RSPCA Wildlife Policy - UK members please read this!

11471 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by tuxedobaby, Apr 9, 2009

Feefo

Discussion Starter · Apr 3, 2009

Under no circumastances should injured or baby wood pigeons be taken to the RSPCA.

Word is coming through that because of the credit crunch the new RSPCA wildlife policy is to euthanise (KILL) all wildlife taken to them or picked up by them .

They will not pay for any wildlife, including orphans, to be taken to a vet or wildlife rescue centre and inspectors & ACO ( Animal Collection Officers) have been told to kill all wildlife they get instead .

I have heard this from various sources. I have tried to contact the RSPCA advice centre and the RSPCA Wildlife Hosptal at East Winch, Norfolk to verify this information but have been unable to speak to a human being although they will be charging me for listening to their uninformative recorded messages.

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12788

· #2 · Apr 3, 2009

cyro51 said:
Under no circumastances should injured or baby wood pigeons be taken to the RSPCA.

Word is coming through that because of the credit crunch the new RSPCA wildlife policy is to euthanise (KILL) all wildlife taken to them or picked up by them .

They will not pay for any wildlife, including orphans, to be taken to a vet or wildlife rescue centre and inspectors & ACO ( Animal Collection Officers) have been told to kill all wildlife they get instead .

I have heard this from various sources. I have tried to contact the RSPCA advice centre and the RSPCA Wildlife Hosptal at East Winch, Norfolk to verify this information but have been unable to speak to a human being although they will be charging me for listening to their uninformative recorded messages.

I have heard this rumour (???) too. However, in my experience is this not an entirely new feature, as the RSPCA was and is always very reluctant to invest time, money and effort into so called pest birds, game birds, or complicated cases. I have had an encounter of this kind just recently, as I nearly made the mistake to help an ACO to catch an injured moorhen. The bird escaped, but I was close enough to identify this bird as one of our residents, who was known to be lame on one leg since years without being bothered to much. The ACO lady told me to let her know when the bird is back a the pond to be caught. She also said, that this bird will die anyway, it will die either in the wild or it will be put down through the RSPCA.

rook

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Feefo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 3, 2009

I am so glad that the moorhen escaped their clutches!

I am wondering what will happen to their wildlife hospital if they are no longer rescuing wildlife. My guess is that they will execute those animals that are not newsworthy, the pigeons, other common garden birds, hedgehogs, foxes, rabbits, ducks, geese...but of course they have been executing pigeons for years.

They will no doubt continue to give their "advice". In my early rescue days I contacted them about a nestling pigeon that I had found one dark winter evening. They started their "advice" by saying "Thanks to your human inteference this pigeon will die" and went downhill from there as their "advice" included instructions about not returning the nestling to its parents as they would reject it after it had been touched by humans and feeding it by dropping peanuts into its gaping beak with tweezers.

Their only valid function is to investigate cruelty and to prosecute, they should leave all the rest to rescue organisations that care and hopefully the public donations would go to in the same direction.

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Feefo

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 4, 2009

RSPCA officials and (apparently) the RSPB are claiming that this is a malicious rumour. However I found this letter from the RSPCA North Regional Press Officer about the death of a deer that was rescued from water two weeks ago. In the letter she says:

I would, however, like to reiterate that as far as the RSPCA is concerned the deer, which died two days later, should have been put to sleep on welfare grounds if it couldn't be released there and then.

She goes on to argue that deer are too easily stressed to be kept in captivity. She would say the same about wood pigeons and many other wild animals.

http://www.morpethherald.co.uk/readers-letters/Deer39s-death--The-RSPCA.5096954.jp

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amyable

· #5 · Apr 5, 2009

Cynthia,

Thanks you for bringing this to our attention. Sorry I haven't been able to respond before, but I had noted it.
I know we have been all too aware of RSPCA's lack of response on many previous occasions, but if this policy does turn out to be the case, I do hope that with some adverse publicity, it gets to be more common knowledge so that people will know to not automatically put any injured wild animals into their uncaring hands.

I'll keep my ears open in case I hear anything that confirms this.

(It was interesting to see that a RSPCA Officer was actually conversing with the members on the Hedgehog forum).

