A HANDS-ON CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION

Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC)

The last defence for endangered species in the country. For nearly four decades, we’ve provided direct, hands-on care for reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects and mammals on the brink of extinction.

We’re on a mission to save animals at risk in Canada, provide opportunities for Canadian biologists to increase their expertise, and advance conservation science with new methods.

Our Vision

A land where Canada’s wildlife is bountiful diverse thriving and free from the threat of extinction.

WPC’s recovery effort is more important than ever.

Today, climate change, urban sprawl and other threats are putting more pressure on species at risk. The biodiversity crisis is an existential threat to all of us.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity states that 1 million species are already facing extinction and that action must be taken now to reduce biodiversity loss.

Once species disappear disappear ecosystems will unravel, and the services they provide us will be irreplaceable.

Our Approach

1

We develop innovative techniques

that can be used around the world to save species at risk.
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2

We build this country’s conservation capacity

by providing opportunities for young scientists to work with endangered species.
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3

We work closely with local communities

recognizing that they are critical to long-term conservation success.
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We specialize in science-based techniques such as conservation breeding and release, reintroduction, and translocation.

Our Long-Term Goal

To recover target populations of the species we work with, increasing their numbers to the point where they no longer need hands-on intervention to survive.

Our Beginning

Since 1985, when Wildlife Preservation Trust Canada was founded by Gerald Durrell, we’ve been saving critically endangered species – species whose numbers in the wild are so low that a great deal more than habitat protection is required to recover them. We continue to honour his lifelong work of saving endangered species, through hands-on conservation techniques.

Gerald Durrell with animals
Learn More About Our Founder

Our Strategic Priorities

From our 2022 – 2026 strategic plan

We are pioneering new reintroduction techniques with massasauga rattlesnakes and partnering with more conservation breeding facilities to double the number of eastern loggerhead shrikes we release.

This goes beyond getting more likes on social media. It means getting Canadians actively involved in recovery programs — whether it’s recruiting more community scientists to report bumble bee sightings or building capacity for First Nations to manage projects on lands they steward.

We understand that the work of saving animal species requires and is strengthened by the contributions and leadership of people of widely diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities.

WPC’s priority ranking, the Conservation Action Plan, is based on status (endangered, threatened, special concern), and readiness for hands-on intervention such as captive breeding, nest protection, reintroduction.

Our Programs

To maximize our impact, we choose species based on the urgency of their conservation needs, our unique expertise and the potential to collaborate with other organizations and strategic partners.

What Makes Us Different?

Our key values make us a leader in conservation in Canada.

  • Resourceful & Innovative

    We are resourceful and innovative, finding novel ways to save species at risk.

  • Passionate & Dedicated

    We are passionate and dedicated, bringing enthusiasm and commitment to a cause we care deeply about. 

  • Science-based & Multidisciplinary

    We are science-based and multidisciplinary, using data to drive solutions and recognizing the value of bringing diverse expertise to the table.

  • Collaborative & Integrative

    We are collaborative and integrative, coordinating our actions with strategic partners and the wider conservation community to deliver the most good for species at risk. 

  • Sustainable

    We are sustainable, understanding that the health of Canada’s wildlife depends on the health of the planet.

© 2023 Wildlife Preservation Canada

Wildlife Preservation Canada
5420 Highway 6 North
Guelph, ON N1H 6J2

Toll free 1 (800) 956-6608
Phone 1 (519) 836-9314
admin@wildlifepreservation.ca

Territory Acknowledgement

WPC is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario on the homelands of many nations, including the Anishinaabek, Neutral, Métis, Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We work across Turtle Island, and have deep gratitude to all the Indigenous Peoples who have been, and continue to be, stewards and protectors the lands on which we rely.

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Charitable Registration No.

89171 0535 RR0001