An animal charity has issued a plea for financial support following its most demanding year to date.
The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (East Sussex WRAS) experienced an 18% surge in the volume of casualties it attended to in 2023.
With a staggering total of 5,989 incidents logged, it marked the charity’s busiest period on record, notably with June 2023 surpassing 1,000 animal cases in a single month for the first time.
A spokesperson highlighted that this significant uptick has stretched their resources to their limits. Concurrently, the charity has faced a decline in fundraising income, exacerbated by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
WRAS was established as a voluntary initiative by founder and operations director Trevor Weeks in 1996.
Mr. Weeks, recognized with an MBE in 2012 for his outstanding contributions, emphasized the charity’s urgent need to secure an additional £34,000 to accommodate the heightened demand for dedicated staff during the spring and summer seasons.
“We are bracing ourselves once again for a surge in wildlife casualties in the months ahead,” Mr. Weeks remarked.
Already, the organization is actively rescuing fledglings dislodged from trees and caring for orphaned fox and badger cubs. Should the upward trajectory of incidents persist, as it typically does annually, the existing strain on their limited resources will escalate significantly.
Mr. Weeks expressed genuine apprehension regarding rising expenses and escalating workloads, stressing the imperative need for additional funding.
The earmarked funds would enable the charity to sustain its vital wildlife rescue operations and extend reception coverage for rescue coordination into the evenings from its casualty center headquarters in Whitesmith. Additionally, the funds would support supplementary hours for a veterinary surgeon.
Mr. Weeks highlighted the mounting impact of countryside development, which is bringing wildlife into increasingly frequent contact with humans. Tragically, it is the wildlife that often bears the brunt, enduring injuries from incidents such as shootings, vehicular collisions, entanglement in netting, poisoning, attacks by domestic pets, and entrapment in manmade structures and traps.