Jo Ellen Cushing is our licensed wildlife rehabilitator through the Québec Fish & Wildlife service. Our goal in rehabilitating the local indigenous wildlife is to mitigate the impact man has on injured, displaced or orphans animals in order to give them a second chance at life. Those animals not able to return to the wild become permanent education animals. Indigenous animals we rescue and release include foxes, bear cubs, skunks, raccoons, deer fawns, coyotes, birds of prey like hawks, eagles and owls. Below is just a tiny sample of hundreds of cases we've seen.

As a part of Cushing Mews to educate the public about birds of prey, some of our birds were captive born.

Whisper

Female Barred Owl

Born at Cushing Mews

Released in 2014

She's the offspring of two of our rescues. Her mother couldn't take proper care of her because of an old injury. As a result, Derek started raising her when she was 4 days old. We released Whisper with her mother in 2014. They still fly in every night for supplemental food.

Wageena

Bald Eagle

Brought in 2008

In the nest, a sibling eagle clipped her right wing somehow and Wageena could not fly. She was brought to us at less than a year old. Bald Eagles take between 4-5 years of moulting to attain their adult plumage of a white, neck and tail feathers.

Archimedes

Snowy Owl

Brought in 2009

Hit by a vehicle, Archimedes had to have a tip of his wing amputated. He is a permanent education bird. Snowy Owls live in the Arctic tundra, and occasionally venture south into the Ottawa area. In 2014, CTV news published that more and more of the birds are venturing down, farther south than usual, into our capital. This was been driven by an extremely successful breeding season in the north – the large numbers push some birds south in an irruption, or a migration into unusual areas.

Heart

Ferruginous hawk

Brought in 1994 and born in 1992

Captivity born

Permanent education animal

Koda

Black Bear

One of our bear cubs a few years ago. Hunters can often mistakenly shoot a mother bear orphaning her cubs. Our wildlife centre was able to rescue and release Koda back to the wild. He is one of many success stories.

Apache

Black Bear

Another orphaned Black Bear. Apache's mother was shot by a hunter. She was later found by a family in an apple tree. The Québec Fish & Wildlife had to set up a fireman's net to expel her from the tree. In the wild, bears live with their mothers for two years before they are able to survive on their own. We taught Apache which foods to eat like her mother would have. Apache lived with us through the winter and was released with another bear, Thor, in 2008.

More wildlife

International School for Earth Studies

Earth Studies is a Canadian outdoor education company started in 2001 by Geoffrey and Jo Ellen Cushing. Our mission is to empower people to create a thriving, environmental consciousness by increasing their appreciation for and knowledge of nature and animals. Earth Studies is a school located in southwestern Québec, an hour outside of Ottawa, Ontario. We offer gap year programs, dog sledding tours and retreats all encompassing a love for animals and the outdoors.

The Animals

Since settling on the shores of Indian Lake in the late 90’s, the Cushing family has cared for rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of animal species. Core to the campus are the domestic animals such as the sled dogs and horses. Unique however are the wild animals that find their way to the Cushings — some to stay as permanent residents and others who are transients to be ‘fixed up’ or ‘given a second chance’ to continue their journey through life.

On the domestic side, the Cushing family has rekindled an old sled dog racing bloodline known as the “Seppala Siberian Huskies.” This bloodline dates back to the famous serum run in 1925 and the saving of children from the deadly diphtheria epidemic. The ancestry of the equine partners here at Earth Studies are famous also in their own right and helped to carve a nation.