03/10/2026
A little ask from us about collections
We’ve been putting off writing this post because we completely appreciate that there are genuine reasons why some people cannot transport an animal themselves. But over the last few weeks, this has become a real concern for us — and it’s something we know other wildlife rescues are experiencing too.
We’ve seen a huge increase in people asking us to leave the rescue and collect wildlife, even when the animal is one that can be safely transported by the finder to us.
Normally, around 3 or 4 out of every 10 cases we deal with require one of our team to go out and collect. Over the last few consecutive weeks, that figure has been closer to 8 out of 10.
Quite simply, we cannot sustain that.
We are still dealing with 20+ enquiries on some days, while caring for almost 100 animals already at the rescue. Every time a care volunteer has to leave the rescue for a collection, that is a volunteer who is taken away from the animals already in our care.
We don't know whether the rising cost of fuel is playing a part in the increase in collection requests. We know fuel costs are affecting everyone, and they're certainly affecting us too — just a few days ago, it cost us £180 to fill our two wildlife ambulances.
We absolutely understand that not everyone has a car and that finding transport can be frustrating, but we really do appreciate it when finders ask friends, family, neighbours, or even put a post on Facebook asking, “Can anyone help me take this pigeon to Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue?” These are all great ways to get the animal to us.
But we are increasingly receiving calls where, once we arrive, it becomes apparent that there were other options for getting the animal to us, especially when there are multiple cars on the drive. We completely understand that asking a friend, family member, neighbour or colleague for a lift can feel like an inconvenience — but sometimes that small inconvenience is what allows us to keep helping wildlife.
There are also animals where we will always arrange collection ourselves. Deer, foxes and certain birds or other wildlife can be dangerous or difficult to transport safely, and we would never expect you to put yourself at risk. In those situations, we'll send a member of our team as soon as we can.
For the many safer cases, however, we will give you clear advice on how the animal can be contained and transported safely, and we ask that you please do your best to arrange the journey to us.
It really does make a huge difference.
We will do the weeks of rehabilitation.
We’ll do the multiple daily cleanouts.
We’ll administer the medication.
We’ll change the dressings.
We’ll attend the veterinary appointments.
We’ll prepare the appropriate enclosures.
We’ll feed them, monitor them and care for them around the clock.
We just need your help getting them through our doors.
We know that bringing an animal to us isn't always convenient. But neither is running a wildlife rescue — and with so many animals depending on us, we need to make sure that our limited volunteers, vehicles, fuel and time are being used where they are genuinely needed most.
We hope you understand, and we really appreciate the genuine cases where collection might be the only option.
Thank you!
