Warm weather creating wild behaviour in Windsor animals

The delayed onset of sub-zero temperatures in Ontario has messed with bird migration and may have createda spike in the number of skunks and raccoons dying from canine distemper, say wildlife experts.

An unusually high number of sickly skunks and raccoons have been euthanized at Wings Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Amherstburg in recent weeks. Most of the animals are diagnosed with distemper, a highly contagious and often deadly virus that causes animals to become lethargic but even aggressive if cornered.

• Toronto sees spike in raccoons with canine distemper virus

"Distemper is running rampant right now. We're getting reports from a lot of rehabbers from all over Ontario that have seen an increase," said Nancy Phillips, president and animal overseer at Wings.

Infected animals in the early stages often appear lethargic and scrawny with runny eyes and noses. In the later stages, the animals can go into convulsions. Because there's no cure and half of the animals infected end up dying there isn't much rehabbers like Phillips can do.

"Most of the ones coming in are being put down at this time," she said.

Phillips urges the public to keep be vigilant of the symptoms in animals and to contact a professional when they see them.

"Once you see something like that, you need to call in and then we'll give you advice or walk you through what we're going to do next," she said.

Pets should also be vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of canine distemper.

Slow migration

Bird migration patterns have changed slightly with the unseasonably warm temperatures in the region, according to wildlife experts.

Waterfowl that typically line the Detroit River after the Great Lakes start to freeze up are late to arrive this year.

"Along Peche Island is a great spot to view waterfowl this time of year," Tom Preney, anaturalist at Ojibway Park, said. "But,it's just because there's so much open water we're not seeing the numbers that we normally do."

On the flip side, birds that have usually left by now are sticking around.

The long-tailed duck is onethat likes larger bodies of water and would normally have moved out of the Great Lakes once they freeze, but that hasn't happened yet, according to Preney.

Other birds, like tundra swans, would normally have left the region this far into December, but they're staying around a little longer.

"Once the water freezes up, they continue their migration south, but because there's no snow cover, they're still going to open farm land to be able to find food, so that's a bird we're still seeing large numbers of throughout the county," Preney said.