24 hr Rescue Hotline:
0300 10 26 999

Rescue Services

The interactive map will help you find your local wildlife rescue and show you the areas WRAS covers. Click on each area to see more information.

If you are in East Sussex WRAS's area (the green or orange areas above) please follow the following advice:

What to do if you find a sick, injured, orphaned or trapped wildlife casualty:

  • Stay calm and avoid panicking.
  • If you find a large animal or bird on the road that poses a hazard and can't be safely removed, call Sussex Police at 999 for assistance, and reach out to our rescue line.
  • In other locations, only attempt to help if it's safe. Generally, avoid handling larger species such as foxes, badgers, swans, geese, deer, seals, and gannets, as they may cause you harm. 
  • Wild animals experience and display fear differently than humans or pets, often displaying their fright in unseen ways. It’s important to respect their wild nature by refraining from touching or petting them. Additionally, avoid cuddling or speaking to them, as this can cause unnecessary stress.
  • Keep the animal as safe as possible and call WRAS's rescue line. 
  • For smaller animals, only try to capture them if you won't scare them into an unreachable or dangerous area.
  • The best method to catch and secure a casualty is to cover it completely with an item. When their head is covered, they will be less likely to bite or panic, making them calmer. Suitable items include an old T-shirt, pillowcase, towel, or similar fabric. Avoid anything heavily soiled or with strong odors, such as oil or perfume.
  • Ensure the casualty's head is covered as you wrap them up; they will still be able to breathe comfortably.
  • As a general guideline, DO NOT offer food or water, as the casualty may require anaesthesia. If you have to keep a casualty overnight, provide food and water only for nocturnal species like hedgehogs, in which case a small amount of cat food and water is sufficient. During the daytime, food and water should only be given if specifically requested by the rescue organisation you contact.
  • If you need to care for a casualty at home overnight or whilst waiting for rescuers to arrive, keep them indoors in a secure area, such as a bathroom or spare bedroom, where pets can't reach them and cause stress. Avoid cold sheds, garages, or greenhouses in winter.
  • Make sure the container you use for the casualty is appropriate and secure, as mice can chew through cardboard and some plastic containers.

  • Please contact your local wildlife rescue as soon as possible. If you believe an animal is critically injured or unwell, do not hesitate, even if you think it may not survive. Just as you wouldn’t leave a person in a quiet shed to suffer if they were fatally ill or hurt, seek help immediately.

8am to 9pm

Our Casualty Centre is staffed and open.

If you have a casualty please call 0300-10-26-999 or 01825-873003 if not urgent.

9pm to 8am

We only have the resources to deal with casualties which members of the public can’t be expected to handle and transport direct to a vet or hold overnight.
Good vets do not charge for admitting wildlife casualties and if suitable will hold onto casualties for us to collect in the morning if saveable.

Our out of hours service can be contacted by dialling 0300-10-26-999, The system will forward answerphone messages on to the person on call. They will call you back if appropriate.

9am to 6pm

Our Centre is staffed and open.

If you have a casualty please call 0300-10-26-999 or 01825-873003 if not urgent.

6pm to 9pm

Our Centre may not be staff so if you have a casualty and need urgent help please call 0300-10-26-999.

If not urgent please call back after 9am.

9pm to 9am

We only have the resources to deal with casualties which members of the public can’t be expected to handle and transport direct to a vet or hold overnight.
Good vets do not charge for admitting wildlife casualties and if suitable will hold onto casualties for us to collect in the morning if saveable.

Our out of hours service can be contacted by dialling 0300-10-26-999, The system will forward answerphone messages on to the person on call. They will call you back if appropriate.
East Sussex WRAS is not a large organisation and does not have a call-centre so please be patient. Leave a message if you get the answerphone, and we will call you back as soon as we are able to.

Other helpful contacts

The map above shows you where WRAS’s Casualty Centre is located on the A22 between Hailsham and Uckfield. The best way to find our centre is by using Google Maps as a Sat Nav. This is more accurate than entering our postcode into a satnav.
There are also other useful contacts like the Badger Trust, Bat Hospital and Fox Project who can also help with advice and information. These additional contacts are independent of WRAS.

Out of hours assistance.

WRAS's is not a large charity and relies on the good will of its staff and volunteers to operate out of hours. If you call after 9pm or before 8am it is possible you will be waking up someone who has been working all day. In order to prevent burn-out and exhaustion please only call if it is an emergency as described below.

If you just need general advice or are unsure whether something is an emergency check out the advice pages on our website. 

If you have found a wildlife casualty which is safe to handle like a garden bird, gull, crow, small bird of prey, duck, hedgehog, rabbit or similar then please place them into a secure container.  If in need of urgent veterinary attention please contact the nearest out of hours emergency vets - see  the map above.

If you have found a species like a fox, badger, gannet, swan, larger birds of prey like Buzzards, please contact WRAS's rescue line on 0300-10-26-999, leaving details of the incident on the answerphone. This will be forward to the on-call rescue co-ordinator who will call you back as soon as they are able to. 

If you have come across a road casualty deer please contact Sussex Police on 999 if a road hazard or 101 if not, they will arrange for a deer warden to attend and assess the situation. 

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01825 873003
Unit 2 The Shaw Barn
Whitesmith
East Sussex.
BN8 6JD
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