BRENT LODGE WILDLIFE HOSPITAL
NEWS | STORIES | ALERTS | BLOGS | For more news and stories follow us on social media.
ORPHAN
SEASON BEGINS
01/02/2023
Our first orphans of 2023 are starting to arrive. With badger cubs normally the first to arrive followed by fox cubs and garden birds. We have have already received a tiny badger cub weighing only 98 grams. Sadly she sustained some nasty injuries after being picked up by a dog. Thank you to our friends at Secret World Wildlife Hospital in Somerset for doing all they could to help her. This cub will be the first of many orphaned mammals or birds arriving in the coming weeks, so your continued support is much appreciated as we prepare for their arrival.
NESTING
SEASON
01/02/2023
The NEST-essities During UK’s nesting season
The UK is approaching the nesting season, which is the period when birds and other animals tend to nest. This is a time that studies show that many species of birds are not just nesting but raising their young. It's illegal to cut down trees during this time of year or disturb the nesting birds. It’s essential to plan ahead if you intend on cutting down a tree during this time frame; failure to do so could result in inadvertently damaging or disturbing nests and eggs.
Check out our latest blog from Rosie Buckley with tips and advice.
BIRD
FLU
31/01/2023
With the rising case numbers of Avian Influenza in our area, we have taken the very difficult decision to temporarily suspend admission of the following bird species until further notice. We ARE NOT able to admit water fowl including gulls or ducks. Avian Influenza (bird flu) is a notifiable disease. If a bird was presented to Brent Lodge and then test positive, due to its highly infectious nature, it is likely that compulsory control measures would be imposed on us by DEFRA. This would sadly mean the humane euthanasia of all avian patients (healthy and sick) on the Brent Lodge site. Please do not bring birds onto our site unless advised, instead call if you have a bird casualty and we will do our best to assist you or redirect you to your vet.
NEW
CHARITY NAME
01/09/2022
To continue to provide effective care and treatment for sick or injured patients we need to secure the future of our Charity. We have out-grown our small charity origins and constitution (Brent Lodge Bird and Wildlife Trust Charity no. 276179). Having reviewed the options available the Trustees agreed to merge all our Charity's assets to a new CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation). Our aim is that there would be little to no impact for staff and Charity associates, including our valued supporters. In summary, the proposed conversion to a CIO would mean a new charity number and a minor name change from Brent Lodge Bird & Wildlife Trust to become known officially as Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital. We value your support.
NEW
BUILDING
01/09/2022
Construction of our Patient Admissions Building is on programme with the walls, roof, windows and doors now in place. The building is being cladded in cedar and douglas fir panels donated by a local family, and will have PV solar panels, a sedum roof, and air-sourced heating to reduce the impact of our rapidly rising energy costs. We are especially grateful for the generous financial support of grants and recent legacy donors who remembered us in their Wills to help us fund this project. The new building will make a real and lasting difference to the early treatment and care of injured or orphaned wildlife.
50th
ANNIVERSARY
01/01/2021
We want to wish all of our lovely supporters a Happy 50th Anniversary. We have come a long way from when Dennis set up a humble wildlife hospital to take care of a tiny sparrow. We hope you will join us this year as we celebrate our achievements, acknowledge those who have helped us along the way and of course pay tribute to Dennis. Coronavirus will no doubt restrict our plans so we will need your help to make 2021 a year to remember!
HOSPITAL
SPACE
With thanks to The Beryl Evetts and Robert Luff Animal Welfare Trust and The Robert Clutterbuck Charitable Trust for their very generous donations towards our hospital upgrades project. We still have a few more upgrades to make but the hospital is now more space efficient for us to safely house the increasing number of patients we now treat. The improved space is also proving valuable for our staff as they continue to function and work at a safe distance from each other throughout the remainder of the pandemic.
01/12/2020
POLLUTION
IS A KILLER
We are seeing a disturbing increase in sea and water bird casualties suffering from pollution-related injuries. It is distressing to see needless suffering caused by discarded fishing hooks, line entanglement, PPE, and poisonings from plastics and oil spills. Some recent bird admissions have had terrible injuries from discarded fishing line or fishing hooks through their feet and were dying a cruel death from starvation or infection. Despite our best efforts most do not recover.
01/05/2020
A LIFE OF
COMPASSION
It is with great sadness and respect that we pay tribute to the passing of Dennis Fenter MBE, our Founder. Dennis passed away peacefully in his sleep in July 2019. We are all incredibly proud of his work and achievements helping injured wildlife and will build on his legacy to ensure that his passion and dedication to wildlife welfare continues into the future. 2021 will be a special anniversary year to celebrate his work and 50 years of wildlife care. We aim to raise funds for a new patient admissions and quarantine building to be named in Dennis' honour.
01/05/2020
2021 - A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY YEAR TO PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR FOUNDER