Wildlife Rehabilitation: Standards, Outcomes, and Best Practice

Wildlife rehabilitation — treating injured and orphaned wild animals for return to the wild — requires high welfare standards and evidence-based protocols to give individual animals the best possible outcomes.

Key Facts

The British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council sets standards for UK wildlife rehabilitators
Release success rates vary enormously — from under 10% for some species to over 80% for others
Imprinting — habituating wildlife to humans — is a common welfare failure that prevents successful release
Over 50,000 wild birds and mammals are admitted to UK wildlife rehabilitation facilities annually
Hedgehogs are the most common casualty species in UK wildlife rehabilitation

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife rehabilitation serves individual animal welfare — the goal is to return healed animals to wild lives. But welfare during rehabilitation matters as much as the eventual outcome. Minimizing human contact during rearing prevents imprinting. Appropriate social housing prevents isolation stress. Gradual acclimatization before release gives animals the best chance of survival. Euthanasia of individuals whose injuries prevent return to a good wild life is sometimes the highest welfare outcome. The welfare of the released animal's life post-release depends substantially on the quality of care during rehabilitation.

What You Can Do

Support accredited local wildlife rehabilitation centers through donation and volunteering
Do not attempt to rear wild birds or mammals yourself — contact a professional rehabilitator immediately
If you find injured wildlife, contain it quietly and warmly before transport to a rehabilitator
Advocate for wildlife rehabilitation to receive dedicated funding within national conservation programs
Respect the advice of rehabilitators about whether release or euthanasia is the better outcome for a specific animal