Wildlife rehabilitation saves injured and orphaned wild animals, but good welfare principles must guide every stage from admission to release. Understanding best practice helps supporters make effective choices.
Stressed wild animals in rehabilitation face a welfare trade-off: necessary treatment causes stress but enables recovery and return to wild life. Best practice minimises handling, uses visual barriers to reduce human exposure, provides species-appropriate housing, and prepares animals for wild behaviour before release. Poor practice — including excessive handling, public display, or inappropriate food — impairs animals' ability to survive after release, meaning short-term welfare gains come at the cost of long-term fitness.