avoiding pesticide use, leaving the leaves on the ground in the fall, and raising awareness can all have a positive impact on species in your nearby area. Every caring act makes a difference, and together we can make a change for the future of at-risk species and the environment.

09/01/2026

There's a new way you can support at-risk wildlife... introducing our Adopt-a-Species Program! 💚

By symbolically adopting a species, you will provide direct support to an at-risk animal in the care of WPC's programs. Your gift will help with the cost of food, regular health check-ups, enrichment, and more!

With each adoption, you will receive a digital adoption kit. Every kit includes an info sheet about your adopted species, a personalized adoption certificate, and a greeting card for you to collect or send to a loved one.

Head to the link below to adopt your favourite species today!
🔗https://wildlifepreservation.ca/adopt-a-species-program/

*Appearance of digital adoption kits will vary based on adopted species. Adoption kits are available in different packages, which may include more items. Please see our website for more details and available packages.

08/31/2026

This snake eats what?🪱⁠
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Remo and Snake 38 are back, but this time we're talking nutrition (warning this video shows a snake eating a worm🫣). Butler's gartersnakes were originally known to eat leeches, but have since switched their diet to include non-native earthworms.⁠
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This shy, rare species can be found in tall grass prairies and fields in Ontario, Canada, but is under threat of extinction due to habitat loss & fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and more. That's where our recovery work comes in.⁠
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Each year, we collect neonate (baby) Butler's gartersnakes, take care of them until they are a bit older and larger and then release them back into the wild the following year at a different site. This is also known as translocation, and helps them in their youngest, most vulnerable stages - giving them a better chance at survival.⁠
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During their time with us, we will feed them earthworms - like you can see in this sped up video!⁠
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More about the Ojibway Prairie Reptile Recovery Program:⁠
The Ojibway Prairie Complex and Greater Park Ecosystem (OPCGPE) in Ontario’s Windsor-LaSalle region is home to several reptile species threatened by urban development, habitat fragmentation and road mortality, including eastern foxsnakes, Butler’s gartersnakes, Blanding's turtles and a critically endangered population of massasauga rattlesnakes. The Ojibway Prairie Reptile Recovery Team (OPRREC) works to protect and monitor these species.⁠
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08/28/2026

Our Pollinator Team had a great time helping out alongside the Shkakamik Kwe Genwemaajig Species At Risk Team, the Wiikwemkoong Department of Lands and Natural Resources, and the University of Guelph 💚

Today our Ogimaa spoke with our young community members at the Meshkoodayaang (Prairie Point) Youth Camp.

They are our future leaders. Here they’re leaning about our cultural teaching, our land and species at risk. This is another step forward in building the toolbox they will use in leading our community into the future.

Chi miigwetch to our Species at Risk team with our lands department along with Guelph University staff and students assisting with the camp.