What to do if you find an animal

If you have found an injured or orphaned wild animal, please try to safely capture the animal and keep in a quiet place, as warm as possible, until you can get assistance. If you cannot reach us on our normal contacts look for your nearest 24 hour rescue. Please do not try to put any water in or near the mouth of any bird or mammal. It seems like the most sensible thing in the world, but the water can run down into the lungs and cause pneumonia. Hypothermia is a very common cause of death of injured and young animals. Please keep the animal warm with a warm water bottle, near a heat source, and do not leave for a long period in an outbuilding. We do not generally assist with domestic animals though we will offer advice and holding facilities where that is helpful.

 If you can’t  get us, most vets will act as a holding station for wildlife and you can give them our number or tell them you have made contact with us by text. Alternatively Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre is a 24 hour access hospital which is a drive away - Tewkesbury - but will take animals over the door.  If vets are shut or you don't have transport, leave a text with us and we will try to get to you. We do rely on the public getting the animal to us or a vet most of the time.   Further, we  almost certainly cannot respond  If you call or text us and tell us - as often happens - that you were passing and saw a bleeding bird of prey or a hedgehog in a ditch or scuttling into a hedge on a C road in Herefordshire. You really do need to secure the animal in order for us to help. We do go to call-outs like this but is usually it results in resources being allotted to an animal we ultimately can’t help because it’s not visible.  

 Wildlife care is very specialised and not always intuitive. If you, for example, are stuck in snow, or unable to get assistance, do be mindful of the advice above and be very cautious about putting any liquid into the mouth of animals which can cause them to get pneumonia. As of 2022 there are 628 birds in Britain on the British Ornithologists' Union's 'bird list'. They range in size from the 12 kg  mute swan to the 9.1g wren. Their diets range from ariel insects in the swallow,  to rabbit corpses for a buzzard (yum yum). Similarly a tiny insectivorous shrew, and a badger have very different needs among the mammals. It can seem sweet and delightful to take on a nestling jackdaw until its pecking on your head two months later and pooing foul-smelling faeces all over your bathroom. The animals can also become imprinted on humans and will reject the company of its own kind forever.  This is why people recommend you hand over the animal to an expert. Beware though, wildlife rescues are not regulated and many are not all run by 'experts'. Check out any facility you attend. You can be sure that if you bring any animal to Herefordshire Wildlife Rescue it will receive scientifically-researched and ecologically-appropriate care combined with a deeply compassionate and committed approach. If you are completely stuck we will offer phone advice on helping an animal in situ and if appropriate, on reuniting with the parents or social group.