Secret World Wildlife Rescue, Somerset

Secret World is a wildlife rescue charity based in Highbridge in Somerset. Founded by Pauline Kidner, Secret World is now one of the biggest wildlife rescue charities in the South West focusing on rescue, rehabilitation and release of British wildlife and education, promoting respect for wildlife and the environment.

Secret World have been using Brinsea incubators for many years as Laura Benfield, Head of Animal Care at Secret World, says ‘We see over 5000 casualties a year and deal with all species of wildlife from mice to deer, owls to badgers. Each species has special requirements in terms of care and housing and we have many different pens / cages and aviaries here to accommodate the range of species we see. Many of our casualties start off as sick, injured or orphaned and require more intensive care which is where the TLC incubators come in and are vital to the work we do.

The TLC-40 and TLC-50 are both essential for us to be able to do the best job we can for wildlife. When animals are sick, injured or very young and orphaned they need to have a heat source that stays at a constant temperature until they no longer need it and the Brinsea incubators provide this. The incubators are used all year round however are in higher demand from April through to November for all of the orphans we get. In our busy season we can see over 700 baby birds a month come through the doors most of them will require time in an incubator because of their age and many aren’t identifiable due to not having feathers yet. We also see about 600 hedgehogs each year; many being orphaned as tiny hoglets some as small as 15g along with the very sick hogs especially during the autumn months. Each one of these casualties is likely to be in a Brinsea TLC-40 or 50, at some stage to aid them in their recovery and eventual release.

Brinsea incubators allow us to provide the best care possible by having temperature gauges we can set accurately which is crucial for the survival rate of many of our really young casualties and having the alarm system for when this temperature isn’t achieved can alert us immediately so we can change it if necessary. The incubators are easy to clean, which is a must when working with lots of animals where infection and disease can be high. Being able to clean them properly helps us control and stop any disease spreading, and allows them to be used as much as they are at Secret World.

Although we would love Brinsea to come up with a smaller super portable TLC model, the 40 and 50 machines are pretty lightweight which is great for onsite as we use them in different areas (both upstairs and down) but also to transport home. The orphan rearing at Secret World is a full-time job so at the end of the shift we all have orphans that need to be taken home to provide further care into the evening and even overnight, having incubators that make this possible is increasingly important. The TLC-40 and 50 are versatile in use and we can use them for nearly all species including young and sick badgers and even young fawns and otter cubs.’

Laura Benfield

Head of Animal Care