In My Experience case studies:

Animal Conservation

Heidi - hedgehogs

Heidi has been in Best magazine. She hasn’t got any hedgehogs in her care presently, but will when hoglets are born in the spring.

Heidi, 45, from Milton Keynes, started as a volunteer at a hedgehog hospital, then organised for Center Parcs to become a rehabilitation center for rescued hedgehogs. Hedgehogs could be extinct within ten years unless we make dramatic changes. She now runs her own charity, Hedgehog Haven Rescue, and has independently rescued and cared for over 100 hedgehogs. The Center Parcs release programme has been so successful she’s hoping other CP locations follow their lead. 

Caroline - butterflies

Dr Caroline Bulman, 46, from Dorset, is Senior Conservation Manager and Head of Species Ecology at Butterfly Conservation. She is a specialist in the conservation of several species such as the Large Blue and Chequered Skipper and is passionate about the role of rewilding in butterfly conservation. We must protect butterfly habitats, to protect butterflies.

 Pauline - various but great pics with deer and badgers

Pauline is the founder of Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Somerset.

SWWR has cared for 5000 wildlife casualties and orphans every year since 1993. She believes wildlife should be given the best care with the aim of returning them to the wild - rescue, rehabilitate and release. She was responsible for the Badger Rehabilitation Protocol of 2001 which is still quoted in Parliament and has encouraged confidence in the care of badgers across the UK (evidence shows the primary spread of TB is cow-to-cow). She fights to protect wildlife so there will be a countryside for future generations to enjoy. SWWR is highly respected for their rehabilitation and release programme and orphan-rearing success. They also run educational programmes for the public and vets, who are given little training about wild animals.

Jane - various birds, good owl pictures!

Jane is part of a two woman operation providing 24/7 crisis care to injured and sick birds of all species, including some that are threatened, endangered or extinct in the wild, like Edwards Pheasants, at Blue Highlands Raptor Rescue & Avian Conservation Centre in Scotland. Jane volunteered at Blue Highlands Bird of Prey Rescue Centre in the far north of Scotland after being made redundant in February 2020 from her 30-year career in Banking and Finance and as a result, feels that 2020 was the best year of her life. 

Anita - various, but good fox pics

Anita, 53, is a volunteer at Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary in North Yorkshire. During lockdowns, Anita and the team worked tirelessly to rescue and care for over 4000 birds and animals, making 2020 the sanctuary’s busiest year ever. They recently completed building work on an aviary, including a 60 foot space for owls to provide them with ample flying room during recovery.  

These two are under the age of 40 …

Rachel - red squirrels

She says she has other pics which I have asked for…

Rachel, 37, leads a conservation programme for Lancashire Wildlife Trust in one of the very few strongholds where red squirrels still thrive. This involves making sure red squirrels have the right type of habitat to help them survive and monitoring population numbers. Red squirrels are agile acrobats, our native species and have lived in the UK for around 10,000 years. Last year Rachel hand reared an orphan and she trained her German Shepherd, Max, to become a squirrel sniffer dog and sniff out squirrel pox disease which can be deadly to red squirrels. 

Chloe - beavers

Chloe, 36, is Head of Wilder Landscapes at Kent Wildlife Trust

Chloe refers to beavers as nature’s architect. Beavers enable a whole host of animal and plant species to thrive, create resilient landscapes, lock up carbon and elevate our own health and wellbeing. She has been involved in the legacy work of the first pioneering beaver reintroduction in the UK, at Ham Fen, for years and coordinates the East Kent Beaver Advisory Group which is raising awareness of Kent’s quietly thriving wild beaver population.  

From bats in our homes to beaver in our rivers and now bison in our woodlands, Chloe has spent the last 15 years championing coexistence and nature-based solutions and is driving forward some of the most innovative conservation projects in the UK today, including the reintroduction of bison. Chloe firmly believes that nature is one of our most powerful allies in addressing the challenges we face as a result of the biodiversity and climate crises.  She’s passionate about rewilding, where nature is given space to restore itself with limited human intervention.

The only woman of colour I could find - and I approached so many trusts, sanctuaries and charities - is Sonia. She doesn’t work directly with specific animals, but left a city career to become an environmental activist and launch The Every One Club with her friend, Aimee. The idea is that you join the Every One Club, then receive weekly actions to help fight climate change and increase biodiversity. One third of the £3 monthly membership goes towards a green fund to help planet-friendly start-ups. The first to benefit is a rewilding project called Make It Wild, in Yorkshire. Wild ponies will be among the animals who benefit from this. The goal is to mobilise 100,000 Brits by 2022 and they will fund four green projects a year.