It’s funny how often Wildlife Rescues contact me to ask me (as a WCB representative) to try and close down other Rescues.
The reasons to close down the Rescue in question may be absolutely valid, however… Often the person who has contacted me has known about the WCB for a significant period of time and - for whatever reason, valid I’m sure - they haven’t looked into us at all, know how we work or looked into becoming a Badge Holder themselves. But the RSPCA aren’t acting quickly enough and/or the police or the government aren’t acting on animal welfare concerns quickly enough for them, so they decide to try me.
The WCB was set up because it was clear that a preventative measure was needed (and a supportive community for Rehabbers was needed) to enable universal high welfare practices amongst UK Wildlife Rescues.
I want to share some of my recent answers to a Rescue who asked me if I was going to turn a blind eye to another Rescue with poor practices, and not join them in trying to get them shut down - by reporting them based on videos - or if I was just going to keep running the WCB…
“The relevant authorities being the RSPCA please, based on videos? The reality is, as awful as poor rehabbing practices are and as much as animals suffer, the examples you have listed are not uncommon at all (as I'm sure you have seen yourself, within many wildlife social media groups?)
I have 2 answers to give here really... One answer is that my reporting to the RSPCA as a member of the public who is concerned about videos (since others have already highlighted these videos to them AND shared their own actual real life experiences too) won't make any difference. It is why myself and others set up the WCB: we need prevention, not a rush to try and close down every rescue who operates with poor practices. There are many reasons that poor practices exist (sometimes it's vanity, sometimes it's just lack of awareness). To start from the ground up to prevent Rescues with poor practices operating - and to especially support and empower Rehabbers to be the best that they can be, for themselves and animals - so no animal is ever at risk, is paramount.
My second answer is that by setting up the WCB I haven't turned a blind eye to anything. I already work incredibly hard to improve animal welfare across the UK, irrespective of this group. In this case... I was contacted yesterday about this group and asked by a Rescue here to comment on the regulation post specifically. I am not the government or the police and I have far less power than the RSPCA. I am just a member of the public. What I have done however - what will make the biggest difference not just to these animals but to animals across the UK, I hope - is bring together wildlife professionals, for us to all work together to create the licensing that we all know is missing. That is already a vast amount of my own money and many hours of work[…]
It is through these changes that I can make a significant and long term difference, not through being another phone call to tell an organisation about videos that they are already investigating. Hopefully that all makes sense.”
- Alana, WCB Founder (and one of many Co-Developers).