OHS Officer Rescues Bat From a Sticky Situation

Stuck on a glue strip mouse trap, a little bat would surely have died if the Good Samaritan who found him hadn’t called the Ottawa Humane Society for help.

The Rescue and Investigation Services officer who went to the scene to save the bat gently secured him in a wildlife box before bringing him to the shelter.

Once at the OHS, a technician carefully oiled up the bat’s body to free him from his gluey enclosure then gave him a soapy bath to wash away all traces. The technician gave the thirsty bat some water through a syringe.

The little guy was dried off and left to rest in a quiet room until an OHS partner, Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, picked him up to continue his care.

Special Notice: The OHS is currently experiencing an interruption in its Rescue and Investigation Services department. RIS hours have been reduced to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from 7 to 1 a.m.

This change is due to a staffing shortage after the OSPCA stripped the OHS of its affiliate status over a voting rights dispute. The OHS and six other local humane societies in Ontario are going to court next month to restore our communities’ voice in animal welfare and to reinstate the OHS’s affiliate status. To read more about the issue, please click here.

In the meantime, the OHS is working with its partners to ensure no animals are left to suffer due to the reduced hours. Thanks to the Ottawa police, the Wild Bird Care Centre, Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and the City of Ottawa for their help during this difficult time.

We apologize sincerely and are working rapidly to restore full service to our community.

The Ottawa Humane Society was founded in 1888. It was created to enforce our the new animal welfare legislation in the capital of our almost-new country. And ever since, it has been core to what the OHS does for our community and for its animals. Read more on the OHS blog. 

The Ottawa Humane Society has partnered with the Pet Loss Support Group of Ottawa to offer on going grief counselling to our community. Coping with the loss of a pet is never easy and many people suffer when they lose a pet and find it hard to move forward alone in the grieving process.

Group meetings facilitated by a certified grief educator will held monthly at the OHS beginning Sept. 26. Grief educators provide information on a variety of subjects related to pet loss through guest lectures and informal discussions, working alongside participants to provide compassionate support and in-depth coping strategies for anyone dealing with the loss of a pet.

This program is available to our community free of charge. Participants are not required to bring anything but may wish to share photos of their pet and other memorial items. Light refreshments will be available.

For more information about this new program, or to register for an upcoming meeting, please contact the supervisor: programs by email at programs@ottawahumane.ca or by phone at 613-725-3166 ext. 298.