This year has seen a number of wild bird culls, instigated against healthy wild birds within Rescues & Sanctuaries.  These culls have killed 100s of birds and to share the words of Whitby, who experienced a cull in January...

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"We have spoken to a few other Rescue centres who have also been affected by bird flu and we've shared and talked about our experiences about how Defra handle bird flu in a rescue centre type organisation. We have learnt that there are;

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- Huge inconsistencies from place to place

- Rescues are being treated differently from one place to another

- Protocols and defra polices have differed from place to place and not being applied equally

- Defra staff on site were very unsure how to tackle rescue centres and did not know how to handle many bird species

- Were extremely insensitive and did not appreciate the type of establishment or group of people they were dealing with, resulting in serious mental harm to persons involved.

- In some cases, defra staff causing unnecessary suffering to the wildlife they were told to cull.

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Not only are their policies not fit for purpose for rescue centres, but their approach and methods were also unfit for purpose.

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...There are too many inconsistencies when it comes to how defra handle bird flu in wild birds and this is a national problem, often appearing on our news channels as being a very serious issue.  Many Rescue centres across the UK have shut their doors to birds altogether and many have come forward and explained to us that it is because they fear what defra would do to them if they didn't.

 

We have learned of many non-sensical, inconsistent rules, highlighting how unfit defra policies are for wild bird rescue centres.

This haphazard, inconsistent approach to wildlife rescue centres has resulted in rescue centres being extremely unsure what would happen to them and therefore shutting their doors altogether.

 

So, where do we stand?  This fundraiser is to help raise the funds, to investigate defra policy in this matter.  Advocates for Animals (specialist solicitors) have been asked to look into this matter, to give all Rescue centres clarity and to know where we all stand legally in protecting and saving birds from potentially unnecessary culls."

 

Every wild bird is unique: a conscious individual with the right to life.  Please support the fundraiser to help us to explore the legal rights of our UK wild birds by either donating or buying a 'Wild Handbook' (and maybe winning some luxury truffles)!

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Thank you, Alana

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A last note from Alana...  "It is not without considerable thought that I am sharing this fundraiser and supporting it through the WCB, after Lucy from Wild Things bravely launched it from her own platform.  I spoke to a couple of Vet professionals and Rescues on the WCB committee before I did so, to get their opinion.  I don't want the WCB to become a campaigning platform (it has been set up to enable practical & immediate proof of standards and a general raising of standards) BUT the WCB has always been an advocacy platform for wildlife in general so it is right - agreed by everyone I spoke to - that the WCB should stand up for the rights of wild birds by - at the very least - getting specialist legal advice to see what rights these wild birds might have and how policy might be influenced to prevent the further culls of healthy birds."

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