Metchosin menagerie expands

Judith Lavoie
Times Colonist April 22,2004

Luke is blissfully unaware that he was an unwanted llama, resulting from an illicit liaison.

Lying in a sunny spot, surrounded by his mother, adoring aunts and two-month-old barnmate Garnet, he is a picture of llama well-being.

"I didn't want any baby llamas, but I try not to say that loudly, because I don't want to damage their self-esteem," said Tracy Vandekerkhove, founder of the Victoria Humane Society, as she stands in a spacious pen, surrounded by llamas trying to give her whiffling kisses with rubbery upper lips.

The llama baby boom -- with two babies and two on the way in a population of a dozen llamas -- is the result of the formerly virginal females receiving an unexpected visit from a foster llama staying at the 22-acre Metchosin property.

He was not only skilled at opening gate locks, a house sitter did not realize the large, brown male had sneaked into the female enclosure and was in a party mood.

However, with a population of more than 200 guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, ferrets, sugar-gliders, chinchillas, hedgehogs, degu (a type of ground squirrel) and a pointy-nosed short-tailed pygmy opossum named Amelia, a few extra llamas are a minor hiccup in Vandekerkhove's animal-centred life.

Vandekerkhove takes in animals whose lives are threatened or whose owners are in dire straits. She rehabilitates those with physical or psychological injuries, pays for rabbits, cats and guinea pigs to be spayed or neutered and then attempts to find homes for the adoptable ones.

Others live out their days at the Humane Society, either because they need special care or they are animals that no one will adopt.

Many formerly feral felines -- some of which are passed on to Vandekerkhove by the SPCA -- take more than a year to trust people and are unlikely to adjust to a new home.

"That's the crabby kitty room," said Vandekerkhove as a yowl came from behind a closed door. "You probably don't want to go in there."

For cats that have passed the socialization test, life is soft.

The 30-plus volunteers, who help clean piles of cages, feed and muck out barns, get some help in the cat area from Nash, a tubby tabby who has become a permanent resident. He grooms the feral cats, cleans up newcomers and brings them into the cat room.

In the luxurious guinea pig and rabbit room, with enough toys to ensure no one suffers from sensory deprivation, there is a stampede when a salad lands on the floor.

"People ask if we are crazy. Yes, we are, but we try and pretend to be perfectly ordinary people living in Metchosin," said Vandekerkhove, who works 12 to 14 hours a day with the animals.

The genesis of the Victoria Humane Society was nine years ago when Lola the rabbit chewed all the stereo and computer cords in the Vandekerkhove house.

Tracy's husband, Douglas Vandekerkhove, who is CEO of software company ACD Systems, decided it was time to build a barn.

But, with room, more animals arrived and Noah's Guest House was born.

There were already four resident llamas and people facing crises started asking Vandekerkhove to take their animals.

"We said we would only take animals in emergencies, but it is hard to say no when people are desperate," Vandekerkhove said.

The small animals usually come from "nice people who don't know any better and haven't done the research," she said.

Trendy animals, whether llamas or sugar gliders (a small marsupial), are bought by people who are not willing to put the necessary time and energy into their pet or who don't bother to spay or neuter their animal.

Many of the guinea pigs came from breeders going out of business. "We got 50 in November and 39 were pregnant," Vandekerkhove said, with a note of exasperation.

As the four-legged population grew, the name of the organization changed to the Victoria Humane Society and became a registered charity.

Donations help, but Vandekerkhove admits that family money keeps it running.

"My husband is a saint -- look at this place," she said gesturing round the chew-proof exotic animal room.

"I can't say how much it costs. My husband's family would think he has gone insane."

Volunteers include teens and people with disabilities. "We have terrific teens in our city," Vandekerkhove said.

But, more is always needed, whether it is car pool drivers or someone willing to do cat laundry.

Meanwhile, there is the continuing quest for adoptive and foster homes for everything from llamas to chinchillas.

"Llamas are great for ground-clearing," Vandekerkhove said encouragingly.