Call us on: 01933 278080
Open 12-3 Thurs to Sun. Viewings by appointment.

The Wildlife Unit

We deal with hundreds of wildlife casualties every year… see a few of the patients below.

Wildlife often comes into us via members of the public. If you have captured any injured wildlife or see an injured swans, birds or hedhehogs etc please call us on 01933 278080

We desperately need:

Newspapers

Good quality dog and cat food, poultry flavour, in jelly

Hedgehog food

Wild bird food and corn

Old towels, blankets and fleeces (but no duvets or pillows please)

These items can be dropped into our donation station in the main car park at PinetreeFarm (NN8 2ES)

Wildlife Via the Vets who need treatment – After collecting the casualty we take them to our vets for treatment, they then come back to us for rehabilitation before going on to be released.

Of course its not always a good result for every animal we are called out for after being hit by a car, lorry, van etc, it causes terrible injuries like animals with broken backs. If the animal can be saved and have a quality of life everything is possible is done, but with some the kindest thing to do is to put them to sleep. Road traffic accidents can vary from foxes, badgers, deer (mainly muncjac occasionally others), swans, rabbits, hedgehogs etc in fact all species of wildlife.

Hedgehogs

We are the local contact for the British hedgehog preservation society and last year dealt with several hundred. Often arriving with injuries or having been orphaned, they can be covered in fleas, ticks or have fly strike. On arriving they get treatment for fleas etc. weighed and wormed. If they arrive with open fractures to their limbs they go to the vets to see whether amputation is an option, and if it is a closed fracture then they would see if orthopaedic surgery can save the limb. If it’s a dog that has attacked, the wounds are cleaned out and antibiotics are prescribed, if they are rescued quickly they stand more chance they can make a good recovery.

In late autumn when hedgehogs get ready to hibernate  we get many brought in that are not up to the 600 grams they need to be to have the chance to survive hibernation, so we over winter look after them to be released the in the next spring. In 2020 we had over 200 hedgehogs over-winter with us. The Spring season brings with it many species of orphaned birds requiring hand rearing. We also deal with birds that have been the victim of injuries by car or cats etc. Last year we dealt with 56 swans varying from landing on roads when mistaking it for a stretch of water, they need removing, checking over if they are ok and if ok releasing in a safer area.

Swans

Most swan and waterfowl calls without any doubt are fishing tackle related. We are forever removing line and hooks from a great number of birds. A few calls a year are related to attacks by people. they are often shot with air rifle pellets or attacked with dog chains and often resulting in fatal consequences. A good many calls are swans hitting power cables causing horrific injuries and usually certain death. We are the local contact for the swan sanctuary.

The Costs of rescuing, rehab and release of the wildlife.

A lot of people seem to think that vets treat wildlife for free, but wildlife vets fee’s cost Animals in Need thousands of pounds every year.

For an example:

– Hedgehog limb amputate is £130.00.
– Hedgehog with lung worm is about £20.00.
– A Swan needing surgery to remove a swallowed fishing hook is about 150.00 plus.
– A swan compound fracture, x-rays, painkillers and dressing around £200.00.

Support our wildlife unit!

Perhaps you would be kind enough to consider setting up a regular Standing Order or make a one-off donation via PayPal to help support us.

The Animal Ambulances

The Primary function of the animal ambulance service is to rescue sick, injured, trapped and distressed wild and domestic animals.

We run a fully fitted Animal Ambulance to deal with animals in distress or injured. We have a number of calls from many different sources, including the general public, local councils, Swan rescue RSPCA, Northamptonshire Police and numerous others.

When a call is received the ambulance is dispatched to the scene, the situation assessed and the animal taken to a veterinary surgeon. Costs incurred are paid for by Animals In Need, medication if needed is administered and they will be then placed in our rehabilitation unit until they are ready to be released.

More moments from the past few years with wildlife…

Email admin@animals-in-need.org