VETERINARIAN Cynthia Post addresses a recent gathering. Contributed Photo "The animals we care for here would have no one to look after them - unlike domesticated dogs and cats, if it weren't for people. The funny thing is, these animals have been orphaned because of people."

So says Dr. Cynthia Post, whose fondness for wild animals began in 1994 with an orphaned raccoon she called Lady Chatterly.

The Tottenham veterinarian met her furry friend while volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary after graduating from vet school.

She quickly developed a deep bond with these helpless, yet normally free, creatures and began to merge her home life with her work life, finding it impossible to leave the orphaned animals behind at night.

Dr. Post's house soon became a foster home to many creatures, a place of healing until the animals she cared for were well enough to be released back into the wild. Since it is illegal to hold onto a wild animal for more than 24- hours - a reasonable time to find appropriate care for a sick or orphaned animal — Dr. Post needed to apply for a licence to become a Wildlife Custodian, in order to open her own wild life sanctuary.

Simultaneously, Dr. Post operated a successful animal hospital for domesticated animals in Tottenham, which payed the bills but did not give her the time she needed to care for the wild animals that needed her.

"When domesticated animals are sick their owners take them for help. Wild animals have no one to look after them," Dr. Post explains.

After a lengthy process, Dr. Post opened Procyon Wildlife Veterinary and Rehabilitation Services in her home on the 2nd Line of New Tecumseth. She sold her successful veterinary practice to concentrate on her sanctuary full time.

"I am the only wild animal sanctuary between Toronto and Midland. I take in animals from all over southern Ontario, sometimes from shelters that are already at capacity.

"Wildlife care is a service that is greatly needed, especially as humans take over the habitat once home to these animals," Dr. Post points out.

"When you see an adult animal that has been struck by a car, many times there are little babies that are now defenseless and hungry that are left behind. Sometimes by the time we get the animals here, they are literally screaming with hunger."

The majority of the animals that come to Procyon are mammals. Species, include skunks, squirrels, possums, porcupines, fawns, foxes and coyotes, as well as some reptiles, including turtles and snakes, and even a few self-feeding birds.

"Most of the animals that come here are orphaned, some are sick and some just don't make it, despite our best efforts," adds Dr. Post.

"At certain times of the year, like in the spring, we get very busy here. In 2008, we treated over 200 animals at Procyon, and that number keeps growing each year."

Procyon is strictly volunteer and donation-driven. Dr. Post does not receive any government funding for her services.

"I am very lucky to be in a position where I can do this," she admits. "However the shelter is always in need and our hand is always extended. Procyon is in the process of becoming a registered charity which should make it easier to ask for donations to keep us afloat."

People utilizing the shelter, bringing animals in for care, are always asked to make a donation.

"People give what they can afford. Sometimes it's fifty dollars, sometimes it's hundreds. I'm always amazed at the generosity in this community."

With the impending "busy" season ahead, she is actively seeking volunteers - the second key component of a successful not-for-profit business - to help with the maintenance of the shelter, and the care of the animals.

On February 7 an open meeting was held at Procyon to recruit new volunteers.

"When you do this kind of work, it kind of restores your faith in humanity," Dr. Post says. "Animals bring out the best in people."

On March 22, Dr. Post is hosting an open house for the public to see her facility and meet the animals she cares for. For more information on either event or to make a donation, call Dr. Post at 705 440-9573 or e-mail her at procyon wildlife@sympatico.ca