With increasing casualties due to pollution, litter and road traffic, you could train up to help with direct care, be a volunteer driver or just help to raise funds and find items on wish lists (old newspapers to medical supplies). One of the best ways to help indirectly is to organise a litter clean-up (plastic, elastic bands, glass, tins and ocean litter all cause harm). Or use graphic design skills with Canva to offer brochures and branding. Builders and men who ‘know how to do stuff’ are welcomed with open arms to build outhouses and secure runs etc.
Another good idea is to gift your wildlife shelter a nice book or two. These are the gold-standard manuals (quite expensive, as they are written by professionals). So club together to offer these (also good for vets)
- Practical Wildlife Care is by founder of Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital
- Wildlife Search and Rescue has good global advice
- A Beginner’s Guide to Rearing Baby Birds
- BSAVA Manual of Wildlife Casualties
Found Injured Wildlife?
Most vets take in injured wildlife, but local specialist rescues likely have better expertise). Keep a cardboard box with ventilation holes in your car, and the number of your local rescue. You can also get free phone advice at:
- Tiggywinkles or Secret World
- British Hedgehog Preservation Society
- British Divers Marine Life Rescue
For larger wildlife injured on roads, call the police (they will attend as a danger to all). For concern over abuse, report to National Wildlife Crime Unit and/or Crimestoppers (anonymous, if wished).
How to Hold Animals is a treasure trove of tips on how to hold animals, without hurting them. How do you hold a mouse, grasshopper, butterfly, prickly hedgehog, slithering snake or hissing cat? Most of us don’t know or are scared we may hurt them. But this book shows you how to hold beetles to hamsters, chickens to dogs. Fully illustrated, it leaves no stone unturned (even say which horn to hold, if you have to pick up a stag beetle).
Wildlife Rescue Around the World
- Irish Wildlife Matters is a fab resource, with links on what to do and how to help. Also see Seal Rescue Ireland, Ulster Wildlife and Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland.
- Find a Wildlife Rescue (US)
- Wildlife Rescue in Ontario & British Columbia. Get help to release from National Rehab.
- WIRES (AU) or IFAW’s Wildlife Rescue App
- Wildlife Rehabbers of NZ
