RSPCA braced for busiest month after 2,509 wildlife calls last June came from Yorkshire alone

The RSPCA received more than 204,9741 calls about wildlife in 2018 across England and Wales last year; with 14,2192 of those from Yorkshire & the Humber alone.
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Nearly half (93,097) of all the calls were received in the peak summer months May (28,211 calls), June (34,651) and July (30,235), the height of the breeding season for many wild animals.

The top five species the calls related to were pigeons (36,629 calls), red foxes (24,352 calls), gulls undefined (23,467 calls), hedgehogs (10,642 calls) and deer (9152).

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In South Yorkshire There were a total of 3,779 calls in 2018, 699 of them in June.

A rescued sealA rescued seal
A rescued seal

The RSPCA’s Scientific Officer Evie Button says: “May, June and July are our busiest months for wildlife, so our officers, centre staff and volunteers are flat out at this time of year.

“Caring for young animals at our wildlife centres can be a round-the-clock job. Some of the most vulnerable animals need to be hand-fed every few hours, even through the night.

“From newborn fox cubs which have lost their mother, to injured blackbirds or tiny orphaned ‘hoglets’, the RSPCA is very busy caring for and rehabilitating animals so they can hopefully be re-introduced to the wild.”

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RSPCA officers collected 59,428 wild animals in 2018, peaking in June and July with 9,688 and 10,388 collections respectively.

As well as the most common of Britain’s wildlife, the RSPCA was contacted last year about more unusual or rare animals including a Natterer’s bat, a natterjack toad and a hen harrier.

The animal charity has four dedicated wildlife centres in Somerset (West Hatch), Cheshire (Stapeley Grange), Norfolk (East Winch) and East Sussex (Mallydams Wood). Wild animals are also treated at the animal charity’s animal hospitals in London (Putney and Finsbury Park). Birmingham and Manchester, then cared for at specialist facilities, either at the RSPCA’s own centres and branches or working in partnership with other wildlife rehabilitation organisations.

To help the work of the RSPCA donate here.

To help wildlife in the garden this summer you can:

Put out fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing

Take care using lawn-mowers or strimmers and keeping pesticides out of reach of animals

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Tidy away unused sports and garden netting to prevent animals to tangled

For more information about what to do if you find a wild animal in need of help, please visit the RSPCA website.

To report concerns about an animal, please call the RSPCA 24-hour hotline on 0300 1234 999.

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