Particularly in urban areas , wildlife rescue centres serve as true sanctuaries and essential points of reference for the public. They also help raise awareness about proper actions: knowing when to intervene, how to protect an injured animal, and even understanding the best way to help it.
With this in mind, the LPO operates and supports several wildlife rescue centres across France to take in thousands of distressed wild animals with the goal of rescuing, rehabilitating, and restoring them to health so they can eventually return to their natural habitats.
Throughout my involvement with the LPO, I have made a point of paying special attention to these facilities. My visits and conversations with the people who work there have given me a better understanding of their expertise, as well as their ever-changing needs in the face of the climate emergency, because today, their role has taken on a whole new dimension.
The recent heat waves have led to a massive influx of animals and caused the centres to reach capacity. The wildfires we’ve experienced also raise questions about our collective ability to care for wildlife that has suddenly been deprived of shelter, or is injured or disoriented. These centres have thus become, in their own way, key players in our response to the crises affecting living creatures.
That is why I am also committed to raising awareness about them and advocating for their recognition by public authorities. Their exceptional mobilisation during crises must be matched by exceptional resources, particularly financial ones.
We cannot expect wildlife rescue centres to be on the front lines in the face of a suffering natural world without giving them the resources to carry out this mission.
Supporting wildlife rescue centres means, of course, saving animals. But it also means recognising their expertise, maintaining places of refuge, and collectively equipping ourselves to better protect wildlife in the face of increasingly severe disruptions.
