Does it cost £25 to fund a wildlife hospital?
It’s a question we hear a lot.
The answer is much more interesting. Got a moment…?
When you donate £25 to Wildlife Link (thank you), you are not paying for food and blankets: you are in fact lighting the tinder to a slow-burning transformation.
The image on your certificate is in fact the end result of a process that can transform the operations at a wildlife hospital and be a life changer for young people and those most dis-advantaged. It’s a process that takes time but it’s well worth the wait. So here it is:
We could just drive to a wildlife hospital loaded with equipment and resources. We could just present a lot of equipment and drive off again. But we don’t, for very good reasons.
In fact, we talk with rescuers about their needs. What will really make a difference for the wildlife under their care. It could be veterinary equipment, a vehicle run to get animals to their local vet, a new enclosure, training, 50 hedgehog boxes for release sites or rescue equipment. We start to engage with the community encouraging them to focus on raising awareness for wildlife and the benefits of this to them. We often find that the community is concerned about pollution, litter, anti-social behavior targeted toward the environment. We can then enable a call for action at a local level.
Slowly, sensitively, this connection encourages communities to come together – the most dis-advantaged have a say in their own community. We deliver workshops across community centres, schools, meeting places, indoor and outdoor to realise how environmental improvements can benefit people and wildlife; and then for wildlife rescuers... looking for safe and secure habitats to release wildlife You have helped them locate a release site, find foster carers, volunteers, ambassadors. It’s then, when this connection is established and confidence is growing, that we really start to initiate Wildlife Link.…
Our work shows that education is at the heart of Wildlife Link. When people have knowledge, they can make informed choices about their lives and bring about change for the long term.
That’s where we send in ambassadors with the skills and knowledge about ‘linking’ people with wildlife; that this link encourages health, motivation and new beginnings.
We know that working with local organisations, with communities, to educate, equip and empower people is far better in understanding the valuable impact Wildlife Link provides.
It works, it lasts and it’s far more cost-effective.
Which brings us back to the original question… ‘Does it cost £25?
In communities where we ‘go operational’, the cost of providing a hospital with life saving-equipment or delivering a community wildlife creation project – this is far higher than £25. In places where we work through local organisations, the cost is lower. Overall, the average cost per household supporting a local wildlife project – across the areas where we work – is about £25.
So, as you can see, your £25 goes far further: that’s just the bit we can show in the photo on your certificate. In fact, your money sparks an amazing chain reaction that changes people’s lives forever. All for wildlife. All for people.
"It's all about encouraging people to participate and learn about the natural world through hands on discovery."