Wildlife Rehabilitation: Standards and Release Criteria

Overview of wildlife rehabilitation welfare standards and evidence-based release criteria.

Key Facts

Wildlife rehabilitation organisations handle hundreds of thousands of animals annually in the UK
Release criteria should be based on welfare assessment, not just physical health
Imprinted animals that cannot survive in the wild face lifetime welfare dilemmas
Species-specific release criteria require specialist knowledge and evidence
Post-release monitoring is an emerging tool for assessing rehabilitation welfare outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife rehabilitation welfare requires integration of welfare assessment, species-appropriate care standards, and evidence-based release criteria. Animals that cannot be successfully released face lifetime welfare decisions about permanent care. Post-release monitoring is developing as a tool to evaluate rehabilitation success and inform protocol improvement. Training rehabilitation volunteers and staff in welfare assessment is a critical capacity need. National standards for rehabilitation welfare are being developed in several countries.

What You Can Do

Support accredited wildlife rehabilitation organisations with donations and volunteering
Advocate for national wildlife rehabilitation welfare standards
Follow research on post-release monitoring to understand rehabilitation welfare outcomes