People who care for injured and orphaned wildlife face significant emotional burdens, including compassion fatigue and moral distress, that affect their own wellbeing and capacity to help animals.
The wellbeing of people who care for animals is directly connected to the welfare of the animals they tend. Compassion-fatigued rehabilitators may make poorer welfare decisions, become desensitised to suffering, or withdraw from animal care work entirely. The psychological burden of caring for animals with high mortality rates — orphan casualties, road-traffic victims, oiled seabirds — is substantial. Supporting wildlife rehabilitator wellbeing through peer support networks, professional supervision, and acknowledgement of emotional labour strengthens the entire welfare system.