Janet

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UncleBuck

· #6 · Apr 5, 2009

I betcha it does not stop them from asking for more donation to save the wildlife. I have read a lot of horror stories about these animal rescue/welfare groups that try to raise money, but really do not do much to save animals, other than raise their salaries and increase their fund raising efforts.
I try to stick with the local shelters. Although you have to be careful there also. We used to buy a couple of bags of dog food for one of the local shelters each month. I was on my way to deliver two bags of dog food and as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a volunteer walk out and put a case of canned dog food in to her car. I asked another employee about it and I was told "Well, we have enough dog food for two months, so we are all taking some home for our dogs." Needless to say, we no longer donate to that shelter, although they still send out donation requests.

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Feefo

Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 6, 2009

That is terrible! I bet that there were other shelters in the area that could have done with the food, if not for dogs then for other wild animals.

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Becca199212

· #8 · Apr 6, 2009 (Edited)

UncleBuck said:
We used to buy a couple of bags of dog food for one of the local shelters each month. I was on my way to deliver two bags of dog food and as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a volunteer walk out and put a case of canned dog food in to her car. I asked another employee about it and I was told "Well, we have enough dog food for two months, so we are all taking some home for our dogs." Needless to say, we no longer donate to that shelter, although they still send out donation requests.

Thats shocking!

Referring to the original post: I wonder if any of the newspapers have heard this? Would it be worth sending them a message asking them to look into it?

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Georgina

· #9 · Apr 6, 2009

I despise my local RSPCA. Not so long ago, I lost one of my male pigeons and popped up to there and asked if they had any pigeons for rehoming or knew of anywhere I could get hold of one. Their first response was laughter. Their second was to ask what possessed me to own such 'disgusting' creatures and their third was to tell me they wouldn't know anywhere I could get one because they wouldn't associate with breeders of pests or keep any details of such people on file.

I asked what would happen if someone contacted them complaining that my pigeons were being kept and housed unfairly or cruelly and they said they wouldn't waste the officer's time in checking. I appreciated their honesty to be honest but I could of punched the lot of them in the face right there and then.

I also saw some Gouldian Finches in there once and asked what requirements I'd need for the home check to rehome them - I was told they needed a large avairy at least 10foot square but that they couldn't be housed outside. I presume they still have the finches as they'd be hard pushed to find anyone with a 10 foot square bird cage in their front room!

I don't have anything to do with the RSPCA anymore. I'd rather travel to a non-RSPCA wildlife rescue or the like. I'm all for rehoming the unwanted pets and all but their expectations are unrealistic and I'd never ever take wildlife to them.

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Feefo

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 7, 2009

their third was to tell me they wouldn't know anywhere I could get one because they wouldn't associate with breeders of pests or keep any details of such people on file.

Oh, right. Have they informed that famous "pest breeder" (the Queen), who also happens to be the patron of the RSPCA , that they don't associate themselves with her?

Cynthia

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Georgina

· #11 · Apr 7, 2009

Prehaps I'll go back and ask them!

I still can't get over what a bunch of dingbats they were!

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tuxedobaby

· #12 · Apr 9, 2009

on a more positive note,in scotland the SSPCA are much more enlightened,they run a wildlife rescue near to where i live,and rescue ALL wildlfie,fur or feathers(including pigeons)they are a seperate society from the RSPCA,with different policies by the look of things,i too have heard what you guys in england say reg the RSPCA,its awful and people should be made aware of whats going on,im disgusted about how georgina was treated by them,,i hope you complained!

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Feefo

Discussion Starter · #13 · Apr 9, 2009

I have heard that the RSPCA gets a lot of donations in Scotland, but don't actually help animals in Scotland, so the SSPCA does the work but loses out on the funding.

Cynthia

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tuxedobaby

· #14 · Apr 9, 2009

cyro51 said:
I have heard that the RSPCA gets a lot of donations in Scotland, but don't actually help animals in Scotland, so the SSPCA does the work but loses out on the funding.

Cynthia

that is very true,there are lots of appeals for RSPCA,in shops(collection tins),on tv,radio,street appeals in big cities etc and very little for SSPCA! the local wildlife rescue centre/hospital in dunfermline do a great job with all kinds of wildlife,they rescued "wonka" the pigeon (who fell in chocolate fountain in thorntons edinburgh),i offered to take wonka but he had been released,also offered to help with any other ferals who are fit and needing home(with my flock,who are well fed and looked after by myself and my neighbour elizabeth),the SSPCA relies a lot on donations,and even in times of finanicial ups n downs its needed more than ever.i think a lot of folks here confuse the 2 organisations and think SSPCA is scottish branch of RSPCA when they are completly different,im pretty bloody(excuse colourful language please!)angry how georgina was treated,it was unproffesional and again,,,,,,cheapened the lives of pigeons,which happens too damn much!

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