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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