We caught up with our CEO, Kirsteen Campbell, about what the leap year means for the animals we rehabilitate at our wildlife hospital.
Our National Wildlife Rescue Centre is a beacon of hope for countless sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. And it’s the only one of its kind in Scotland. From majestic sparrowhawks to tiny hedgehogs, our teams provide specialist care and rehabilitation for all Scottish wildlife. It’s truly a privilege that we’re able to release so many of them back into the wild where they belong.
This leap year presents us with a unique challenge: the need for additional resources to keep our hospital running smoothly. Unlike other years, 2024 offers us an extra day – today. While this day may seem insignificant to some, for us, it means an additional 24 hours of operating costs, medical supplies, and team efforts.
This leap year, we need to raise an extra £3,288 to cover the costs of running this unique and vital service for an extra day. We receive no statutory funding so every donation enables us to provide essential medical treatments, nourishment, and rehabilitation services for Scotland’s wildlife.
Without the help of our incredible supporters, we wouldn’t have been
able to rescue Sebastian, a tiny three-week-old stoat who had been caught by a cat last July. He weighed just 260g and was much too young to be able to survive on his own.
We don’t see many stoats so it was a rare opportunity for our teams.
Stoats have an extremely high metabolism and can eat up to a third of their body weight every day so keeping his tummy full was a near-constant job.
Sebastian thrived in our care and was released back into the wild when he was 12 weeks old – the age when young stoats usually leave their mothers.
This leap year, please donate today so we can be here all 366 days.
