BY ALLISON LEE
Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary started in 2009 when Alexandra Smith recognised a growing need for a safe, permanent place for injured, orphaned, sick and displaced wildlife in the local area.
Alexandra’s journey began when she started volunteering at her local veterinary practice and chose to care for two pigeons that needed long-term care. As most veterinary practices are unable to house wild animals long-term, Alexandra offered to help. Before she knew it, one or two pigeons turned into five herring gulls, which then turned into several hedgehogs. Word spread, and Alexandra soon started her own little rescue service.
Alexandra says she decided to continue her work and develop the sanctuary when she became aware of more and more people coming across sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife with nowhere to go. Her life changed considerably when she made this decision: she went from being a full-time teacher to a part-time one, juggling both work and the sanctuary, before finally deciding to leave teaching altogether to concentrate on the charity full-time.
“What started off as a couple of pigeons in some modest cages developed into several aviaries, a paddock, an area I like to call ‘the gull pen’ and a seabird rehabilitation pool. As you can imagine, living in Whitby means my most common rescues are seabirds. The sanctuary now rescues over 6000 wild animals a year and is planning on developing further.” Alexandra says. She goes on to explain how the small, volunteer-led effort has since grown into a dedicated three-acre sanctuary focused on rescue, rehabilitation, and long-term care, where release back into the wild is not possible.
The last few years have seen Alexandra’s passion for wild animal care grow, and it has, she says, now become her life. She is committed to increasing her knowledge and abiding by the law, which includes earning a Diploma in Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, a Diploma in British Wild Mammals, and completing rabies vaccinations for the rehabilitation of bats.
Alexandra told me that she often gets asked if her work is interfering with nature, to which she replies that the “vast majority of wildlife casualties are caused by human interference in the first instance. Whether that be through deforestation, car collisions, shootings, snares and traps, building work, cats and dogs, or even malicious attacks. I therefore feel it is important to right those wrongs and give nature a helping hand, for which they so deserve.”
In addition to seabirds, Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary cares for a wide range of native wildlife, including hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, owls, birds of prey, waterfowl, and various small mammals. Each animal that comes to the sanctuary has its own story, but many arrive due to road traffic injuries, habitat loss or human interference. Most are rehabilitated and released, while a few remain permanently within the sanctuary’s safety due to the severity of their original injuries.
Alexandra told me that there are many stories that stand out for her, but some of the most memorable are seeing animals “recover against the odds — for example, severely injured hedgehogs that go on to be released back into the wild, or birds of prey that regain strength and confidence after extensive rehabilitation. These moments are the real highlights of our work and make the long hours worthwhile,” she says, with obvious pride for the work that she and her team of volunteers do.
Alexandra told me that the work can also be emotionally challenging. Not every animal can be saved, and limited resources, funding pressures, and increasing demand for wildlife rescue are ongoing difficulties. “Saying goodbye to animals that don’t make it is always the hardest part of what we do,” she says sadly. However, she continues to say that “Overall, the greatest reward is knowing that we provide compassion, care, and dignity to animals that would otherwise have nowhere to go, while also helping to educate the public about wildlife welfare and conservation.”
Raising funds is crucial to running the charity, along with the hard work of volunteers. Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary has a dedicated team of over 170 volunteers who help on-site, attending to the animals, carrying out rescues, assisting with the transportation of wildlife to the sanctuary, and helping to raise funds. The sanctuary’s shop on Flowergate in Whitby town centre also helps raise funds to support the sanctuary’s ongoing work.
If you would like to know more about the work of Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary or to donate, please visit their website at: www.whitbywildlife.co.uk
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Times and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.