Secret World Wildlife Rescue

16/10/2026

🐍 A rather unusual patient for World Anaesthesia Day!

It's not every day our veterinary team have to put a grass snake under anaesthetic, but this little patient gave us the perfect opportunity to mark World Anaesthesia Day!

After a rather unfortunate encounter with a cat, this grass snake arrived at Secret World with several wounds requiring treatment.

Our wildlife care team initially provided first aid, fluids, pain relief and antibiotics, but following a further assessment, our vet decided that the largest wound would need stitching.

That meant putting this slithery patient under anaesthetic! 🩺

Anaesthetising a reptile is a little different from treating the mammals and birds we more commonly see. Although many of the medications are the same, reptiles have very different anatomy and physiology, meaning our veterinary team needed to take extra care to keep him at the right temperature and ensure he was breathing well throughout the procedure.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly! Our patient is now awake, sporting two fresh stitches and on the road to recovery. 💚

World Anaesthesia Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the incredible skill and dedication of veterinary professionals, including our own veterinary team, whose expertise helps us give injured wildlife the very best chance of returning to the wild.

15/10/2026

🦔 Please avoid disturbing hedgehogs 💔

We had two heartbreaking cases in quick succession during the peak of the breeding season. One hedgehog mum was moved while giving birth. Sadly, we ended up caring for her after she lost three tiny hoglets. 💔 Another mum and her five babies were disturbed during gardening, and the mum was unfortunately removed from the nest by the finder, with devastating consequences.

With hedgehog numbers declining in the UK, every single life counts. Please, if you find a nest, STOP and seek advice before intervening. Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do is leave them in peace. 🦔

🍂 HELP HEDGEHOGS THRIVE THIS AUTUMN & WINTER:

🌿 Leave 13 cm gaps in fences to create hedgehog highways.
💧 Put out shallow dishes of fresh water.
🍽️ Offer meaty cat or dog food (never bread or milk).
🍁 Leave a wild patch in your garden and check long grass before mowing.
🔥 Always check and move bonfires before lighting.
🚫 Avoid slug pellets and pesticides.
🏡 Provide a hedgehog house and safe shelter.

❤️ If you find a hedgehog that appears unwell, injured or in difficulty, contact us for advice: 01278 783250

Please share and help protect our precious hedgehogs. Every life matters. 🦔💚

14/10/2026

An adoption might start from just £3 a month, but its impact goes much further. 💚

Every wildlife adoption helps support the work of Secret World, from specialist care and treatment to rehabilitation and release back into the wild.

Choose to adopt a fox, badger, deer, hedgehog or owl, and you’ll receive your own adoption pack too.
A small monthly gift. A meaningful way to be part of their journey.

Adopt a wild one: secretworld.org/adoptions

14/10/2026

Your journey home crosses theirs. As the evenings get darker, wildlife becomes harder to spot.

Earlier dusk brings busy commuter traffic and animals on the move together, increasing the risk of collisions.

The impact goes beyond one animal. Repeated road deaths can overwhelm small local populations, putting them at risk of disappearing altogether. We lose part of a connected food web, and wildlife that makes our neighbourhoods feel alive.

That’s why extra care matters:
Watch the road and verges.
Take extra care at dawn and dusk, especially near woodland.
Heed wildlife warning signs.
Avoid sudden swerving.

Found injured wildlife? Put safety first. Stop only in a safe place, and don’t enter the road or try to handle the animal.
Then call for help:

If an injured deer is obstructing the road, contact the police.
For other injured wildlife, including a deer that isn’t obstructing the road, call Secret World Wildlife Rescue on 01278 783250.
Outside our area: contact your nearest wildlife rescue through the Help Wildlife directory.

Always seek advice before intervening.
Help keep wildlife part of the places we call home. Following Animal Road Accident Awareness Day, share this with someone who drives at dusk.

10/10/2026

🦔 HELPING HEDGEHOGS DROP IN IS COMING! 🦔

Join us at Secret World Wildlife Rescue on Wednesday 28th October, anytime between 10am and 2pm, for a fun-filled day celebrating one of Britain's best-loved garden visitors.

There will be lots to see, make and investigate, with activities suitable for all ages.
🦔 Build a hedgehog house
🎨 Make a hedgehog from an old book
🌰 Create a prickly hedgehog from a conker
🍂 Make hedgehog leaf art
❤️ Discover how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly
🩺 See some of the equipment we use to care for tiny hoglets
📺 Watch footage of hedgehogs in action
☕ Enjoy a drink and maybe a slice of cake
🎁 Visit our Gift Shop and get started on some Christmas shopping!

All activities and crafts are free to take part in.

You can leave your hedgehog house with us for free, pay to take your finished house home, or purchase one of our hedgehog house kits or pre-made houses.

It is a drop-in event, so there is no need to arrive at a particular time. Just come along anytime between 10am and 2pm and join in.

