East Sussex WRAS is in the unique position of having dedicated ambulances to support the work of the volunteers and staff across the region who assist and help the wildlife across our county. The ambulances carry a variety of equipment, from ladders, various nets, stretchers, first aid kits, dog graspers, swan hooks, and much more. WRAS ambulances have been involved in numerous rescues including helping to deal with a seal trapped in a nuclear power station, an albino deer with its antlers caught in a rope swing, a badger stuck in a disused swimming pool, a fox trapped in a drain, a bird caught up on a chimney, birds flying round inside a house, run over hedgehogs and much more.
In order to improve the care and limit the stress to wildlife casualties, WRAS decided to set up its own hospital and in 2010 we managed to bring together all the care to one site based near Hailsham. The charity has slowly expanded and improved the facilities and handles up to 300 casualties at any one time from hedgehogs to foxes and deer to a wide variety of birds. Additionally, as we are close to the sea, we often support the rescue of seals along the coast.
The hospital has a treatment room, used by our registered vet, an orphan rearing area, education room, pens and aviaries. WRAS also has a number of sites across the county where it does the outside rehabilitation of casualties. These include aviaries and pens of various sizes at Burgess Hill, Uckfield, Lewes, Eastbourne and Lower Dicker.
In 2023 the charity deal with almost 6,000 casualties and received thousands of calls to our rescue line. Our rescuers are all volunteers and funded by our generous supporters. A number of WRAS’s volunteers, also help with the rehabilitation and over wintering of hedgehogs in runs and hutches in their gardens at home.
