Established in 1987 the Centre For The Conservation Of Specialized Species is a fully charitable organization that is dedicated to promoting the conservation of animals that are at a high risk of becoming threatened, endangered or extinct due to their high degree of dependence on their particular eco-system. These “specialized species” are the first species to decline whenever eco-systems are altered.



Species such as the Giant Panda are sadly already critically endangered primarily due to the loss of their habitat, while more adaptable species such as Crows and Raccoons face a greatly reduced risk of decline due to their much greater adaptability.



The Centre has worked with over 40 unique species of animals such as birds of prey, bats, primates, reptiles & invertebrates and is currently home to over 300 animals. While some of these species are not currently endangered, all are highly specialized to their particular eco-system. We promote the conservation of these species through our Outreach Program, Breeding programs and by providing a home and purpose to injured non-releasable birds.



Each year the Centre’s Outreach Program reaches over 4,000 students throughout South Eastern Ontario. Children from Brampton to Ottawa are given the opportunity to see animals up close and also learn valuable information about the role they play in the wild and the threats they face from changes to our planet. Our program is designed to be a perfect compliment to the Ontario science curriculum and is highly educational. Many students are forever changed when given the opportunity to touch a live bat’s wing or look into the impressive eyes of an owl.



Our captive breeding programs are also highly successful. The Centre is a registered ISIS (International Species Inventory System) breeder. The animals bred at out Centre are placed in zoological institutions for future breeding programs and educational work. We also provide animals to groups similar to ourselves for use in their educational programs. People from across the world have been given the chance to see and learn about animals that were born at our Centre. None of our animals are ever allowed into the pet trade, as these species require extensive care and experienced staff to be properly maintained.



Captive breeding programs also act as an insurance policy against extinction. Although species such as the Tiger are facing possible extinction in the wild, through captive breeding they will remain viable and hopefully if habitat can be restored, reintroduction will be possible. Many species such as the American Bison and California Condor exist today mainly due to successful captive breeding programs. Establishing and maintaining a stable, genetically diverse gene pool is vital to any breeding program, and the Centre is proud to be able to add to this worldwide effort.



We also provide a home the many birds of prey who have been injured in the wild, these birds were sadly so badly injured that re-introduction into the wild was not possible. Rather than being euthanized, these birds were sent to our Centre to be used in our breeding programs. These birds are given a “purpose” and actually thrive at our Centre, many of our best breeders are birds that came to us this way.



Future plans for the Centre are to increase the interactivity of our educational programs though the opening of our Centre to school and public tour groups. However this will only be after our relocation, which is currently ongoing. Also we are hopeful of being able to open a bird of prey emergency rehabilitation wing at our Centre in the future, this would allow us to give immediate treatment to birds that have been injured in the wild. Currently the Centre is unable to provide care to these birds due to lack of funding. Of course the Centre will always continue to attempt to expand the groups of species it works with in the future, budgetary constraints are the only limiting factors.



The Centre does not receive government funding and instead relies primarily on fundraising events such as conducting bingos, raffles etc. and also from donations. The Centre currently has no full time paid employees, but instead relies upon the tireless efforts of a small but highly dedicated group of volunteers.



We are always grateful for the support of the public and very willing to answer any questions about the work we do or the animals we work with.