Progress and achievements
Our rehabilitation successes aren’t measured by the number of animals we release, but how well these animals do once back in the wild.
We’re always looking for ways to improve the way we work and the chances of survival for our rehabilitated wildlife after release.
Scientific evidence backs up our work with seals
We worked with scientists from the Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, Scotland to track and monitor common seals after release.
The research conclusively shows that rehabilitated common seals do return to the wild without any adverse effects and can swim and dive just as well as normal healthy wild seals.
This is great news for us and all the seals who come into our care. Read more about proof that rehabilitating seals works.
Bat flight funded by centre staff and volunteers
During 2011 we were delighted to unveil a new much-needed bat flight funded by the fundraising efforts of everyone at the centre.
Before the bat flight was built, bats had to be flown in the operating theatre at the centre, with all the items in the theatre covered with sheets, to ensure it was safe for the small patients to spread their wings.
Centre manager, Alison Charles, said:
The new bat flight means that the bats can fly and exercise all night and we have also put in a camera which will enable us to see how well they can fly.
It means that when we release them we know that they are back to full strength and have the best chance of surviving back in the wild.
Bats are amazing mammals and it is just wonderful that our staff and volunteers have been able to do something to help improve the lives of some of our smallest patients!
New state of the art rehabilitation aviary
Our new flight aviary is a staggering 96 feet long, 20 foot wide and 16 foot high. It plays a vital part in the rehabilitation of wild birds, especially larger birds of prey.
The flight aviary, made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust, will benefit a huge range of birds, not least the larger birds of prey such as Marsh Harriers and Buzzards.
Alison Charles, centre manager, explained:
We are over the moon that we now have this fantastic facility at our centre which will have an incredible impact on the work we do with birds of prey.
Once the birds have been rehabilitated by our team of vets and wildlife assistants we want to know how well they fly before we release them.
We need to be sure that the birds are capable of strong competent straight flight, and by having this fantastic new facility we will be able to do this. We will use footage from the donated CCTV cameras to enable us to assess flight in the aviary.
If a bird cannot fly well they may not be able to hunt and they could starve, so clearly this aviary will inevitably help to save the lives of many birds.
There's still much more to do!
We have made fantastic progress but, with so many different species of wildlife, there will always be more to learn, and much more to do.
Find out more about our work rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, and how you can help.