6,000 animals in distress rescued last year in Mississauga: city

Animal Services workers rescued nearly 6,000 creatures in distress last year in Mississauga, a significant decline from a record-setting number in 2023.

Among the thousands of rescues in 2024, City of Mississauga Animal Services says, was an incident in which an injured beaver was tended to after being hit by a car. Others involved helping a skunk after a plastic cup had become stuck on its head and freeing orphaned kittens who were trapped in “hard-to-reach places.”

In recent years, animal rescue workers in Canada’s seventh-largest city, who as a response unit are on call 24 hours a day seven days a week, have also caught a raccoon in mid-air after the critter had leapt from a Highway 407 guard rail some 40 feet above the valley below and provided life-saving treatment to a cat rescued from a house fire.

Such stories abound and animal rescue crews in Mississauga have seen pretty much everything over the years.

“Our officers handle a wide range of rescues,” Jay Smith, manager of Mississauga Animal Services, told INsauga.com in an email.

A “wide range of rescues” is somewhat of an understatement as animal rescue workers come across numerous unique situations on any given day — especially during the busiest time of the year. A city spokesperson said earlier most rescues, of both wild animals and domesticated, take place between April and September.

These orphaned kittens were rescued in 2024 after becoming trapped in part of a fence.

Smith said he can’t explain the dramatic spike in animal rescues in 2023, when his crews responded to 7,289 animals in distress — “the highest number we’ve ever recorded.”

That’s some 1,200 more rescues — or an additional 100 per month, on average — than the number recorded in 2024. By further comparison, Mississauga Animal Services workers responded to 5,627 rescue calls in 2022, a record at the time, 5,594 calls in 2021 and 4,459 in 2020.

“Although we don’t know exactly why rescues were highest in 2023, more people are reaching out when they see animals in trouble, and we’re proud to provide the help they need,” said Smith in offering one possible explanation for the 2023 increase.

He added such rescues are possible “thanks to residents who license their pets and those who generously donate to the Special Care for Animals and Resources Fund. Their support allows us to feed and care for homeless pets, provide veterinary treatment and maintain 24/7 emergency rescue services for animals in need.”

Animal Services workers saved this skunk in 2024 by removing a plastic cup that had become stuck on the critter’s head.

A portion of money collected when Mississauga residents pay for licences for their dogs and cats goes to animal rescue efforts in the city.

City officials note many types of wildlife call Mississauga home — from raccoons, skunks and coyotes to beavers, swans and snapping turtles, and many more creatures in between.

As essential workers, Animal Services teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to animal-related concerns, both domestic and wildlife.

City officials say increased wildlife activity, growing populations and greater urban density are contributing to the rise in emergency calls.

Residents who see or encounter an injured, distressed animal or lost pet are urged to call Mississauga Animal Services at 905-896-5858. Calls are taken 24 hours a day.

In 2022, this raccoon jumped from the Highway 407 guard rail to the valley 40 feet below, but was caught in a net mid-air by an Animal Services worker. The animal was unharmed.

Four caimans (small alligators) and an anaconda were found inside a mysterious package sent to a wrong address in Mississauga in 2022.

This family of geese was found on the roof of a building at the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2022. They were safely relocated to a nearby pond.

(All photos: City of Mississauga Animal Services)