May 2025...

[This post has been written on the 31st May 2025, looking back on May & all that we did, to help wildlife get to emergency care...]

[*Before you read down to what we have been up to in May, you will notice that on this ‘UK Wildlife Transporters’ blog post I am featuring the 'Wildlife Care Badge' work/progress.  You may wonder, ‘why is that?’  The answer is…]

There’s no regulation of the wildlife rescue industry in Wales, England & Northern Ireland.  As UKWT is a transport network for wildlife, this has led to a lot of extra steps being put in place to ensure that we are always doing our best to take wildlife to places who CAN provide the right care.  See one of our proudest milestones shared in this BLOG POST.

The WCB is the ONLY current Wildlife Rescue map/database in the UK that features Wildlife Rescues who have proven standards of care, akin to actual licensing (annual onsite checks, exams on wildlife care passed & high welfare practices proven through record keeping and an ongoing vet relationship, every quarter throughout the year).

The WCB is only really getting started but it already provides the map from which UKWT can run…

[The UKWT funds the WCB because I - Alana - as well as founding & running UKWT, also founded and co-developed, amongst lots of Wildlife Rescues & Wildlife Veterinary Professionals, all of us working together, the WCB.  I did it in part because it was needed and in part because, without the WCB, UKWT would really struggle to know where we could safely take wildlife to, for guaranteed expert emergency care]

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Wildlife Care Badge work/progress… [Celebrating high welfare wildlife care AND ensuring that UKWT has a map to run off, without which we couldn’t even exist.]

THE WCB HOLDERS MAP/DATABASE IS GROWING: We have announced 3 new WCB Holders this May: POGs, Hal’s Urban Hedgehogs & Prickle Patch Pudsey Hedgehog Rescue.  Hurray!!

WCB HOLDER RENEWALS: Our WCB Holders renew their badges every year and this month Sarah Liney from Hedgehog Helpline renewed her WCB Badge for Hedgehogs!

WCB WEBINARS: We have held 2 new WCB Webinars, by Sarah Liney of Hedgehog Helpline - 'Wildlife Rescue Hubs & Rehab Fostering / Volunteering Tiers' - and Jon Beresford on ‘Health & Safety In The Wildlife Rescue Industry’.  These have both been recorded and are also being made available on the WCB website.

[Our WCB Webinars are to help share knowledge within the industry, to help everyone to provide the best care to wildlife.  A mix of Veterinary Professionals, Rehabbers at very large centres and smaller Home Based Rescuers have all done webinars for us, so far, and it’s been brilliant.]

WCB KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENTS: We have been running Knowledge Assessments for volunteers of current WCB Holders.

WCB MENTORING: The WCB is very focused on supporting humans to help wildlife (helping Rescuers & wildlife alike). This month we have allocated mentors to 3 Rehabbers, to help especially to advise on premises being suitable to provide a high welfare level of care. [Each mentoring set up is totally confidential: no one knows except myself, the rehabbers and mentors.]

WE HAVE STARTED TO PUT IN PLACE SOME FAB NEW PLANS TO CELEBRATE & ENABLE HIGH WELFARE PRACTICES: Watch this space!!

UK Wildlife Transporters work/progress… [Making sure that injured/poorly/orphaned wildlife ALWAYS get to emergency care.]

NEW WILDLIFE RESCUES ON OUR MAP: We have added 3 new Wildlife Rescues to our UKWT Map, to take wildlife to - POGs, Hal’s Urban Hedgehogs & Prickle Patch Pudsey Hedgehog Rescue.

