BRENT LODGE WILDLIFE HOSPITAL
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15/05/2025
ANIMAL
CRUELTY
Animal welfare centres across the country are seeing a shocking rise in cases of wildlife, farm, and domestic animals being targeted with lethal weapons—including catapults, slingshots, and air guns (some even homemade and then sold). And it is also happening right on our doorstep!! We received a fatally injured pigeon as result of a slingshot attack as well as 2 orphaned pigeons who’s mother was killed during a separate incident. Other recent reports include swans, garden birds and foxes found injured or deceased at dozens of local locations. To report an incident please contact your local authorities or call 101. If you have a casualty please call our team 01243 641672.
BRENT
GEESE RELEASE
30/03/2025
We recently admitted 2 injured brent geese. One suffered injuries as a result of a brutal dog attack and the other had wounds consistent with a fishing hook entanglement. After several weeks of rehabilitation they made a full recovery and were successfully released back to a local water habitat. They were fit enough to make their long migratory flight thousands of miles away. It was a brent goose admitted over 50 years ago that first inspired our founder, Dennis Fenter, to name the wildlife hospital Brent Lodge. It’s incredibly rewarding to continue helping these beautiful birds all these years later, carrying forward the legacy that started it all. Thank you to all involved their recovery and release. Find out more about our history HERE. Read our Brent Goose blog HERE
BIRD
FLU UPDATE
29/01/2025
As of January 27th, the APHA has declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across England and Scotland, enforcing strict biosecurity measures. We have put some strict admission protocols in place to protect our team, patients in our care and hospital site.
If you have a bird casualty please call ahead before arriving at our hospital site. The team can then go through the admission process. All bird admissions will initially be triaged in isolation outside and our staff will wear full PPE to reduce the risk of spread. We ask you to be kind and patient with the team during this challenging time. We are working hard, under increased pressure, to ensure we continue to give the best and correct care for animals in need.
SWAN
RELEASE
01/08/2024
We recently admitted this male swan after he was rescued from a dog attack. He was first taken to a vet for initial treatment, before being transferred to us for ongoing care and recuperation. He was placed on a drip with fluids overnight and given a course of antibiotics. We were pleased to discover that by the following morning he was a lot brighter and up on his feet. After a few days in our care he recovered enough to be released back to where he was found, and join his family again. Thank you to everyone involved in his rescue and recovery. Over £500 was raised towards his care and treatment.
ROAD
COLLISIONS
30/12/2024
With its abundance of rural habitats, the South of England experiences the highest number of animal collisions in the country. According to a study conducted by Nottingham Trent University, roadkill is the leading cause of death in almost one third of wildlife populations studied, including the iconic barn owl. This stunning owl suffered temporary vision loss following a collision with a car. He received treatment for his injuries and after several weeks of TLC he was well enough to be released. Read our BLOG which gives advice about what to do prevent a collision or what to do in the unfortunate event of colliding with an animal.
NEW
BUILDING
01/01/2024
At the end of 2023 we had a very small gathering of staff, volunteers and funders to open the newly finished Patient Admissions Building. We were also very pleased to have the Chichester Mayor attend to give a few words and officially declare the building open for patients. We have plans to name it The Dennis Fenter Building as a fitting tribute our beloved Founder. The building is now open to take in patient admissions and will make a huge difference to the early treatment of casualties arriving in our care. 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.
RED LIST
RESCUE
30/08/2023
This Black-tailed godwit came to us at the beginning of the month after being found with wounds to his neck and chest (thought to be from a predator). A huge thank you to Arun Veterinary Clinic for providing initial care in quarantine. He was then transferred to us for ongoing rehabilitation. These stunning birds are listed as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species so we are really pleased to say that his recovery went well and has now been released to RSPB Pagham Harbour to join others. Thank you to all involved.
STRIMMER
INJURIES ON THE RISE
30/08/2023
Strimmer and garden equipment injuries are on the rise. In the month of May we treated over 25 hedgehogs suspected to be injured by strimmers. Sadly, we were only able to save 4 of them so far. If you really must use a strimmer, CHECK for animals first like hedgehogs, then proceed with caution. PLEASE take care, and check all areas where you think hedgehogs or other wildlife are likely to be sleeping BEFORE you start to use hazardous equipment such as strimmers, shears and mowers. They cause horrific injuries which can be fatal.
FOXES
GO FREE
20/08/2023
Our juvenile fox cubs are looking so beautiful and healthy. We have now started releasing them back to suitable locations. A huge thank you to the volunteers from HSBC in Chichester for making new enrichment areas for our fox enclosures. They have made a huge difference to their rehabilitation.
NESTING
SEASON
01/12/2023
The NEST-essities During UK’s nesting season
The UK nesting season runs can run as long as February to July. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
OVER 50 YEARS OF DEDICATED WILDLIFE CASUALTY CARE