Hope for Wildlife facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hope for Wildlife

Founder	Hope Swinimer
Founded at	Seaforth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Official language	English
Owner	Hope Swinimer

Hope for Wildlife (HFW) is a special place in Seaforth, Nova Scotia, Canada. It's a non-profit center that helps wild animals. They care for animals that are hurt or have lost their parents. Their goal is to get these animals healthy enough to go back to the wild.

The center also teaches people about wildlife. They want everyone to learn how to protect animals and their homes. Hope Swinimer started this amazing place in 1997. Back then, it was called The Eastern Shore Wildlife Rehabilitation and Rescue Centre. In 2006, it became known as Hope for Wildlife.

Since it began, Hope for Wildlife has helped over 90,000 animals. These animals come from more than 250 different species! Most of the money to run the center comes from people like you. Public donations keep the farm going. They also hold big events, like an annual open house, where visitors can tour the farm. A TV show called Hope for Wildlife also helps bring in money and attention. This show has aired in over 20 countries.

How Hope for Wildlife Started

Hope Swinimer worked at a vet hospital in 1995. She cared for a robin that was hurt by a cat. This made her want to learn more about helping injured wildlife. Soon, helping animals became her full-time job. She turned her own home into a small animal hospital. She had cages in her backyard and used a spare room for baby animals.

In 1996, the government asked Hope to get a special permit. This permit was for helping wildlife. But there was no such permit in Nova Scotia yet! Hope worked with the government to create a new licensing process. In 1997, she got her permit. She then moved to a bigger property in Seaforth. This new place was called the Eastern Shore Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. It was the first private wildlife rescue center in Nova Scotia.

The center quickly grew too big for its first location. So, in 2001, Hope moved to a nearby farm. This farm had lots of space for more animals and buildings. Five years later, in 2006, the center officially became Hope for Wildlife. It's now a registered charity that keeps growing and helping more animals. By 2015, they had helped over 15,000 animals. By 2024, that number grew to over 40,000!

What Hope for Wildlife Does

Hope for Wildlife has three main goals:

• Rescue and Release: They find, treat, and care for injured or orphaned wild animals. Then, they release them back into nature.
• Teach Others: They teach people why it's important to protect wild animals. They also explain how to keep their natural homes safe.
• Learn and Grow: They study wildlife to learn more about how to help them. This knowledge helps them protect animals and their environments.

Amazing Progress and Growth

Since 1997, Hope for Wildlife has grown a lot. First, they built an education center. This allowed people to visit and learn about wildlife. The education center now has a building, an outdoor pavilion, and special wildlife gardens.

They have also made big steps in helping animals. Hope for Wildlife was the first in Nova Scotia to legally help and release white-tailed deer and birds of prey. They built a huge 100-foot-long cage for large birds to practice flying. They also have a deer enclosure with a field and a barn. This area is perfect for raising orphaned deer.

A big achievement was opening the first wildlife veterinary hospital in Nova Scotia in 2012. This hospital helps many animals get the medical care they need. Next, they built a marine unit for injured seal pups and seabirds. They also added a large mammal unit for bigger animals like bobcats. On average, the center helps about 3,500 animals every year. This number keeps growing! They help animals like foxes, deer, raccoons, skunks, and beavers.

The center also has a wildlife helpline. They get about 40,000 calls each year. People call when they find a wild animal that needs help.

How Hope for Wildlife Gets Money

Most of the money for Hope for Wildlife comes from small donations. These donations come from people who visit the center or call the helpline. Many donations are around $10. These small amounts add up to about $95,000 for things like food, cleaning supplies, and building repairs.

Bigger donations come from special events. Their annual open house is a big fundraiser. Money also comes from their gift shop. Government grants help pay for summer employees. And of course, the TV show Hope for Wildlife brings in money too.

The Hope for Wildlife TV Show

Hope for Wildlife
Based on	Hope for Wildlife
Starring	Hope Swinimer
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	137
Production
Production location(s)	Seaforth, Nova Scotia
Running time	52 min (1 hour timeslot)
Production company(s)	Arcadia Content
Release
Original release	January 16, 2011 (2011-01-16)

The TV show "Hope for Wildlife" is a documentary series. It follows the team as they help thousands of injured and orphaned wild animals. The show shares the stories of the animals and the people who work hard to save them. Filming for the first season started in 2009. The series finished with its tenth season in 2020. Another TV series called Hope In the Wild continues the story.

Each episode is about an hour long. You can watch episodes online on Arcadia Wild, Oasis HD, The Knowledge Network, and CottageLife. In the United States, shorter 30-minute episodes called Hope in the Wild are part of the CBS Dream Team TV block. The show also features other places like Dr. Barry's vet practice.

Episode 100 of the show aired on February 1, 2019. This was filmed during the center's 21st year. In 2019, a spin-off show called "Doctor Barry" started. It focuses on veterinarian Barry MacEachern and the Burnside Veterinary Hospital.

People and Animals on the Show

Human

• Hope — the founder of Hope for Wildlife
• Dr. Barry — the veterinarian
• Rebecca — staff member
• Nicole — staff member
• Sara — staff member
• Zach — staff member
• Erin — an intern
• Dr. Krystal Woo — the first live-in vet

Animal

• Gretel — a pine marten who lives at the center
• Oliver — a barred owl who lives at the center
• Maxwell — a skunk who lives at the center
• Dan — a pet peacock
• Scotty — a pigeon who lives at the center

Seasons of the Show

Hope TV Online

HOPE TV

Available in	English
Owner	Hope for Wildlife

Hope TV is an online TV channel. It shows what happens at Hope for Wildlife. This website started in the spring of 2017.