Blyth Wildlife Rescue

01/09/2025

Get ready to cheer on our incredible volunteer, Suzy. A dedicated member of our Blyth Wildlife Rescue team, she is taking on the Great North Run 2025 to help raise vital funds for our charity.

Suzy has been a pillar of our team for many years, and we're so grateful for her tireless efforts. Now, we're calling on YOU to support Suzy's fundraising efforts!

Every donation counts, and we'd love it if you could spare a few pounds to help us care for the wildlife in need.

If you're able to, please donate and share words of encouragement for Suzy as she prepares to tackle the Great North Run! 🌟

Want to join me in making a difference? I’m raising money running the Gre… Suzy Metcalff needs your support for Raise Funds to Help with Repairs to Our Aviary

21/08/2025

Meet the Team

Today we are introducing Sharon who is a member of our fund-raising team. This is what Sharon had to say about volunteering for Blyth Wildlife Rescue.

1. How long have you been volunteering for Blyth Wildlife Rescue?

I have been involved with the charity as a fund raiser for around 18 months. I have known the charity founder since I worked at South Essex Wildlife Hospital, and I love the ethos of Blyth Wildlife Rescue.

2. What made you get involved with Blyth Wildlife Rescue and why did you choose this charity?

They are an amazing organisation with amazing volunteers dedicated at grassroots level to the rescue and rehabilitation of many wild animal species in the North East. I love visiting as often as I can to see the amazing work being done. I have watched the charity steadily grow over the last few years.

3. What do you find most rewarding about fundraising?

The most rewarding thing is knowing that you can possibly make a difference to the charity and also to the local wildlife they support. Receiving funding of any kind gives all the volunteers a significant boost and can make the difference between being able to stay open and rescue more wildlife.

4. What do you see as the biggest challenges for the charity in fundraising today?

Challenges are huge as money is tight for most and probably the first thing to suffer in these times are charitable donations. It's also tough to fundraise for specific projects with the constant worry of having enough funds for running costs.

18/08/2025

The class of 2025 are now back in the wild, following several months of care in captivity! 🤎

Several fox cubs were set free last weekend in beautiful surroundings on a lovely summer's evening in fair weather, completing their journey back to the wild. The long-awaited release date and location is very carefully considered each year, ensuring the cubs are released during the natural period of dispersal of cubs in the wild.

The most notable fox cub to make it through to release was one of our first cubs of the year, admitted back in April. The young vixen came into our care severely imprinted, after being kept in completely unsuitable conditions by a member of public, before being transferred to a local vets.

The odds were very much against this little cub, who had been reared in a way that left her with no fear of humans or dogs, making her unreleasable. Over the last few months, we have maintained a professional distance with all of our cubs, implementing measures that limits any sort of interaction with humans.

There were many times that it was thought the cub may never make it back into the wild, so we are thrilled to see her go. It costs us several thousand pounds each year to rear fox cubs from Northumberland and surrounding areas, many of which had no other place to go and may have otherwise been put to sleep.

Now the cubs have departed, it is time for their enclosure to have some urgent and essential maintenance before it houses the next patients needing the accommodation. Please consider a donation today; for the lucky foxes who got their second chance at life and towards those who will need our help tomorrow! 🦊

12/08/2025

**UPDATE**

We have been inundated with kind offers. We now have enough stock. Thank you all for your support!

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We are in desperate need of towels for our patients. If you are able to help, please send us a Facebook message and we can arrange a collection/drop off.

Many thanks! 🙏

11/08/2025

On Saturday, after another challenging week on the wildlife frontline, we were pleased to be able to release a deer casualty back to the wild following a 13 day stay in captivity.

Two weeks ago, we attended a deer road traffic casualty near High Spen. The adult male had been found injured in the middle of a nearby road and taken back to the finder’s house until help could arrive.

By the time we arrived, the deer had been placed in a secure paddock. The roe buck lay motionless with injuries to the head and appeared to be blind from concussion; a common presentation with road traffic deer casualties.

After a full assessment, it was decided the deer could be transported back to the centre, where he would soon receive further first aid and a vet assessment. Treatment was successful and over the course of the coming days, we finally managed to get the deer to eat by himself.

The care team battled to save the deer, who initially struggled with diarrhoea during the early treatment process. Thankfully, we managed to work to eventually eliminate the diarrhoea and restore the deer’s hydration.

