Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre

Watch a video of our open day, featuring an interview with Bill Oddie.

Mallydams Wood looks after thousands of wildlife casualties every year. Our staff are very knowledgeable and experienced in the treating of wildlife casualties, their release and post-release monitoring. And of course we’d be lost without our tireless volunteers!

The beginning

The late Horace Quick, a local artist who loved nature and wildlife, gave Mallydams Wood to us in 1962. To honour his wish that the 22-hectare wood should benefit wildlife, we built a small rehabilitation centre. Since Mallydams opened, we’ve cared for more than 30,000 wild animals!

Facilities

Veterinary examination room and x-ray facilities.
Isolation cubicles for larger birds and mammals.
Quiet, secluded orphan rearing and veterinary treatment areas.
Specialist oiled bird cleaning sinks with high pressure hot water boilers.
Rooms for drying cleaned oiled seabirds as well as pens and aviaries for growing orphans.
Pools for cleaned seabirds and injured birds to get used to being back in the water.

Species treated

Oiled swan rescued by the RSPCA. © Andrew Forsyth/RSPCA Photolibrary

Mallydams admits more oiled birds each year than any other centre in the country. Unfortunately, as long as we use fossil fuel, we’ll suffer from oil pollution. To try and help animals affected as a result, we’ve invested in resources to care for oiled seabirds. Over time, staff and volunteers have built up expertise in the care of oiled birds, which has driven change in rehabilitation practices.

The most frequent admissions are birds, including owls, birds of prey, garden birds, waterbirds and gulls. When it comes to mammals, hedgehogs are most common, followed by rabbits, badgers, foxes and seals (grey and common)....but no cats or dogs!

Visiting Mallydams Wood

Unfortunately, because welfare of the animals is our priority, we can’t allow the public to tour the centre. Too much human contact can prevent animals from making a full recovery. However, supervised visits to support vocational courses or groups can be booked in advance.