UKWT HAS A SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED LEGAL POLICY TO GOVERN OUR OPERATING PROCEDURES

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As UKWT is a transport specific organisation for wildlife, we are held to account very strictly - and rightly so - by the Animal Welfare Act.  To ensure that we operate within the law, UKWT is governed by an extensive & comprehensive policy - drafted by Advocates For Animals Solicitors - to ensure that both human & animal welfare are at the core of all of our work.

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As well as having policies & procedures in place to oversee the well being of our Staff & Volunteers, to prove that we are enabling the welfare of the wildlife casualties/orphans too, UKWT requires all of our Drivers to utilise very particular & vet approved carriers, to ensure we are using the best containers to minimise the suffering of the casualty during transport as much as possible and not unnecessarily inflicting more pain/discomfort.  [We have had to consider & research such topics as where holes/vents should be in our transport containers to make sure that we don’t run the risk of catching wings and ensuring that mice etc can't chew through areas of the boxes during transport etc.]. All of our Drivers also use Safe 4 - DEFRA approved - disinfectant & undertake transports in alignment with our Drivers Guidance.

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UKWT OPERATES IN A PREDOMINANTLY UNREGULATED WILDLIFE RESCUE INDUSTRY.  BECAUSE OF THIS WE...

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UKWT launched in August 2020 having undertaken a great deal of research/taken advice from experienced animal ambulance organisations (operating outside of the wildlife rescue industry).  By December 2020, the full extent of the lack of regulation of Wildlife Rescues/Rehabbers across most of the UK had become apparent to me.  (This lack of regulation meant that almost anyone could set up as a 'Rescue' with no training, no access to the right medications, no suitable premises, no access to veterinary diagnostic tools & support like x-rays, blood tests and life saving operations and often little to no knowledge at all of the animals they were taking in or what injuries/illnesses they might be experiencing).  It was paramount to me that UKWT didn't operate in such a way that we ever accidentally played a role in transporting a wildlife casualty/orphan to a Rescue/Rehabber who, despite being well intentioned, wasn't equipped to really help them.

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So - as well as running UKWT - from January 2021 I was also the Founder of the Wildlife Care Badge, which represents a united effort by UK Vet Professionals, Wildlife Rehabbers & Wildlife Professionals who worked together, for a year, and found a way to supportively assess & celebrate high welfare Wildlife Rescues.

 

The 'Wildlife Care Badge' map itself represents a GROWING list of UK Wildlife Rescues/Rehabbers who can confidently offer knowledgeable, high welfare rehabilitative care to wildlife casualties & orphans.  UKWT relies on this map to know how best we can fill in the transport gap to truly serve our UK wildlife so that EVERY wild life that comes under our temporary responsibility always gets to the level of medical & rehabilitative care that could give them a proper chance at a new wild life.

 

With no regulation of the wildlife rehab industry in Wales, England & Northern Ireland, Vet Practices, members of the public & even other Rescues have also started using this map to judge where it is safe to send wildlife casualties/orphans to, for high welfare rehabilitative care.

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I've been committing many 1000s of voluntary hours since January 2021, to develop & run the WCB (as well as funding a lot of the running costs myself) because without the Wildlife Care Badge, UKWT couldn't operate either efficiently or with guaranteed high animal welfare standards. Here's all that we have been up to with the WCB, up to February 2024: HERE - And since February 2024, we have also launched our Wild Affinity Network.

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