Busiest year ever leads to charity appeal for help

This surge strained all our resources to the maximum, coinciding with a decrease in our fundraising income. Regrettably, we anticipate similar challenges for 2024 as the cost of living crisis continues.

At WRAS, we are once again preparing for a rise in casualties during the upcoming months. We are already rescuing fledglings being blown out of trees, taking in orphaned fox and badger cubs. If the trend of increases continues as it generally does each year, our already limited resources will face even greater pressure.

More than half of the mammals treated are of a worry conservation status – primarily “Vulnerable”, and 52% of the birds are listed as Red or Amber conservation status on the RSPB website, indicating a decline in their populations.

To maintain the charities professional wildlife rescue service, we will need to raise an additional £34,000 to support the extra dedicated staff required for the Spring/Summer period. This includes extended reception coverage for rescue coordination into the evenings, additional hours for our dedicated Care Team to admit casualties and provide urgent first aid, and an extension of our Veterinary Surgeon's hours to care for the extra casualties which need their specialist skills.

After a long and wet winter, everyone at WRAS is eagerly anticipating the warmer spring and summer days, despite the challenges being faced. Rising costs and increased workloads are causing genuine concern, especially as we continue to search for a site for our new