RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife

24/10/2026

‼️ please read and share ‼️

We are experience a power cut at the centre therefore we are unable accept new patients right now and our phone lines are down.

If you have found a wild animal that is in need of help please contact your local out of hours vets, who will be working 24 hours over the weekend.

We will update you when all is resolved and we are able to accept wildlife again.

Thank you 🙏🏼

22/10/2026

WOW what amazing supporters we have!!

We are so grateful for the response to our Dormouse box appeal! Yesterday 18 Dormice boxes were delivered to our centre, bought by you guys and manufactured by The Birdbox Company

Maple, our little baby Dormouse, is now weaned and growing steadily. However, by the time she will be a suitable weight for release, we will be into winter when food availability will be scarce. Therefore, to give her the best possible chance of survival, we will be over wintering her here at the centre and releasing her next spring.

Thanks to all of you, we can provide her (and 17 future Dormice) a cosy nest box home of which she will be released with at her found location. ☺️

19/10/2026

It’s one in, one out for swans at our centre currently!

Typically at this time of year, adult breeding pairs of swans begin to drive their young away from their territory, in order to prepare for the next breeding season. This can sometimes cause the inexperienced juveniles to end up in trouble, crash landing in inappropriate places and ending up injured. We have recently admitted lots of these kinds of casualties, as well as swans that have hit power lines, suffering from disease and parasitism, bumble-foot and fishing litter victims.

12/10/2026

Can you help give our Hazel Dormice a cosy release box home?

Meet Maple🍁 She’s a young hazel dormouse pup we are currently rearing here at West Hatch. She was found on a path in a local woodland, with no mother or siblings around. On arrival she was estimated to be only 2 weeks old, eyes still closed and weighed under 4g! A pup this age still requires round the clock feeds and constant monitoring to ensure they develop appropriately.

Thankfully, after a lot of TLC, we are happy to say she is thriving! Now eyes open and weighing over double her admission weight, she is ready to wean off milk onto the natural forage she would have in the wild.

Hazel dormice spend most of their active life arboreal, meaning in trees and hedgerows. Sadly, due to habitat loss and fragmentation, they are now in serious decline across the UK, with populations estimated to have reduced by 70% between 2000 - 2022! Therefore, we are determined to do all that we can to help this species endure.

When Maple is ready to be released, we will attach a specialised dormouse box to a tree in the woodland where she was found and back up feed for as long as she needs to guarantee her reintroduction is as smooth as possible.

If you would like to ensure Maple, and any other dormouse we admit here at the centre, has a home after release, then please click this link and consider sending us one of these specialised release boxes! Anything you can do to help us help these beautiful creatures is much appreciated💕

https://thebirdboxcompany.com/products/the-dormouse-box?variant=51295164924210

Please send to:

RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre
West Hatch
Taunton
TA3 5RT

06/10/2026

Happy National Badger Day🦡

As modelled by this young cub, badgers have distinctive striped face which is a form of aposematism - this high contrast colourisation makes the badger appear highly conspicuous and signals to any potential attackers that they are strong, formidable opponents!

Sadly, these beautiful creatures are often persecuted due to misinformation and unfortunate stereotypes. Here what you can do the help protect your local badger setts:

🚨All badgers and their setts are protected under UK law so if you suspect any badger related crime, please report immediately to 101

🖤Support causes and legislation to further protect badgers and their habitats

🚘Drive carefully! Badger are most active at night and are most commonly killed via road traffic collisions

06/10/2026

Although sweet chilli stayed just a short few weeks with us, building up fitness in one of our deep pools, it is still just as rewarding to be part of her journey and great to know she’s still thriving in the wild all this time later 🤗

🦭🌶️ Meet Sweet Chilli, a little seal with a very big story 🌊💙

Back in November 2024, Sweet Chilli was picked up from Llandudno Beach a British Divers Marine Life Rescue volunteer. She was in a very poor condition, both eyes were really sore, there was blood on her left fore flipper, and she was severely underweight, she had been through a lot!

From Llandudno, she was transferred to RSPCA Stapeley Grange, where she spent more than four months receiving the care, treatment and rehabilitation she needed.

Then, in March 2025, Sweet Chilli was transferred to RSPCA West Hatch for some valuable deep-pool time. 🌊

This is an important part of a seal's rehabilitation. The deep pools allow them to build strength, improve their swimming and diving skills, and learn to compete with other seals for food — helping prepare them for life back in the wild. 🐟🦭

After a month of care, rehabilitation and learning those all-important wild skills, Sweet Chilli was finally ready.

In April 2025, she was released back into the wild. 🎉🌊

And then last week came the wonderful news…

Sweet Chilli — Tag No. 3140 — had recently been spotted on Lundy Island! 🥰🦭

What an incredible journey — from a vulnerable, underweight pup rescued from Llandudno Beach, to a healthy seal swimming free and exploring the waters around Lundy. This is exactly what rehabilitation is all about. ❤️

A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in rescuing, caring for and preparing Sweet Chilli for her return to the wild.

Swim free, Sweet Chilli. 🌊🦭💙
Your adventure continues!



DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: 29th Nov 2026 - Stapeley Christmas Fair - don't miss it!!

05/10/2026

Seal pup season has begun at the centre and we’ve just admitted this gorgeous little girl named Fozzie! Anyone want to guess what our seal naming theme is this year?🤗

Fozzie came in as a white coat pup on the cusp of being weaned. After a couple of days in care she has fully moulted, putting her at around 4 weeks old. A pup of this age should weigh 45-50kg. However, Fozzie only weighs a tiny 12kg, making her severely underweight and likely abandoned by mum.

She is still learning to feed herself but she’s making great progress and we’re hopeful she’ll soon be piling on the pounds!

03/10/2026

29/09/2026

‼️ Second hand dog bed appeal ‼️

The seal pups are arriving and we are in need of more dog beds to provide water, as over the years they have become damaged and unsafe to use.

The only ones you can currently buy new, now have holes in for drainage, which we obviously can’t use to hold water! If you have any of these style dog beds, like the one pictured, we would be very grateful for the donation 🤗

The ideal size we are looking for is 34x24 inches, however a few inches bigger or smaller is fine!
It MUST also be water tight and NOT have any sharp bits, chewed or cracked edges.
If you do have one they can be dropped off at our centre between the hours of 8am-8pm. Thank you for all your support 🦭

26/09/2026

We recently took in a large male mute swan, transferred to us from Bath Swan Rescue

He was originally found next to a lake in Bristol, lethargic, subdued and passing loose faeces. However after some time in care, medication and a whole lot of corn, he’s made a full recovery!☺️

Since he doesn’t have a mate and there have been a few similar cases reported in the area he is from, we decided it was in his best interest to be relocated to a suitable location not far from our centre. This also meant he would have a shorter less stressful journey to release. As you can see from the tail waggles, he’s pleased to be back on the water! 🦢