It has then been a slow but steady journey back to full health, until the deer’s sight finally started to return a number of days ago. Through careful assessment day by day and with bag fulls of browse and greenery, the deer was finally able to see us as a threat and arrangements were made for his journey back home.

It was a wonderful sight to see the deer returned back to the fields he once roamed several weeks earlier. Very few of the deer casualties we attend to across the region are suitable candidates for rehab, often sustaining terrible injuries as a result from vehicle collisions and dog attacks! 🦌

09/08/2025

Next up on our recent highlights was the release of our handreared stoat and weasel at a wildlife reserve.

This year, we were lucky enough to have one of each of the UK’s smaller members of the mustelid family in care.

These small mammals make for enjoyable viewing and observation, as they progress through their rehabilitation journey. Their playful antics and impressive speed are a joy to watch.

However, these little bundles of joy are not to be underestimated; they are quite the ferocious predator and can easily take down prey animals that are more than twice their body size.

Last weekend, volunteers were able to see the youngsters released at a Northumberland nature reserve, completing their journey back to the wild!



📸: Avery Images

06/08/2025

Next up for release was our hand-reared leveret, who initially came into our care back in June as a tiny youngster, weighing in at just 193g. He was sadly a victim of a dog attack and his sibling didn’t survive the ordeal.

Baby hares, known as leverets, can be very challenging patients to hand rear. They have very delicate feeding requirements and can be easily upset by even small changes in the environment and any noise or disturbance throughout their stay.

It is always a relief to see the first signs of any hand-reared mammal starting to wean and self feed, marking the next chapter in their rehabilitation journey.

Not only does this start a more hands-off approach, but is also a welcomed break to those tasked with regular hand feeding the youngster, feeding several times a day for several weeks.

The hare was returned to the wild at a good release location during fair weather conditions last weekend!

The Hare Preservation Trust - HPT 🤎

04/08/2025

Following days of poor weather conditions, we were finally able to resume some long-awaited releases last weekend.

The first to depart our care were the last remaining tawny owlets, having been hand reared from tiny balls of fluff through the fledglings.

Releasing animals back to the wild that otherwise may not have survived is always a rewarding experience.

It is also important we frequently assess and release patients from our care, in order for other patients to move through the hospital and into outdoor enclosures.

30/07/2025

It’s a very busy time at the rescue and we are operating at almost full capacity with our team working continuously to ensure each patient is receiving the correct care needed. We thought we would share just a few images of our patients with you.

23/07/2025

Meet Blossom! 🌸🦭

Our first common seal pup of 2025 was rescued at the end of June. She was found alone on the beach, vocalising and suckling rocks.

At the time of her rescue, Blossom weighed only 9.1kg and still had her umbilicus attached, indicating she was a very young pup requiring immediate attention.

Our dedicated volunteers have been working hard to care for Blossom, feeding her a nutritious fish soup 4-5 times per day to support her growth and development.

Encouragingly, she is now taking whole fish very well with some assistance, marking an important step in her rehabilitation.

In a short time, Blossom has gained over 2.5kg, demonstrating a positive response to the care she's receiving.

We will continue to care for this young pup until she is healthy and ready to be returned to the wild! 🌊

20/07/2025

In April a member of the public found seven abandoned goslings. After trying to care for them at home, one gosling started to deteriorate, and the finders contacted us for help.

After reaching our intensive care unit, the young geese were assessed and were found to have ticks around their eyes and underlying health issues. This was almost certainly the reason they were abandoned - mothers know when something isn’t right.

Despite our best efforts, over the coming days five of the goslings continued to deteriorate and unfortunately passed away.

After a couple of months of care, support, supplemented diets and lots of greens, the remaining two goslings have grown into healthy, beautiful juveniles and we had the pleasure of releasing these goslings back into the wild where they belong.

If you find an injured or abandoned animal, please seek advice.

Should you wish to help fund patients’ rehabilitation with us, please consider making a donation. As always, we can’t do what we do without you.

05/07/2025

We continue to be really busy with admissions at the hospital, and we are still dealing with a lot of babies. These three little hoglets were found alone and abandoned in a back garden. Dehydration had taken its toll, and fly strike and maggots were evident.

They were given rehydration fluids, the fly strike and maggots were removed, and they were placed in an incubator. They are responding to treatment and eating well, so we are hopeful that they will continue to improve.