MARS Wildlife Rescue

MARS Wildlife Rescue FOR ALL WILDLIFE RESCUES OR EMERGENCIES 250-337-2021 ext 2. Please visit our website to see our Hospital/drop-off and Visitor Centre opening hours.
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NEVER use FACEBOOK or EMAIL to report sick or injured wildlife as your message may not be seen right away. Wildlife Rescue Recovery Rehabilitation & Release in the Comox Valley. For all rescues or wildlife emergencies please call 250-337-2021. NEVER use Facebook or email to report sick or injured wildlife

09/06/2026

💦 A little follow up fun clip of our Cedar Waxwings enjoying some time in their pool.

Watching these little Waxwings grow up is so rewarding. Every day their flight gets better and their waterproofing is improving little by little. Their appetite for berries cannot be satiated!

If you are out and about, thinking of MARS on your daily walks, wondering what you can do to help... Well, this time of year, the blackberries are full and plentiful, and our critters like these birds would love to dive their beaks into your generous donations of bagged berries (frozen or fresh).

If berry picking is not for you but you'd still like to support MARS, then please check out our website for all the ways you can help. From raffle tickets (ends Monday!) to a membership, every bit of support means the world to us to be able to continue doing work like this for injured and orphaned wildlife. ❤️

It's a beautiful end-of-summer weekend to meet us at the Festival. We love seeing old friends and connecting with new on...
09/05/2026

It's a beautiful end-of-summer weekend to meet us at the Festival. We love seeing old friends and connecting with new ones. Come by our booth in the Artists' Glade to chat about wildlife and meet our volunteers--including our wildlife ambassadors. Oh, and it's the last weekend to buy a raffle ticket!❤️

📍Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens 6183 Whitaker Rd, Courtenay

What a Par-teh! Thanks The Raven 100.7 FM and Saratoga Beach Golf Club--hope to see you there!🏌️‍♀️🦅🦉
09/04/2026

What a Par-teh! Thanks The Raven 100.7 FM and Saratoga Beach Golf Club--hope to see you there!🏌️‍♀️🦅🦉

09/04/2026

🪶 When rehabbing birds in the summer and fall, one key factor we have to consider is the fall bird migration.

Some species leave earlier than others and we have to aim to get birds ready for their long-distance travels. this includes lots of food, daily endurance flights, checking body fat stores (while not overfeeding), and ensuring impeccable waterproofing abilities.

We are careful not to not rush our patients recovery while balancing their deadlines to give them the best chance possible of surviving their rigorous trips. While we can overwinter some migratory species, song birds are sensitive and their biological processes are adapted for migration, so we pull out all tricks in the book to try get them ready in time. One of our staff members monitors eBird, the global citizen science database of bird sightings, daily to track different species' migrations away from Vancouver Island.

The Orange-crowned Warbler pictured here came to us after being taken from a nest by a cat. They were actually raised in care from their early fledgling days all the way through to fully fledged independent little bird. In mid-July, they were released with plenty of time to spend locally in the wild before groups OCWAs started migrating at the end of August. 🪽

Did you get into my makeup bag?? 💄💅🤩 To the average person, seeing a raccoon with purple eyebrows might seem peculiar, b...
09/01/2026

Did you get into my makeup bag?? 💄💅🤩 To the average person, seeing a raccoon with purple eyebrows might seem peculiar, but as rehabbers we see raccoon number 2 out of a group of 4! 💜

By visually marking each raccoon, whether it's a colour or a shaved patch of fur on a certain body part, we are able to identify which individual is which during their early days in care. When these little critters are bigger and stronger, we microchip them and become much more hands-off. In a few weeks "purple eyebrows" will become "chip 75892671". 🦝

Did you know, we scan all our adult raccoon patients admitted to see if it one that we have treated in the past? There is very little funding to monitor patient success post-release, so by looking for microchips, we are trying to determine our 'returning customer' rate. Thankfully, we have not yet received one of our microchipped raccoons back into care.

By the way, only one week left to get your raffle tickets! Link in our pinned post❤️

Just three juvenile Cedar Waxwings at three different stages! These fledgling and juvenile birds have all come in to car...
08/31/2026

Just three juvenile Cedar Waxwings at three different stages!

These fledgling and juvenile birds have all come in to care in the past week and have been housed together. They have learned to self-feed from each other and have been enjoying their daily flying sessions as a group.

At this time of year, some Cedar Waxwings are forming their migration groups in preparation to head further south for the winter. By late September, a large majority of the Cedar Waxwing population has already moved on, however some will remain until October if berries are still readily available.

Unlike most song birds who breed early in spring to align with insect population peaks, Cedar Waxwings breed much later in the season to align with when berries are best and ripened! 🫐🍒

Meet us at the Fair! 🚜🍿🎻🐎 The Comox Valley Exhibition is in its final day--don't miss this celebration of food, craft, ...
08/30/2026

Meet us at the Fair! 🚜🍿🎻🐎 The Comox Valley Exhibition is in its final day--don't miss this celebration of food, craft, and community. It's a wonderful way for the whole family to wrap up the summer. Talk to our friendly volunteers, tell us about your wildlife encounters, and meet one of ambassador birds. While you're at it, grab a raffle ticket to support hour work. We look forward to seeing you!

The countdown to 🦝 release is on! Right now we have almost 30 raccoons in care, divided up into our outdoor pens, spendi...
08/29/2026

The countdown to 🦝 release is on!

Right now we have almost 30 raccoons in care, divided up into our outdoor pens, spending their days playing, climbing, foraging, and of course, napping...

These critters will continue to reside with us, likely until the end of September when they will be sent out for release in groups based on where they were found. Right now, they are living their best enriched life with healthy, appropriate meals provided several times a day.

Our caregivers spend hours cleaning their enclosures daily and are rewarded with p**p in pools, eggs smeared on the walls, and raccoons peeing on them from above. Delightful.

08/28/2026

🦅 If you’ve ever booked a tour at MARS Wildlife Rescue, you’ve seen our huge flight pen. It’s the perfect housing for the final stage of recovery for eagle patients like these. In this speedy video, watch staff rehabilitator Kiersten catch up and perform a routine check on one of the juveniles.

We have four juvenile Bald Eagles in the flight pen now, all practicing their flight and agility. These birds were raised at MARS from either nestling, brancher, or fledgling stages so will stay in care with us until October. Why October, you might wonder?

In October, the salmon run will likely peak and food will be plentiful so these young eagles will have lots of 'real-world' hunting practice before winter sets in. While we can put dead donated fish in the pools in care, we have no way to 'live prey test' our eagles. We help them out by releasing them in ideal locations where other adult eagles are hunting, and they re-enforce these skills with their own kind.

There are many ways to support MARS, and if you live in BC, you can grab a raffle ticket—link on our pinned posts.

Address

1331 Williams Beach Road, P. O. Box 415, B. C.
Merville, BC
V0R2M0

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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