Gower Bird Hospital is based in Pennard on the
Gower Peninsula.
Its purpose is to care for sick, injured and
orphaned birds and animals with the sole
intention of returning them to the wild.
The Hospital treats all species of wild birds and small
mammals (mainly hedgehogs).
Registered as a charity in 1996, Gower Bird Hospital
currently admits over 1200 patients every year.
Rehabilitation is an essential part of our work. After
initial intensive care, the Hospital provides rehabilitation
aviaries to give the birds as natural an environment as
possible. These facilities are equipped with CCTV to enable
us to observe and assess patients before release.
People often ask to have a look around the Hospital but
this really isn’t in the best interests of our patients.
Wild creatures are very easily frightened and need as much
peace and privacy as possible to aid their recovery. Staff
spend as little time as possible with the birds and animals
to minimise stress. The CCTV system was installed for this
reason. All the aviaries are camouflaged so the patients
inside have privacy and feel secure, which is the complete
opposite of a zoo where animals are on display.
Many of our supporters congratulate us for keeping the
welfare of the birds and animals our first priority.
EVERY year since 1996, Gower Bird Hospital has been making
good progress and is now a nationally recognised wildlife
rehabilitation centre.
Despite being a small charity,
our use of CCTV and pre- and post-release studies have
stamped us firmly on the map as a widely respected
organisation.
Our illustrated talks about the work of
Gower Bird Hospital have really helped us to reach many more
people in the Swansea area.
We were very proud to be
asked to speak about our techniques in February 2003 at the
British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council’s Annual Symposium
in London.
Treating wildlife is very different from
treating domestic pets. A sick cat or dog will be used to
human company and will be comforted by petting and
attention. A wild bird or animal will be frightened by the
presence of people and terrified when being handled.
Gower Bird Hospital has a Minimum Contact Policy – skilled
and experienced staff can quickly assess the problem and
administer treatment.
This means the patient doesn’t
burn up valuable reserves of energy through stress, will
recover more quickly, and be released back into the wild as
soon as possible.
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