Quickly the Stockers began to realise the enormity of the problem and when the general public and other animal welfare bodies became aware of their willingness to care for injured wildlife, casualties began to flood into their home.
Soon they were coping with all species from toads, badgers and deer to wrens, owls and swans. Every patient was an unknown and together with a local sympathetic vet, they learnt the idiosyncrasies of wild animals that demand such a different regime to that required by their domestic counterparts.
Until 1983 the Stockers funded their work from their savings. Then in February of that year the project became a Registered Charity with the official title of The Wildlife Hospital Trust, Registered No. 286447.
Hedgehogs and Tiggywinkles
As the casualties continued to come in, it soon became apparent that this intake provided a barometer of happenings in the environment. This particularly came to light during the drought of 1984 when the whole hedgehog population seemed to be arriving at the door. A nationwide awareness campaign was launched to make people conscious of the plight of hedgehogs and soon thousands of people were putting out bowls of water and dog food to support their neighbourhood pricklies. At the same time the campaign highlighted the perils of “bread and milk” the traditional but harmful food for hedgehogs.
More people were looking at their local hedgehogs and consequently more saw that their visitor was injured, so they brought it along for treatment. So great was the influx that the Stockers had to install a new timber building as a ‘hedgehog only’ ward. This was duly opened amid great fanfare by Susan Hampshire on 9th August 1985 and christened ‘St. Tiggywinkles’, the world's first bespoke hedgehog unit.
|
|
Since opening
our doors over 200,000 patients have
received treatment at Tiggywinkles.
All British wild animal
casualties brought to the hospital are
treated completely free of charge
and are released through a controlled programme,
back to the wild, when they are fully fit.
No sick, injured or orphaned wild creature
is ever turned away. Every casualty is
given a chance, we only ever use euthanasia
as a last resort. Any animal or bird unable
to be released back to the wild is maintained at the Hospital, in as natural conditions
as possible. Medical treatment is carried out by a team
of trained veterinary nurses and specialist
consultant veterinary surgeons.
This enables
us to give our patients ground breaking treatment
and the best possible care.
Our veterinary team has pioneered much of the treatment
now used for wildlife throughout the country.
Our expertise and knowledge on all species is used worldwide. Over the years we have perfected techniques
for hedgehogs, badgers, deer and other species
and
have a commitment to passing on this information through books, papers, courses and lectures
to veterinary schools.
The experiences of our Hospital
staff are helping many of the millions
of casualties across the world, most of which
are now being looked after thanks to the positive
attitude of Tiggywinkles.
Tiggywinkles survives on a solid base of
membership and relies on donations from the general public and sponsors to thrive.
It receives no state funding of any kind and
no financial assistance from other animal welfare
or conservation groups. |
