A tiny survivor named Apollo, a pair of orphaned otters, an emaciated pup and the redemption of humans are among the stories being celebrated province-wide by the BC SPCA for 2025.
Apollo was one day old when discovered with two siblings in a Kelowna scrap yard. Gathered up by their finder, one sibling was euthanized shortly after arrival at the animal hospital, with a second following suit shortly.
Apollo not only pulled through, but thrived according to the foster that named him.
“This story celebrates the resiliency of this tiny kitten but also the incredible efforts of the BC SPCA’s fosters,” Kelowna SPCA branch manager Shannon Paille said. “The amazing foster spent countless nights waking up every couple of hours to bottle feed Apollo. He is the healthy kitten he is today because of her efforts and the compassionate person who found him.”
Apollo spent the holidays in his forever home, with the individual who first found him.
He was far from the only orphan celebrated by the provincial animal agency as the year winds down.
The agency’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) in Metchosin, housed two unrelated river otter pups after they lost their mothers in June and July of 2024. In April the pair, now bonded, was released back into the wild.
The only wildlife rehab on southern Vancouver Island, Wild ARC treats more than 2,000 wild animals a year and was fully prepared when the pups required bottle-feeding four times a day at the start. To prevent the animals from bonding with their caregivers, and associating humans with food and safety, Wild ARC staff wore gowns, gloves, boots, masks and full-face visors. The pups would bond with each other, playing and learning how to feed themselves while exploring their specially designed enclosure with enrichment opportunities to help the pups maintain their wild instincts.
“It was so rewarding to see both otters confidently swim off to explore their new home in the wild,” branch manager Ashley Currie said. “This is why we do what we do.”
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A whole bundle of orphaned kittens captured hearts in early December and put the Sunshine Coast branch in a tailspin.
Plastic containers, taped closed and filled with 32 cats, were dumped at the gate of the centre on Dec. 5 around 9 a.m. Discovered by staff 20 minutes later, the unprecedented number of animals abandoned at one site meant closing the branch, and thinking outside the box.
“When these cats appeared on our doorstep, we already had more than 50 animals in our care and only six kennels available. We had to close the animal centre to properly care for these animals and the others,” branch manager Marika Donnelly said at the time. “Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for a litter or kittens or a dog to be left outside an animal centre, but to find more than 30 cats is unheard of.”
Sadly, one of the cats was found deceased, 15 were transferred to Surrey and the rest stayed on the Sunshine Coast. Some of the cats are currently available for adoption.
A dog hungry for love and rescued in remote Prince George now calls Vancouver Island home.
“Birdie stole the hearts of everyone who met her,” Quesnel animal care specialist Jennifer Coghil said. “After all that she had been through, she was so friendly, even right after her surgery. She just wanted to be loved.”
In November, the four-year-old golden retriever mix was found with thick fur hiding a serious and painful injury. The dog, now called Birdie, had parts of a heavy chain and carabiner partially embedded in the skin of her neck, and required emergency surgery.
“A BC SPCA volunteer heard Birdie’s story and travelled from Vancouver Island to the Shuswap animal centre in Salmon Arm to meet her and bring her home,” Coghill said. “We are so grateful to have already received some pictures of Birdie in her forever home, and she looks so happy. What a difference a few weeks made in the life of this dog.”
The BC SPCA plans to recommend animal cruelty charges in connection with this case.
An emaciated pit bull/English bulldog mix found by a jogger in Richmond also found a home for the holidays.
After waiting to see if an owner was nearby, and finding no one, the jogger got the dog into his car and to the Richmond branch. Now called Arnie, he was placed with a BC SPCA foster and began several months of care including a veterinarian supervised re-feeding plan to help him gain weight.
Arnie was adopted in July and is spending his first holidays with his forever family.
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