Great relief at Vienna’s only wildlife hospital. In order to maintain medical care, donations were collected – successfully. Hedgehogs, Squirrels and Co. are (temporarily) saved.
The “Wildtierhilfe Wien” association has been helping injured animals for almost ten years. Although demand was high, not all accident victims could always be cared for. A few months ago, after many bureaucratic obstacles and high consultancy costs, the initiators were able to realize the first nature hospital on Alsergrund.
Veterinarian Rebecca Fränzle and her team provide medical care six days a week. Emergency operations are now the order of the day. Every year, between 700 and 1,000 animal patients — from birds to hedgehogs to squirrels — need help. The goal is to release the animals back into the wild.
No city or federal money
But the daily work in the clinic costs money and there are no subsidies from the city of Vienna or the federal government. “Because we have to build up large reserves due to the legal construction, the financial situation is tense. In order to continue providing medical care, we have decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign,” said Evelyn Moser-Gattringer.
Nearly 500 Viennese showed a heart for wild animals. Moser-Gattringer: “Almost 60,000 euros have been raised.” Incidentally, the animal lovers work on a voluntary basis.
Worker in the construction of the cochlea
Of course, in almost ten years there will always be strange or particularly emotional cases. “We also once captured a Roman snail with a damaged roof. After first aid, it was certainly one of our most frugal patients. We fed her until the snail repaired her house itself. Then we released them back into the wild,” the chairman recalls.
Plumage prostheses
The nature clinic is currently looking for fast springs. Swifts need pristine plumage to survive in the air. Broken feathers mean death in the wild, in captivity sometimes months of care with all the associated drawbacks. A feather repair is possible with the feathers of deceased congeners. This allows the animals to be released back into the wild more quickly.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
