South Essex Wildlife Hospital

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South Essex Wildlife Hospital

Dedicated to putting “life” back into the “wild”
veterinary care and rehabilitation for wildlife.

09/08/2026

Many of you left some LOVELY comments regarding the fox release images we posted yesterday and we've had a lot of interest in a photography talk run by our own photographer... 👀

Would this be something that would interest any of you? Please let us know down below and we may be able to put something together once things start to calm down a little here at the hospital! 😂

If so, could you also let us know if you would like to hear about photography work here at the hospital or wildlife photography in general?

Thank you, as always, for your support!! 🥰

08/08/2026

Five months of hard work... all summed up in one beautiful summer evening 🥰🦊

Raising wild animals to the point of release is hard. It's not just housing and feeding that need to be considered, but how they can learn hunting behaviours, how they know to recognise territorial boundaries and how to make sure they are just as scared of humans as their wild counterparts. It takes a LOT of work, but it all leads up to one single moment of freedom ❤

This may just be a photo of a fox cub jumping out of a carrier but, to a wildlife rehabber, it means that all those long hours were completely worth it. This is why we do what we do and why your support matters so much 🥰

Good luck out there, little ones. Stay safe and stay wild. It's been a pleasure! 🫡

07/08/2026

Ok... this was an odd one! 😱😵‍💫

Whilst more than 98% of our admissions stem from the actions of Mankind, wildlife can still find ways to get into difficulty without our help! 😅

This is a black-headed gull... and, yes, he managed to get his toe caught in an oyster! 😨

Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time this happened and isn't quite as uncommon as you think. The poor bird was well and truly stuck in place but, luckily, a little leverage with Alda's Leatherman multitool soon had his foot free!

He isn't quite out of the woods yet and may still need work to help the toe heal, but it was quite a lucky escape after some very clumsy foot placement!

And yes... the oyster was also fine (and was later released) 🥰

06/08/2026

This photo doesn't just represent a bird leaving our care, it represents the start of a rather incredible journey... ❤

Once fledged and successfully in the air, a young swift may not land again for the next THREE YEARS! 🤯 These birds eat, sleep and even mate on the wing, so the only time they will touch the ground again will be when they are old enough to breed themselves.

With such a difficult road ahead, these birds can only leave our care if they are at 100% fitness - nothing else will do!

So, the next time you glance up and watch one of these amazing birds soaring around in the sky, just think of how incredible it is for them to stay up there for so long ❤

Good luck little one. Stay strong!

05/08/2026

Sometimes, things look a LOT worse than they turn out to be! 😱

When this swan first arrived in our care with one side covered in blood, we initially feared the worst... We were so sure that we would be dealing with a major injury that Tom was already preparing for surgery, but an initial triage proved us all wrong!

As it turned out, the only damage done was a small cut and a few damaged feathers - something that didn't even need suturing! ❤

After breathing a rather large sigh of relief, the swan was cleaned up before being moved into one of our pens to recover. Not all cases turn out like this, but it's nice to find LESS damage than expected to have to fix on a patient!

03/08/2026

It's impossible to put across just how tiny this little baby is! 🤯

This unrecognisable white blob of fluff is, in fact, the youngest barn owl chick we've EVER admitted to the centre!

Weighing only 17g (about the same as a large egg yolk.... or a single plastic spoon!), this tiny little hatchling was found alone on the ground before being brought into our care. Far too young to survive without help, it has been under our care for a few days and is being carefully helped towards adulthood in the delicate hands of our staff team.

With birds of this age, great care has to be taken... not only does feeding need to be precise and measured properly, but our team need to take precautions to avoid imprinting... Before and of you ask, yes, that involves wearing an owl mask! 😂

02/08/2026

Did you know, foxes can fly? 🤔😂

We can't speak for other counties, but our foxes here in Essex seem to be VERY good at taking flight once the cage door opens! 🦊

Continuing our aim to end the week with a wildlife release, we're thrilled to say that even more of our young fox cubs have made the 'freedom boing' back to the wild! These little ones hit the jackpot with a stunning release site and, although they will still be fed and supported for the next few weeks, watching them finally enjoy freedom is just magical! 🥰

Stay safe little reds!

01/08/2026

It's been a busy few days in our seal hospital! 🦭🦭

Our common seal (or harbour seal) season has DEFINITELY started and these little guys are arriving thick and fast! With many arriving from British Divers Marine Life Rescue Medics and several needing the help of our rescue team, our seal unit is getting rather full already! 🤯

Our two latest pups are both underweight and bearing the scars of a dog attack. They are now on treatment under the care of our seal team, but we have a LOT of work ahead until they can hit their release point.

At this age, we start our pups on a course of oral rehydration before moving to 'fish soup' (an easily-digestible mix of blended fish, water, electrolytes, vitamins and more) and, finally, whole fish. It's a long process that will take several months per pup, but it will all be worth it to get them back to the wild ❤

If anyone wants to help us keep their enormous fish bill under control, you can buy a 'meal for a seal' on our online shop at https://southessexwildlife.org/feed-a-seal-for-a-day 🥰

31/07/2026

Look how much difference a few days of care can make ❤

Many of you will remember the little mangey fox that we posted about earlier this week... and we're so happy to say that she's making excellent progress 🥰

We will leave her arrival photo in the comments if you want to compare, but she is looking SO MUCH HEALTHIER already!!

Her fur will take some time to fully grow back, but her itching has stopped, her eyes look clear and her wounds are healing beautifully.

Don't worry girl, we'll get you back to your little orange self in no time ❤🦊❤

30/07/2026

Today, we just wanted to say thank you ❤

Last week, we asked for your help funding a new ophthalmoscope (a device used to check the eyes of patients) and BOY did you all deliver!!!

Our original target was hit within just 15 minutes of the post going live and we are now more than FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT funded! 🤯

As a charity, we rely entirely on public donations to do what we do. There's no sneaky government funding or large grants, just a lot of kind people like you making all of this possible 🥰

Thank you so much ❤❤❤

Address

Orsett Road
Orsett
RM163BH

Telephone

+441375893893

Website

https://southessexwildlife.org/

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