Have you ever found a baby bird or another wild animal and didn’t know what to do? Today we have a very special interview with Geoff and Emma from the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary.

Let’s see what they have to say about this exciting and worthy career.

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself

A. ​Hi, we are Geoff, and Emma and together we run the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary. We are a father and daughter team.

Q. What does Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary do?

​A. The Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates and releases wild animals. Basically, that means that we take care of and treat any wild animal you can think of.

Q. How did the sanctuary get started?

Geoff with a rescue fox named ‘Raven’

​A. The sanctuary started after Geoff was injured at work and could no longer do his job, so he decided to do something that he could, and that was looking after animals. It was important to him to be able to look after the animals that were most vulnerable and had no one else to look after them. He soon became the “Wildlife Man.”

Q. What types of animals do you care for?

​A. We care for all species of UK wildlife from small to large, gentle to dangerous, feathered to furry and everything in between.

Q. Where do the animals typically come from?

​A. Wildlife normally lives out in the woods and countryside, so a lot of our patients at the sanctuary come from there. However, it is getting more and more common for wild animals to venture into our towns and cities, so always keep a lookout for any furry or feathered friends that may need help.

Emma with a blue-tongued skink

Q. When the animals are well, do you release them back into the wild?

​Most of our patients get successfully released back into their own habitat to carry on their lives as wild animals. Some, however have to remain at the sanctuary due to their illnesses or injury and become one of the family.

Q. Tell us what a typical day at work is like

A. ​It’s not very glamorous, as mostly we spend all day cleaning the animal pens, and you can imagine the state they get in! Each day we clean them out and provide fresh water and food and do medical checks. We have to issue medicine and sometimes even operate.

Some days we have lots of people bringing animals that need our help to us, some days we have to go out and about in our ambulance and rescue animals. It can be exciting as we never know what will happen each day.

Q. What’s your favorite part of the job?

Marty lives at Nuneaton, too!

​A. The absolute best part of the job is releasing animals back into the wild once they are fit and healthy.

Q. What is the strangest animal you have ever had in the sanctuary?

A. ​We have all sorts, from snakes left in cardboard boxes to albino magpies, but the strangest and most deadliest was a series of times where we had black widow spiders brought in!

Q. Do you have any advice for our young readers that may want to pursue this type of career?

A. ​Get as much experience as you can with animals. Take an active role in looking after the needs of your pets at home. Research wildlife needs, it’s not just about getting them better, but preventing them from being injured is just as important.

As the future generation, it is up to you to keep our wildlife here in the UK alive and safe. Organize a litter pick and get active with combating plastic pollution. Create a wildlife area in the garden. Research basic dos and don’ts during wildlife breeding seasons. Every little bit helps.

Thank you to Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary for taking the time to answer our questions. And a BIG THANKS to all the fantastic work you do looking after sick and injured animals!

If you would like to see more of Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, check out their website.

Read about Jasmine, a beautiful rescue greyhound that lived at Nuneaton sanctuary. She became a real friend and “mom” to all the sick and hurt animals, giving them the love and companionship they needed to recover.