South of Scotland Wildlife Hospital

17/06/2026

Today we moved the young pine Martin into a larger outdoor with shelters enclosure. We took her bed down with her and had a quick check of her. She is not happy with this but it’s great for us to see her tell us to go away.

05/06/2026

We are going to be releasing the M&S ducks and are looking at the Nith as that is where mum would have been heading with them. We are thinking about next weekend weather dependant.
We will post on here again with details if anyone wants to see them gaining their freedom.

We have also been asked to put our wish list up so I will attach to this post.

https://amzn.eu/0gKXlUPr

&S

29/05/2026

Our two Tawny owlets have made it through to their last stage before soft release. They have lots of room to gain more strength in their wings.

28/05/2026

Please read… We are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Every year, large numbers of healthy young gulls are unnecessarily removed from the wild by well-meaning members of the public who are simply trying to help. We completely understand that instinct, seeing a young bird alone on the ground can be worrying ❤️

In many cases though, their parents are usually nearby, continuing to feed, protect and watch over them. If a healthy gull chick is in immediate danger, such as beside a road, it is often best to simply move them a short distance to a safer nearby location such as a flat roof, sheltered area or secure garden, allowing the parents to continue caring for them naturally.

Once a healthy chick is taken away from its parents, it often has to be raised in captivity unnecessarily, placing additional pressure on already stretched wildlife rescue services during the busiest time of year.

That’s why the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council has teamed up with RSPCA (England & Wales) and Scottish SPCA to help promote clear, evidence-based guidance on when intervention is genuinely needed, helping protect gull welfare while ensuring rescue spaces remain available for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife that truly require care.

So when should you intervene?

✅ If the chick is visibly injured, weak or unwell
✅ If it has been caught by a cat or dog
✅ If it is a very young nestling in immediate danger, such as near a road or exposed to other hazards

When should you leave them where they are?

❌ If the bird is alert, mobile and otherwise healthy
❌ If parents are not immediately visible, gulls may only return periodically to feed
❌ If adults are swooping nearby, this is usually defensive parenting behaviour and a sign young birds are close

The kindest thing we can often do is observe from a distance and allow wild parents to continue doing what they do best. Please always call your nearest wildlife rescue centre for advice prior to intervening.

You can read the latest guidance here:

Scottish SPCA:
https://www.scottishspca.org/news/wildlife-rescue-organisations-highlight-risks-as-gull-admissions-peak-in-summer-2026/

RSPCA:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/helping-hurting-when-rescuing-gulls-might-do-more-harm-than-good-0gwie/?trackingId=wWyVzOEvQcK4uZRdhCVDVQ%3D%3D

Please help us share this message and support responsible wildlife rescue this summer.

27/05/2026

Yesterday we admitted this little lady. She found herself in a skip and had a journey up to Ayrshire. Thankfully she is doing okay. We have located where the skip came from and once she is a little bit heavier we will be able to return her home.

26/05/2026

Five days ago we admitted a badger that had been giving us the run around. He had been on an adventure around Dumfries Ice bowl area and was popping up on various social media platforms. Ourselves and the SSPCA were both in attendance but whenever we got there he was already away.
He was finally captured by the SSPCA after he had an altercation with a poor dog.
He will be staying with us for a couple of weeks to gain some weight. We give them a variety of foods including worms ( NOT dug from a garden), fruits, chicks/quail/birds/rabbits, fox and badger nuggets by Vale wildlife, wet/raw dog food and mealworms. They are not cheap to feed but we try to keep it as natural as possible and vary it daily.

20/05/2026

Now that is what you call a beak … and he is only young, absolutely beautiful bird. He was about to get a weight and some medication for a sore wing here.
He came in as he was getting beat up by others and one attack left him grounded.

20/05/2026

A couple of closeups of our M&S ducklings. They grow fast. They are getting their feathers in.

13/05/2026

Our M&S ducklings after their daily clean. They didn’t let us finish setting it back up before they were out the hide and into the water so they got their lambs lettuce, sweetcorn and their very favourite, mealworms, to keep them quiet while we finished setting their enclosure back up.
They also get grower pellets, waterfowl food, kale, ( but we don’t put it in the water as it smells bad 🤢 ) and spinach.
They are eating us out of house and home at the moment with the greens and mealworms. They require lots of greens. If anyone would like to donate any greens or mealworms from our wish list for them we would really appreciate it.
Our three ducklings, Nova and co, have moved into a larger enclosure. They no longer need the incubator or dummy mummy and are loving their new space and pool. They also are loving their greens , sweetcorn, waterfowl food, grower pellets and of course mealworms are their favourite. Mealworms replace the bugs and grubs they eat in the waters. However, it’s all about variety of foods.

09/05/2026

Our eight M&S ducklings moved into the bigger enclosure today. I think it’s safe to say they were happy with the bigger pond. When they get bigger, they will then move into our large pond.