Wildlife Rescue in Suffolk

Wildlife Rescue in Suffolk

Rescuing wildlife in Suffolk and NE Essex certainly has its ups and downs, both physically and mentally.
One day most of the calls we get are to simple collections of hedgehogs or birds that have been injured or orphaned and the caller is in a situation where they want to care for it but doesn’t know how and/or can’t care for it. The next day we can be running up and down the shoreline in sand and mud chasing a swan that has tangled legs but its wings work just fine! Then when you catch it (and your breath) it doesn’t seem to want to be helped. Most unappreciative! Unfortunately I am covered in small scars and scratches from helping reluctant patients.

Working as a wildlife rescuer isn’t all bad though. Often people who volunteer with me for odd periods, school or college work experience for example, say that they otherwise would never have a chance to see up close and work with any of the animals and birds. Some situations can make you laugh. The time when a cage with four baby jackdaws was mysteriously opened (corvids (crow family) are notorious for their intelligence) and we had baby birds flying all over the place seeming to enjoy evading capture. Watching a three baby stoats play in a pen can provide hours of amusement and seeing baby hedgehogs develop their own little characters as they grow is amazing. On a nice summers day a boat trip down the river can be very nice, even though it is initially to check out a possibly injured or sick seal, otter or sea bird.
There are, of course, the sad times. When a deer or a fox is caught up in fencing and in its struggles it has cause serious injury to itself. Often the only option is euthanasia, which is heart rending but it is better than the animal suffering. It is one of the many decisions you have to make but the thing to remember is that whatever the decision, it is what is best for the animal and our feelings just do not matter.

All in all the people who work and volunteer for IWCR seem to enjoy doing what they do, often for long hours, and keep coming back for more. The sense of achievement is most satisfying and when the time comes to release an animal or bird back to the wild, where it belongs, the feeling is incredible.
As I often say; I have never been so poor but I have never been so happy and I would never do anything else!