Wildlife First Response

11/10/2025

It seems I may have missed this week, so I’m posting now!

No animal deserves to be left in the road like rubbish following a road traffic accident.

So many animals never getting the option of a second chance, for no other reason but the driver didn’t see their lives as important enough to give them a second thought. All animals deserve a chance of survival.

In the UK, annual road casualties are estimated to account for 100,000 fox deaths, 50,000 badgers, 50,000 deer, 30 million birds and 29% of hedgehogs. Based on statistical analysis of those potentially unrecorded, the realistic death rate is estimated to be around 70million animals. A waste of life summed up in numbers that are hard to comprehend.

CatsMatter published an excellent article about this: -

https://www.catsmatter.org/single-post/supporting-world-animal-road-accident-day-2025-how-local-authorities-in-the-uk-can-make-a-difference

Please brake for wildlife and if you come across an injured creature, please don’t turn a blind eye. Please be their first response.

08/10/2025

When I did my Police driving course some years ago, I had to commentate to the instructor what I could see in the far distance, middle distance, and near distance. I still scan all three today, some 20 years on, and I’ve never (to the best of my knowledge anyway) hit an animal, bird, or other creature on the roads. I’ve also never hit another car. That’s not to say I haven’t had the occasional ridiculous bump in my car (mostly with walls!)

I wish more drivers could say that but, sadly, drivers are pre-occupied with passengers, radios, music, chatting on phones etc, and their minds aren’t on the far distance, middle distance, or near distance. I think it would help all road users if they took driving more seriously. You’re driving a killing machine after all.

Today, I sadly came across a Red Squirrel in the road who had been there too long to be salvaged. I like to give dignity to wildlife killed on roads by moving them so their bodies aren’t considered just another piece of road litter and they have final resting places.

Poignantly, today is

According to Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels, there is only an estimated 220,000 Reds left in Scotland. Road collisions play their part in such a low number.

Please do what you can to help these little guys. Scotland without oor wee ginger pals wouldn’t be the same place.

Look ahead & expect the unexpected;
Keep your speed sensible ~ more paint (on the road), more danger;
Keep an eye out for wildlife road signs. If you’re coming into an area where there’s been a need to put a sign up, the chance of you coming across a squirrel pal may well be higher.
Report sightings to Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels.

Mon the Red Squirrels!

📸 some snaps from little rescue kits while volunteering in wildlife rescue previously.

08/10/2025

Can you give the hedgies at Highland Wildlife Rescue a helping hand?

08/10/2025

Well, what do we make of this?! Comments suggest it might be nonsense, but maybe not!

In Sweden, a unique and nature-inspired solution is helping prevent vehicle-wildlife collisions — beeswax-coated snow poles. Traditionally used to mark road edges during snowy months, these poles are now being transformed into gentle deterrents for animals like moose, deer, and foxes who often wander near highways, especially in winter when food is scarce and visibility is low.

The secret lies in beeswax, which has a mild, sweet scent and natural properties that wildlife instinctively avoids when applied in concentrated form. Swedish engineers coat the top sections of snow poles with beeswax blends that include natural deterrents like citrus oil or pepper essence, ensuring the animals keep a safe distance from roads without distress. These scents are harmless, biodegradable, and fade slowly, lasting through several weeks of snow and wind.

Strategically placed in forested and migration-prone zones, these modified poles subtly create a sensory boundary for wildlife. Drivers remain guided by the reflective strip on the pole while animals, sensing the scent from a distance, choose alternate paths through safer terrain. This helps protect both humans and animals from devastating nighttime collisions.

The initiative is praised for its low-tech brilliance — inexpensive, chemical-free, and rooted in harmony with local ecosystems. It highlights how a small adaptation of existing infrastructure can bring big benefits in road safety and wildlife preservation.

05/10/2025

Great work by Highland Wildlife Rescue 💚

04/10/2025

Wow, four years ago today, I set up WFR. Lots more to be done in time (ie when I have some!)

Thank you for your support over the years 💚

02/10/2025

I shared a beautiful moment this morning with a Long-Tailed Tit who sadly collided with a window. I quietly placed the little one in a box to give them time to rest in the dark and checked on them regularly. When they were ready to go, I helped them off, they circled my head, and flew away. One of my favourite birds.

20/09/2025

Hi folks,

So sorry for the radio silence. This page seems to have been taken down inadvertently. Fortunately, Mr WFR managed to recover it this evening!

Life is quite busy and enjoying a spell in the country amongst badgers, pine martens, red squirrels, and much more.

Badgers love a wasps nest and we’ve been finding lots of destroyed nests recently thanks to the Brock!

I’m not a wasp enemy and often remove them from the house or rescue them from wherever with my bare hands and have never been stung. It’s sad to see the decimation of their nests but also very interesting to see the delicate construction.

I guess this is nature, naturing!

08/09/2025

Heartbreaking 💔

Wildlife rescue can be extremely tough. This young man was picked up from the lovely finder yesterday by one of our volunteers. Massively underweight, infested with flees, dehydrated, a roundworm burden, infected diarrhea, and in generally very poor condition. Despite everyone's huge efforts, fluids, meds, warmth and calm, we lost him at 5am. We so badly wanted to reverse his poor condition, but this time it wasn't meant to be.
This year has been a really bad one for badgers, as it has been really tough for them to dig up their favourite food. Up to 80% of their diets are earthworms, and with the dry ground, they have struggled to get them. We have seen an increase in very small juvenile badgers this year.

05/09/2025

Half an hour ago I saved a life
Nothing heroic
Just killed my speed

Wildlife First Response

03/09/2025

My great friend Jane, the boss lady at Highland Wildlife Rescue, is Walking for Wildlife this Sunday.

It would make me so happy if we could all get behind Jane (and wildlife) and spare a few pennies.

I had some ideas for turning some WFR Kits into ££s for Jane, but I’ve just moved and everything is everywhere right now!

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/jane-walks-for-wildlife?fbclid=IwZnRzaAMlVC9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmgjJ_AW9KZJTo5c0Wc87JM4MAfg3ayrmhHylh15LzWupUZumkI9pASn2qwz_aem_twiPh3ThNmzNkaFugNKwdQ

Fundraiser - It's been a relentless Summer and all of my attention has been on patient care - chicks, squirrels, bats, bunnies, leverets - hundreds of little lives. I've been busier than ever as we help even more wild creatures. It's been so crazy that m...

01/09/2025

It was with great sadness and frustration that we have had to aid this sweet vixen to sleep today, after she suffered multiple irreparable injuries.💔

She was unable to flee a dog attack after losing use of her hind legs - injuries sustained from entanglement in netting. 💔

Whether she'd chewed herself free or was cut from the entanglement, she should never have faced such suffering.

Please let's learn from her loss of life, may she not have died in vain.

- Always check your garden before letting your dog out.

- Roll up or pack away all netting after use—whether football, tennis, or gardening....

- If you see an entangled animal, please call a wildlife rescue for help rather than attempting to cut them free.

RIP, sweet vixen. We’re heartbroken that your suffering was caused by human error. 💔

👉 You can find your local wildlife rescue through the directory in this link: https://helpwildlife.co.uk