RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre has completed a major two-year development of purpose-built isolation units which will allow the safer admission of high-risk bird species amid the ongoing Avian Influenza crisis.

The UK wildlife rehabilitation sector has faced an unprecedented challenge over the last three years as The H5N1 Avian Influenza strain has reshaped rescue operations, affecting a vast range of species—including waterfowl, offshore birds, corvids and raptors, and persisting throughout the year rather than subsiding in summer.

Avian Flu can affect all birds and also scavenging mammals that feed on birds that may have died from the disease. Seals, cats and cows have also tested positive. 

To safeguard animals, staff, and operations, the wildlife centre, near Nantwich in Cheshire, has invested in cutting-edge biosecurity infrastructure with the new facilities including two dedicated triage units and four fully self-contained isolation cabins. Designed to function as miniature hospitals, each cabin is equipped with independent ventilation, heating, and cooling systems to prevent airborne transmission of the disease.

Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease under the Animal Health Act 1981. Crucially, once a wild bird has been in rehabilitation for 14 days, it is legally reclassified as captive. A confirmed captive case, without appropriate isolation facilities, can trigger mandatory site-wide culling of all birds.

This legal threshold has historically forced centres to make heartbreaking decisions to refuse admissions of high-risk species to protect the rest of their patients. Stapeley Grange’s new units are designed to mitigate this risk, allowing for a strict 14-day quarantine period in a bio-secure environment.

Lee Stewart, Centre Manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “The risk of a cull of our animals has been an ever-present concern, which is why we have had to adopt a strict minimal-risk approach to admissions. While the public often views the RSPCA as an emergency service for all animals, there have been cases where we simply could not help where the risk was too great and that has taken a real toll on the team.

"The reality is complex as admitting a single infected bird without perfect isolation could put every animal on site at risk and lead to long-term closure. With these new facilities, we can now admit species like swans, geese, and raptors safely and responsibly, without placing the wider site at risk. The facilities have been a game-changer for us and although space is limited in the new units we can now take in all species.”  

The new cabins (pictured above), referred to as Epidemiological Units, work in a paired rotation system. While one unit is in use, its partner remains closed to new admissions preventing cross-contamination. While one pair of cabins is set up more for garden bird species using specialist cages like bird cages and cat carriers, the other pair of cabins has been designed more for orphaned waterfowl and gulls, which includes a bank of shoreline cages.

The centre has also invested in the refurbishment of four 20-year-old mammal runs, to house a limited number of larger waterfowl species under biosecure conditions (pictured right). Each unit includes dedicated changing areas so staff can provide care without re-entering shared spaces in contaminated clothing.

Through significant investment and careful planning, Stapeley Grange is reaffirming its commitment to higher risk species such as gulls, offshore sea birds and waterfowl while navigating the difficulties posed by the Avian Influenza crisis.

According to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) the UK recorded its highest-ever level of detections this winter, fuelled by a peak of 278 confirmed cases in December 2025 alone. This surge has shown little sign of abating as the new year begins; the first four weeks of 2026 have already seen 150 confirmed cases, a dramatic increase compared to the 29 cases recorded during the same period in 2025.

Lee added: “We have witnessed the fallout of confirmed cases at other UK wildlife centres which is why we have put so much time, effort and resources into building our new facilities. We are fine-tuning how our cabins work but the team are delighted to have them now.  

“While originally designed to respond to Avian Flu and future disease outbreaks, the units have already demonstrated their wider value, having been successfully used for other urgent needs when Avian Flu measures were not required, such as during an influx of hedgehogs that placed the centre under pressure for space.”

Avian flu is a highly-infectious and untreatable disease and the RSPCA has online advice on how to report cases to Defra. 

When there are concerns about the welfare of a live animal - including sick or injured wild birds - further information about how to help can be found on the RSPCA’s website.”

Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre is not open to the general public, except on open days, but welcomes visits from wildlife rehabilitators to discuss facilities and biosecurity measures.. To make contact and arrange a visit please email: lee.stewart@rspca.org.uk.”