AND HERE ARE SOME MORE FAQs (THIS PAGE IS KEPT UPDATED, AS NEW QUESTIONS GET ASKED)...

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WHY IS THE WCB NEEDED?

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The WCB is needed because of a lack of regulation/legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  With the very best of intentions, injured/orphaned wildlife are often being rehabilitated by members of the public with very little training or knowledge on wildlife care and yet they have (as they are working to be as professional as possible, to their credit) presented themselves as a 'Wildlife Rescue'.  It is very important that a stand is made for 'Animal Rights' (within Animal Welfare/Rehabilitation) and that not only are Wildlife Rescues given minimum standards of knowledge and facilities to meet but also that they are supported and empowered to be the best that they can be.

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DOES THE 'ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY' FROM A WCB HOLDER REALLY MAINTAIN STANDARDS ?

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Yes we believe it does and so far have been proven correct.  Asking for admission records, case studies and proof of a regular working relationship with a Vet has enabled us to be able to make sure - throughout the year - that high enough levels of focus and care for each casualty has been taking place under each WCB Holder and the requirement of proof of a working relationship with a Vet has especially proven that diagnostic equipment and high levels of treatment, as well as the right medications (as deemed appropriate by a Vet) have been being administered.

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IS THERE A PRESENTATION BY ANOTHER RESCUE, TALKING ABOUT WHY THEY THINK THE WCB IS WORTH DOING?

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Yes...  You can watch Lucy Steele's presentation HERE.

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WHO IS DOING THE 'PREMISES CHECKS', A VET THAT'S ARMED WITH RESOURCES?

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Your Vet (we can help you to arrange it) or a RVN who works with your Vet will be doing the checks.  

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Every Vet/RVN who visits a WCB Applicant’s premises is given 2 documents in advance (see the pics below). They are given a long report to fill in and go through, created by the brilliant Wildlife Specialist Vet, Liz Mullineaux AND they’re given a document of important questions to ask (created by a team of wildlife trained & rehab experienced Vet Professionals).

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Any Vet/RVN visiting a premises can also ask for support and advice, in advance and/or afterwards, from all of the wildlife experienced Vet Professionals who are on the WCB Committee.

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We have also just launched a Bat specific WCB badge and for that, a Bat specialist Vet has put together some specific advice for a General Practice Vet to have in mind when visiting a Bat Rehabber’s premises with some important specialist questions to ask too, to ensure that the premises is set up correctly.

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"I HAVE HEARD THAT THE PERSON WHO CREATED THE WCB HAS NO ANIMAL CARE BACKGROUND?"

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[This FAQ has been answered from the personal view point of me, Alana, who had the idea for the WCB and started it off by bringing lots of people together...]  "I originally became keen - when reaching out to Wildlife Rehabbers & Vet Professionals - to see if we could set up a self regulatory effort like the WCB, because I wanted to simply know how best I could help any poorly/injured creature that came my way.  (I was running UK Wildlife Transporters & I wanted to know where I could transport wildlife to, to receive a fair go at a second chance).

 

I wanted to be in a position to provide a helping human hand, as and when needed, in the most responsible way possible.

 

I project managed the WCB (I reached out to Rescuers & Vets to ask if everyone wanted to work together to develop a self regulation scheme).  One of the top wildlife vets for the UK came onboard - Liz Mullineaux, author of the BSAVA Manual - who created the WCB as part of a core team with Lucy from Wild Things, Emily (Head of Animal Care at RSPCA Oak & Furrows), other Vets & other Rehabbers, including fantastic home based Rehabbers.  Those were the wildlife care experts who created the WCB (and honestly, is there a better starting team?).

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Since the launch, we have also developed a 'Bat Specific Badge', which was developed by Heidi Hargreaves (Vet Surgeon at Vale Wildlife Hospital) and Ashley Dale, Ecologist & Wildlife Rehabber (specialising in Bats) .

 

Whilst I oversee the running of the WCB, all of the content still comes Wildlife Care Experts: there's a whole pool of wildlife trained Vets (Vets who teach wildlife care at universities or who work in Wildlife Hospitals) who are constantly called upon for new content & ideas to supply extra support to Rehabbers.  Equally WCB Holders themselves are constantly asked to supply content & advice to make sure that the WCB is truly the industry self regulating itself.  Emily - Head of Animal Care at RSPCA Oak & Furrows - has been formally hired as the WCB's 'Wildlife Care Advisor' since last July, to help even more (as she was already putting in so much time voluntarily).

 

I project manage the WCB by bringing all of these experts together, for THEM to keep the badge up to scratch & even to keep improving it.  (As I also run UK Wildlife Transporters, I myself have had to learn the very basics of wildlife care to enable high welfare transports)."

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IS THE WCB A LTD. COMPANY?

[I THINK THAT THE IMPLICATION/QUESTION IS - WHY IS IT NOT A CIC OR A CHARITY?]

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The WCB is registered as a ltd company with Companies House as, when we launched, we had feedback that everyone wanted it to be an official organisation.  We knew that we were NEVER going to charge a fee to WCB Holders - see our 'From Starting To Now' page for full info - and the WCB wasn't a money making enterprise so there was no need to set it up as a CIC or a charity.  The WCB is funded entirely by UK Wildlife Transporters (very publicly so).  You can see a breakdown HERE.  The 'company' of the WCB just makes it an official organisation, in the eyes of the law.  If anyone wants to look at our companies house records, you can see that (apart from one £25 donation when someone asked specifically if they could donate, years ago) our trading sits at £0.00.

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CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FAQs ANSWERED