Orphaned animals have a saviour in Leona Green

For the last 20 plus years a wonderful lady named Leona Green has been doing what she loves, helping orphaned animals. Often animals that are killed on the highway or poached leave behind young babies and these babies don't have the ability to survive on their own. That is where Green plays a very key role in their rehabilitation and growing. Green lives just outside of Dawson Creek in Arras and has been in the same location for 30 years. Just recently she released a fox that had been brought to her this past spring after a strong recovery. These releases' are what make her happy and fulfilled in her work.
“When I released this fox I took her back to where she was picked up,” she said. “She was so beautiful and pretty as a picture. It was a sunny morning and there were butterflies flying around. When I let her go she was so happy, running and leaping in the air. She stopped and turned to me and let out a little yip, as if to thank me and was gone.” One of the most memorable babies that came to her was a pair of twin fawn deer. Someone had come across the twins at a riverbank just shortly after they were born; it was assumed that the mother had gone to feed herself after giving birth. The person who found the fawns did not realize they were not orphaned and so took them home. Not fully understanding what to feed these babies the Good Samaritan fed them sugar water. During the first few days after an animal is born they must receive colostrum from the mother, this colostrum has the necessary antibodies to help the young prevent diseases and nutrition to ensure that they grow big and strong. Sugar water was not the best thing for these fawns and it caused severe diarrhea and weakened their immune systems. Normally Green does not pick up the animals, they are usually brought to her, but in this particular case she picked up the fawns and brought them to her farm. Once the fawns received the proper nourishment they started to grow stronger and eventually they grew big enough to be released in the wild. Whether to feed themselves or to get water this is very common in the wild for the mother to leave the young alone and Green feels that people need to better understand this fact before they assume that the young is abandoned. If you come across a baby you think may be abandoned, then contact your local Conservation Officer and tell them where you saw it.