NEW DRIVERS: During May, so far, we have welcomed 54 new Drivers - Henry, Jack, Kim, Phil, Liam, Noam, Georgia, Sarah, Nick, Martin, Emma, Carly, Samantha, Rachel, Sarah, Wilms, Wendy, Sian, Simon, Angharad, Neil, Peter, Sheila, Deborah, Sarah, Jeremy, Terence, Holly, Rachael, Kelly, Michele, Meredith, Conor, Andrew, Tara, Sue, Kelly, Lisa, Natalie, Isabel, Carolyn, Julie, Lauren, Sara, Tracy, Cheri, Carol, Louise, Louise, Hannah, Shirley, Lorna, Adelle & Fiona (and more to be soon announced) - onboard.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 2nd May, one of our Drivers, Liz, transported a catted fledgling blackbird, who is now doing great, from a Vet Practice to Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.  [We also offered extra ‘wildlife care support’ - see HERE.]

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 8th May, one of our Drivers, Debbie, transported a fledgling crow to Brinsley Animal Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 12th May, one of our Drivers, Philip, transported a catted nestling Wood Pigeon to a wonderful RSPCA Rehabber.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 17th May, one of our Drivers, Ellie, transported a rabbit who had just been found on the road as a potential RTA to a Vet Practice to be sadly - but very kindly - put at peace.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORTS: On 19th May one of our Drivers, Liz, transported a poorly pigeon to Cuan Wildlife Rescue. On the SAME day, Liz also responded to a transport request to take a little swift from a Vet Practice to Animals In Need Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 21st May, one of our Drivers, John, transported a pigeon to RSPCA Oak & Furrows Wildlife Centre.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORTS: On 22nd May, one of our Drivers, Ashley, transported a fledgling crow from a member of the public to Brent Lodge Wildlife Rescue. On 23rd May, Ashley responded to another transport request to help another young crow get from a member of the public, also to Brent Lodge Wildlife Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 25th May, one of our Drivers, Sarah, drove to pick up a hedgehog on behalf of Hedgehog Helpline. Sadly the little one passed away before pick up but I am very grateful to Sarah for making the effort until the last moment, to try and help.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORTS: On 25th May, one of our Drivers, Ashley, transported TWO hedgehogs. Ashley transported not just one hedgehog from Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital to their Vet Practice but ALSO transported another hedgehog from the Vet Practice, to Brent Lodge. Ashley also made sure that each place had all of the background info to provide the right care.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 26th May, one of our Drivers, Dawn, transported a catted rat from a kind lady in Dudley, to Cuan Wildlife Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 27th May, one of our Drivers, Conor, transported a hedgehog to Vets For Pets, in Lowton.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 27th May, one of our Drivers, Neil, transported a pigeon to Cuan Wildlife Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 28th May, one of our Drivers, Michele, transported a Goldfinch to RSPCA Stapeley Grange.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 28th May, one of our Drivers, Ashley, transported a Herring Gull chick to Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 29th May, one of our Drivers, Martin, transported a baby Wood Pigeon to Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 29th May, one of our Drivers, Hannah, transported a hedgehog to Stabbo & Sandiacre Spikey Rescue.

WILDLIFE TRANSPORT: On 31st May, one of our Drivers, Rachel, transported a suspected Jackdaw to Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital.

'WILDLIFE DRIVER RECRUITMENT SERVICE': We have recruited lots of wildlife drivers to send them specifically over to join the teams of multiple Wildlife Rescues, around the UK, who want to use the Drivers independently to support the rescues in getting wildlife to themselves. [A lot of those Drivers have already undertaken transports, we just don’t always get the data once we send the drivers over.]

WE ARE FOCUSED ON GROWING ASAP: We have received A LOT more wildlife transport requests - now that baby season has hit - that we haven't been able to fill, hence our very big focus on driver recruitment for those areas, for which we are fundraising.

BEHIND THE SCENES: For every wildlife casualty/orphan that we end up transporting, there's around 3 more that I accept messages from - from members of the public who can drive - who just want advice on what to do.  Find out some examples HERE. 

AND MORE...

[There’s been LOTS more going on in the background, to enable our ‘big vision’ of a UK wide structure that enables every wildlife casualty/orphan to ALWAYS get to emergency care.  It's all a process, and every wild life is worth it. Watch this space...]