Hope for Wildlife unveils new marine habitat at annual open house

Hope for Wildlife unveiled itsnew marine habitat Sundayat the rescue organization's annual open house.

The new habitat is larger, features grass instead of wooden floorsand is further away from the public. It will house any marine animals that need it; seal pups, beavers, gulls, ottersand ducks are expected.

"It's a beautiful unit," said Hope Swinimer, founder of Hope for Wildlife. "We'll be able to do a lot with it."

VictoriaBolhuis, an intern at Hope for Wildlife, said she is looking forward to moving seals into the new enclosure.

"The other marine unit is much smaller and doesn't have the amount of depth for the seals," Bolhuis said.

Bolhuis saidthe deeper pools will help seal pupsdevelop their swimming. She said thenew location of the enclosure is also key in rehabilitating the wildlife.

"It's further away from the public, so it's less stress on the animals," Bolhuissaid. "They're less exposed to people so they'll wild up better."

It tooka year and a half to raise$40,000 to build the enclosure, but Hope for Wildlife is still looking to raise more money to add a roof to the shelter before it houses any animals.

"We are Canada's ocean playground," Swinimersaid. "So we really need to think about our oceans and everything that's in them."

In addition to the new marine habitat, the annual open house offered a behind-the-scenes look at the rescue's inner workings.

The public was able to see a baby raccoon nursery andtest veterinary skills at a teddy bear injury clinic.

The open house was also an opportunity to meetGretel, one of the remaining 100 pine marten left in Nova Scotia.

"We do education all year long, but one day a year we open up everything," Swinimer said.

"We really want people to understand what we do for the animals. We have a lot of science, a lot of hard work, and a lot of volunteers to make this all happen."

Hundreds of cars could be seen parked along the highway inSeaforth, N.S.,outside the entrance to the facility.

Since 1997, Hope for Wildlife rescued, rehabilitatedand released more than40,000 animals.

Lynn Roger,head of the medical district for the facility,saidmore animals are coming in this year compared to last year.

"For 2018, we are at approximately500 more animals than what we were at last year in 2017," Roger said.

But Roger credits the spike in animals to events like the open house, which brings awareness to the public about Hope for Wildlife.

"It's about educating the public on wildlife and the importance of wildlife for our planet ... and what we can do as people to contribute," Roger said.