Please remember that Secret World is a working wildlife hospital, so there is no contact with the animals in our care.
📅 Wednesday 28th October
⏰ 10am–2pm
📍 Secret World Wildlife Rescue

Come along, get creative and discover how you can help hedgehogs! 🦔

09/10/2026

🚨LAST CHANCE TO APPLY!🚨

Applications close Sunday 11th October for our Part-Time Cleaner role at Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

🧹 Cleaner – Part-Time
📍 East Huntspill, Highbridge
⏰ 16 hours per week – flexible by agreement
💷 £11,648 per annum

We’re looking for a reliable, hardworking and trustworthy Cleaner to help keep our offices, welfare facilities and communal areas clean, safe and welcoming for our staff, volunteers and visitors.

You’ll be helping to support the people who work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned British wildlife. 🦔🦊🦉

We’re looking for someone who:
✔️ Has previous cleaning experience
✔️ Is reliable, punctual and trustworthy
✔️ Has excellent attention to detail
✔️ Can work independently
✔️ Takes pride in maintaining high standards

Don’t miss out – applications close Sunday 11th October! To apply, please send your CV and a short covering letter explaining why you would like to join our team to [email protected]
You can view the full job description on our website: secretworld.org/jobs

08/10/2026

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supported our See the Unseen: Wildlife X-ray Project appeal at the end of last year. 💚

Thanks to your generosity, we now have a brand-new Wildlife Diagnostic Suite, giving our veterinary team dedicated on-site digital X-ray and ultrasound equipment.

This means our wildlife patients can be assessed more quickly and accurately, helping our vet identify injuries and medical conditions while minimising the stress of treatment.

Your support is making a real difference to the wildlife in our care. Thank you for helping us give them the best possible chance of recovery. 🦊🦉🦔

Burnham-On-Sea wildlife carers at Secret World Wildlife Rescue have celebrated the official opening of a new Wildlife Diagnostic Suite, providing a major boost to the treatment of injured and orphaned British wildlife.

07/10/2026

October is Bat Appreciation Month, so we thought we'd introduce you to a little bat who has been keeping our Bat Team busy. 🦇

Lazlow first came to us after being found in a garden by the finder's dog. Thankfully, the finder was able to safely bring him to Secret World, where we discovered he was one of this year's pups.

He had a few small tears to his wings, but luckily these were minor. He then settled into round-the-clock care with our Bat Team, enjoying his milk feeds and showing us his personality by licking his lips afterwards! 🥰

Now, we're delighted to say that Lazlow has been self-feeding really well. He moved into our Bat flight, where he's busy building his strength and, most importantly, mastering his flying skills before the day comes for him to return to the wild.

For now, you'll usually find him hanging upside down in his bat box, patiently waiting for his evening food to be topped up. 🦇

06/10/2026

LAUREN RAN FOR WILDLIFE! 🏃‍♀️

A huge congratulations to our Wildlife Care & Veterinary Services Manager, Lauren Valentine, who took on the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday to raise vital funds for Secret World Wildlife Rescue! 🎉

Lauren is a registered veterinary nurse and spends her working days helping sick, injured and orphaned British wildlife through their treatment and rehabilitation. This weekend, she swapped her scrubs for running shoes and took on an incredible 13.1 miles to support the animals she cares for every day. 🦊🦔🦉

We’re incredibly grateful to Lauren for taking on the challenge and to everyone who has already sponsored her and supported her along the way. 💚

There’s still time to show your support! If you’d like to congratulate Lauren on completing her Half Marathon, you can make a donation to her fundraising page, with every donation helping us continue to be there for British wildlife in need.

👉 Sponsor Lauren: https://www.justgiving.com/page/lauren-valentine-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

👏 Well done, Lauren! An amazing achievement, and a huge thank you from all of us at Secret World! 💚

06/10/2026

🦊🌿 We’re Hiring 🌿🦉
Help us raise the funds that give British wildlife a second chance!
Secret World Wildlife Rescue is looking for an enthusiastic, proactive and experienced Senior Fundraiser to help generate the sustainable income needed to support our wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release work.
🐾 Senior Fundraiser (Full-Time, Permanent)
⏰ 37.5 hours/week
This is a varied, hands-on fundraising role with the opportunity to make a genuine impact. You will develop existing income streams while identifying new opportunities to grow support for our charity.
A key part of the role will be researching opportunities and producing compelling applications to trusts and foundations, alongside developing legacy giving, corporate partnerships, individual giving, fundraising appeals and supporter relationships.
💚 Why join us?
• Make a genuine impact on British wildlife
• Be part of a supportive, passionate team
• Ongoing training & development opportunities
📩 Apply now: View the full job descriptions on our website: https://www.secretworld.org/jobs
Then send your CV and covering letter to [email protected]
📅 Closing date: 8h November 2026