Please Help to Save the Albatross

A story out of Kingston this week has gained some media coverage. An albatross, not indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere, was washed up on the shores of Wolfe Island and there is a campaign to have him sent to a more natural habitat.

Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in Napanee, Ontario, have always been involved in amazing animal rescue and they are once again coming through for this little guy.

The yellow-nosed albatross found washed up on the shore of Wolfe Island just over a week ago and currently convalescing at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in Napanee needs the public's help. A 15-foot, above-ground pool, to be filled with saltwater, has been donated to the centre to help the albatross in its recovery. Now the centre is looking for someone to install the pool for them, and someone who can transport the saltwater to the centre. The bird needs the saltwater to maintain its wings' waterproofing, said Leah Birmingham, assistant director at the centre.

After consulting with experts, however, it was decided that the bird's only chance of survival was to be released in its native southern hemisphere. "It's come to our attention that he would not be able to navigate the winds they face in the northern hemisphere to get back to the southern hemisphere," Birmingham said. As a result, the centre is currently trying to arrange for the bird to be flown to a reserve in South Africa, where it will be released back into its natural habitat.

We need to save this albatross because it helps to define who we are as Canadians, with a long tradition of helping strangers who wash up on our shores.

So please visit the Sandy Pines website and do what you can.