RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, based in Nantwich, Cheshire, and UK Wildlife Transporters (UKWT) are appealing for dedicated volunteers across the Midlands and North West to support a new partnership aimed at improving the transport and care of wildlife casualties.

Every year, thousands of injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals rely on quick access to veterinary treatment and specialist rehabilitation. However, increasing demand and recent changes within wildlife services across the charity mean additional volunteer support is now urgently needed.

As part of this new partnership, staff at Stapeley Grange are working alongside UK Wildlife Transporters to strengthen the region’s wildlife rescue network by helping transport wildlife casualties from members of the public or veterinary practices to Stapeley Grange, local veterinary practices, or approved wildlife rehabilitators operating under the Wildlife Care Badge Scheme .

It will help wildlife like this red kite (pictured) which was found grounded recently and brought into the Cheshire wildlife centre for vet care before being released.Now organisers of the new initiative want to recruit volunteer wildlife transporters living in the following areas:

• Chester
• Oswestry
• Wrexham
• Stoke
• Macclesfield

The partnership aims to help members of the public who may come across injured wildlife, but then do not possess the expertise or the equipment to transport the animals themselves. It also wants to build a wider network of wildlife-friendly veterinary practices across the region and improve support and triage for wildlife casualties through closer collaboration with vet practices and rehabilitators.

RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre Manager Lee Stewart said the scheme  will also help tackle the rise in the number of unsuitable and unapproved facilities attempting to rehabilitate injured wildlife, “This partnership is a hugely important step forward for wildlife rescue across our region. By working together with UK Wildlife Transporters and wildlife-friendly veterinary practices, we can ensure injured wildlife reaches appropriate care more quickly and safely,” said Lee.

“Our volunteer wildlife transporters play a vital role in animal welfare, helping to transport mammals such as bats, rodents, fox and badger cubs, to nestlings, fledglings (like the pigeon squab pictured below who was rescued by a member of the public in Halifax this week), gulls, offshore birds, and smaller waterfowl species.“By being able to react quickly to an often-changing situation this timely transport can often mean the difference between life and death for an animal.

”Volunteers can offer as much or as little time as they are able and will become part of a wider network of trained and supportive wildlife rescuers, who are all part of the extended ‘Stapeley Family’.They will be requested to transport wildlife in need to the an appropriate place of care under the partnership.

Stapeley Grange hopes the collaboration will not only improve outcomes for wildlife casualties but also help protect and strengthen wildlife rescue services across the Midlands and North West for the future.

UK Wildlife Transporters is a non-profit organisation which since its launch in 2020 has ferried several thousand animals to wildlife centres and vet practices for emergency treatment. Last year it helped 793 wild animals across the UK with hedgehogs, garden birds and pigeons the most transported species.

Lee added: “The work we have done so far with UK Wildlife Transporters has meant we have been able to save the lives of a lot more wild animals. There are areas where we have a concentration of volunteers and others where our numbers are low, so we would really like to recruit more volunteers in the Chester/Wrexham/Oswestry area as well as Stoke and Macclesfield.

“As well as a passion for wildlife, volunteers will need to have their own transport and be prepared to purchase a couple of animal carriers (large and small).

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Alana Hurd, the founder of UK Wildlife Transporters, their dedicated volunteers, and the veterinary practices already supporting wildlife across our region as your support makes a real difference every day.

“We would love more local vets and wildlife lovers to come on board and help us out so together we can ensure injured wildlife receives the help it so desperately needs.”Founder of UK Wildlife Transporters Alana Hurd said: “This partnership with RSPCA Stapeley Grange has had an immediate, noticeable impact on wildlife in the areas surrounding the centre. It is helping wildlife on a scale that’s more than I ever hoped for, when we started working together by enabling new ways for these deserving creatures to benefit from expert care, when otherwise they would have missed out.” 

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer wildlife transporter, or veterinary practices wishing to become involved in the scheme, are encouraged to get in touch by emailing alana@ukwildlifetransporters.org

Vets can find more information at https://www.ukwildlifetransporters.org/info-for-vets

Stapeley's latest arrival through the scheme!!