Wildlife rehabilitation provides care for injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals. Hedgehog rescue and rehabilitation in the UK illustrates the challenges and welfare considerations of wild animal rehabilitation globally.
Wildlife rehabilitation provides essential welfare support for individual animals that would otherwise die or suffer untreated injuries. However, rehabilitation itself involves welfare costs: captivity causes stress in wild animals accustomed to freedom, handling causes fear, and medical procedures cause pain. The welfare objective of rehabilitation is to return animals to the wild in good condition as quickly as possible, minimising captivity duration while ensuring animals are fit for survival. Hedgehogs requiring overwinter care face extended captivity with management challenges including appropriate hibernation conditions, socialisation considerations, and release timing. Volunteer networks providing rehabilitation care represent a significant positive welfare contribution but require support and training to maintain quality.