A fox cub, curled in on itself, waiting for a mother who isn’t coming back.

A badger cub, cold beneath the earth, searching for warmth that’s gone.

A leveret, pressed into the grass, perfectly still… hoping not to be seen.

Ducklings huddled together, calling out into the silence.

Every year, as spring turns to summer, they arrive like this.

Alone. Frightened. Vulnerable.

At Vale Wildlife Hospital, we become everything they’ve lost.

We are the warmth that brings them back from the cold.

The hands that feed them, hour after hour, through the night.

The quiet voices that soothe them when they’re scared.

The care that gives them a second chance.

Because without that care, they simply wouldn’t survive.

Orphan season is relentless

A single day can bring up to 100 new arrivals. Boxes and carriers arrive one after another. Tiny, fragile lives inside, cold, hungry, injured, alone.

Inside the hospital, it’s constant. Incubators hum. Towels and bedding pile high, used and replaced again and again. Feeds are prepared, measured, warmed. Syringes lined up. Medicines drawn. Notes taken. Calls answered. Through the day, and deep into the night, the work doesn’t stop.

It takes an enormous amount to keep this going. Endless supplies of specialist food. Milk formulas. Fresh bedding. Heat. Medicine. Enrichment for growing animals learning how to be wild again. And yes… a lot of coffee, to keep tired eyes open through another long night.

It is relentless. It is exhausting. At times, it is completely overwhelming.

But we do it anyway.

Because we love it.

Because these animals need us.

Because without this care, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Will you stand with us and help us through our busiest time?

Every year, orphan season is our busiest time, and the time that places the greatest pressure on our resources. In a single week, we can spend over £17,000 simply feeding, cleaning, caring for, and treating the influx of animals arriving at our doors. Your gift today can make a real difference.

This orphan season, we are aiming to raise £30,000 - our biggest appeal ever - because reaching this target will have a huge, immediate impact on the lives we can save.

This is what your gift could make possible.

£20 could help feed a hungry orphan through those critical early days.

£40 could provide the warmth and specialist care needed to stabilise a fragile life.

£75 could support vital treatment for an injured animal fighting to recover.

£100 could support the intensive feeding and care needed to keep several orphaned babies alive through the night.

£200 could give a vulnerable fox cub everything it needs, warmth, nourishment, and care, until it is ready to live wild and free again.

Will you be their life-line?

Because right now, somewhere nearby, another tiny life is waiting.

Waiting to be found.

Waiting to be cared for.

Waiting for a second chance.

With your support, we will be there.

Because as long as we have our supporters - our community - standing with us, we will never stop being there for wildlife when it needs us most.

Please donate today and be part of their story