Update: 17th November 2022.

A new National Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is now in force and cases of wild birds with suspected Avian Influenza have been seen in the county. 

Due to the devastating impact this would have on crippling our charity we have no choice but to work with restrictions in place.

We ARE still admitting birds, but working with precautions in place for: 

Birds of Prey (Buzzards, Sparrowhawks etc)

Waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans etc)

Coastal/Sea Birds (Gulls, Gannets, Guillemots etc). 

If any of the above species are showing neurological signs or appears to be having a seizure, we will not be able to admit them. We would advise people to wear gloves, a face mask and waterproof coat to get the bird into a box and transported to their nearest vets which are able to assess and euthanise any potential cases of Avian Influenza.

We are not able to admit any birds showing potential signs of Avian Influenza. 

If you are unsure or need help please call our rescue line and we will help assess the situation over the phone. 

We are all devastated with what is happened and very frustrated with the situation and apologise for the inconvenience. To read more please go to our Wildlife in Crisis page. 

UPDATE: 9am 9th June 2022.

Our service is now back to normal and fully operational again.

UPDATE: 2pm 8th June 2022.

We are pleased to announce that the Animal Plant Health Agency have given us the all clear and that the birds affected do not have Avian Flu despite having symptoms which could have been Avian Flu.

We have a lot of work to do today recovering from our lock down as well as a precautionary deep clean. We are maintaining a high level of bio security just as a precaution.

We aim to have our rescue line fully up and running by 9am tomorrow morning (Thursday 9th June).

This has been a very distressing time for us all, but these issues have to be taken seriously to avoid the potential wider consequences for livestock and wildlife in the area and the potential for our charity to be closed down by not reporting it.

We thank everyone who has sent their best wishes and support during this distressing time. This does show the real need for our charity to buy its own land and buildings so that bigger and better and more bio secure facilities can be set up allowing us to better help the wildlife of East Sussex. We already have money put aside from the last few years to go towards this and we really need to raise more so we can expand and improve our current facilities which we have out grown.

Your support would be really appreciate. You can donate www.wildlifeambulance.org

UPDATE: 11:30am 8th June 2022.

APHA have arrived on site and are now in the process of investigating this case. We are on full lock down as a result and cannot attend any rescues and cannot admit any casualties. Despite this being Avian flu mammals can be affected.

Our rescue phone line is going to stay open during the day time 9am till 6pm and we will help advise people the best we can.

Once we have been given permission and once our vehicles have been deep cleaned we may be able to start attending some rescues and helping with transport but it is likely we won't be able to admit anything to our centre till the situation is fully resolved.

Announcement Dated 8:30pm 7th June 2022.

Despite precautions in place and checking all birds before admission, we have a suspected case of Avian Influenza. Following the guidelines set out by DEFRA / APHA we have no choice but to stop rescuing and admitting all casualties until further notice until the situation is resolved.

Unfortunately we have no option but to advise people to contact other rescue centres, the RSPCA or if they have a sick or injured wildlife casualty to contact their local veterinary practice.

We are really sorry for the distress and frustration this will cause. Our staff are heart broken by this decision and are co-operating with APHA in all ways possible.

We will reopen as soon as we are given permission to do so.We have no choice but to stand all volunteers down until further notice and only staff will be allowed in the centre. We will update you once we know more about the situation

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