A heartwarming new wildlife partnership is flourishing, and local people in Prestatyn and the surrounding areas of the North Wales coast are being invited to play an essential role. RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and the charity UK Wildlife Transporters are joining forces to recruit volunteer drivers across the North Wales coast.
The team urgently needs compassionate volunteers who can help transport injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals to local veterinarians and specialist rescue centres. Each year, thousands of vulnerable wild creatures depend on rapid access to veterinary treatment for survival. Many members of the public encounter injured animals but lack the proper equipment or experience to move them safely. This wonderful initiative ensures that vulnerable wildlife receives care from approved experts rather than unsuitable, unapproved facilities.
Volunteers will assist a wide variety of creatures, including bats, fox cubs, garden birds, and hedgehogs. You can offer as much or as little time as you like, providing a flexible way to make a real difference.
To join the team, you need a passion for wildlife, your own transport, and a willingness to purchase a couple of animal carriers.
Team Effort for Wildlife Rescue
The new partnership aims to create a stronger wildlife rescue network across Prestatyn and the surrounding areas of the North Wales coast. Lee Stewart, RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre manager, said: "This partnership is a hugely important step forward for wildlife rescue across our region. By working together with UK Wildlife Transporters and wildlife-friendly veterinary practices, we can ensure injured wildlife reaches appropriate care more quickly and safely.
"It will reduce the number of animals entering these backyard projects and provide a stronger, more visible wildlife rescue network that ultimately reduces animal suffering.
"Our volunteer wildlife transporters play a vital role in animal welfare, helping to transport mammals such as bats, rodents, fox and badger cubs, to nestlings, fledglings, gulls, offshore birds, and smaller waterfowl species. By being able to react quickly to an often-changing situation, this timely transport can often mean the difference between life and death for an animal."
Lee added: "The work we have done so far with UK Wildlife Transporters has meant we have been able to save the lives of a lot more wild animals. There are areas where we have a concentration of volunteers and others where our numbers are low, so we would really like to recruit more volunteers in Prestatyn and the surrounding areas of the North Wales coast. As well as a passion for wildlife, volunteers will need to have their own transport and be prepared to purchase a couple of animal carriers (large and small).
"We would like to say a huge thank you to Alana Hurd, the founder of UK Wildlife Transporters, their dedicated volunteers, and the veterinary practices already supporting wildlife across our region, as your support makes a real difference every day. We would love more local vets and wildlife lovers to come on board and help us out so together we can ensure injured wildlife receives the help it so desperately needs."
Local Heroes Needed
Alana Hurd, founder of UK Wildlife Transporters, commented: "This partnership with RSPCA Stapeley Grange has had an immediate, noticeable impact on wildlife in the areas surrounding the centre. It is helping wildlife on a scale that’s more than I ever hoped for when we started working together, by enabling new ways for these deserving creatures to benefit from expert care, when otherwise they would have missed out."
Local veterinary practices are also being encouraged to join the supportive network to improve emergency care for creatures. If you would love to become a volunteer driver, or if you run a vet practice that wants to help, you can email alana@ukwildlifetransporters.org to get involved. Vets can find out more details on the UK Wildlife Transporters website. Further details about the scheme and general wildlife advice can also be found on the RSPCA Stapeley Grange website.
