STAFF at the Vale Wildlife Hospital in Beckford have got their hands full with the arrival of the new season’s rescues.
The first fox cub of the year was admitted on March 11 and was swiftly followed by a badger six days later.
Both need round-the-clock care and are being hand fed on a three-hour cycle by their own personal wildlife care assistants.
Wildlife care assistants Laura Pawley and Jo Atkin are nursing these recently rescued cubs to health. Picture by Marcus Mingins 1325011MMR
The male fox cub was found on a building site in Bristol and after failed attempts to reunite it with the mum came as a casualty to the hospital when less than a week old.
The female badger cub had an unfortunate encounter with a chihuahua in Worcester. The poor creature was found by the pet and in the process sustained head and eye injuries.
The pair currently reside in a purpose-built rearing unit set away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital reserved for cubs and small owls.
Vale Wildlife Hospital
Both animals will be nursed back to health and have an extended stay at the hospital until late August/early September when they will be released at special sites across the region.
The vulnerable creatures are the first in an anticipated flurry of newborns needing expert care. Each year the hospital expects to see between 20 and 30 fox cubs and a similar amount of badgers.
Manager Natalie Gould stresses the importance of not rushing picking up wildlife that might seem abandoned and to always seek guidance first from their local rescue first.
“People will see them on their own and think straight away that they need to pick it up when actually once they have your scent it can be quite difficult to reunite them with their parents.
“Obviously if it is injured then that is completely different and it does need to be seen, but if there are no visible injuries get advice beforehand,” she says.
It’s a busy time. It currently has 171 casualties in its care and has admitted 547 so far this year. And this comes at a cost.
This badger cub is now tucked up safely. Photograph courtesy of Vale Wildlife Hospital
Natalie explains that it costs £2,300 per day to keep the centre running – an eye-watering sum that amounts to nearly £69,000 a month. She’s worked out that the average cost of the care of a fox is £152.04 and a badger is £80.03.
Since the cost-of-living crisis kicked in late 2021 the charity has found it hard to keep up with running costs.
“It’s pretty tricky at the moment, everyone is feeling hard up and the first thing to go is charitable giving – we have felt an impact.
“Our expenses are more than our income so it is worrying. We have fantastic supporters but it is a very, very difficult time,” Natalie says.
Vale Wildlife Hospital
The charity does not get any government funding so is powered entirely on donations. A membership scheme contributes to resources and plans are afoot for the centre’s main fundraiser of the year.
An open day on July 6 – the only day when members of the public get to look behind the scenes. “We are here to keep our patients scared of humans so they have the best chance of surviving when released back in the wild,” she adds.
Visit here to support or for more information about Vale Wildlife Hospital.
