MEMBERS of Taunton Probus Club met on November 3, the president Richard Denton-Cox introduced our speaker for the day, Rupert Griffiths who would feature his address based upon his experience of day-to-day activities at the Wildlife Centre, RSPCA at Hatch.

Rupert has been engaged in the co-ordination of people and facilities at Hatch. Rupert related the positive everyday challenge of returning damaged wild life in a stable condition to their natural habitat, with the help of 18 people staffing the Centre.

The task of rehabilitation a large variety of winged and feathered creatures should be clearly understood, as quite demanding.

The centre is made up with an admission area, the surgery and numerous enclosures, which receive the animals, for recuperation following surgery.

Hatch anticipate some 3 to 5000 casualties annually with a variety of 170 species, to attend 70% of which casualties are birds.

X- rays taken at Hatch indicate that the principal problems with injured bird life are caused by fractures and pellet shot splintering, delicate wing structures and with discarded fish hooks becoming embedded in the birds throats and innards.

Following hazards involving shipping at coastal areas, the centre annually anticipate the intake of oil covered seabirds for treatment.

By complete contrast a whole host of wild animals are brought to the centre for repair and treatment and they range from stoats, weasels, deer, hedgehogs, badgers, in fact any animal indigenous to the UK will be treated and returned to the wild in the shortest time, which is essential to their full recovery in natural surroundings.

We take the case of a young family of badgers who had lost their parent, they were taken in and fed to a standard, which would ensure their survival and then placed in a prepared set' in natural surroundings, hopefully to live and eventually reach maturity.

Occasionally staff at the centre, ring the birds on release in an effort to trace their movements during the course of their recovery program, sometimes they return to their former habitat. The centre receive some 1.5 million public telephone calls annually from people seeking advice and requesting help upon finding damaged wildlife.

There are four centres operating within the UK, which are based at West Hatch, Taunton, Stapely Grange in Cheshire, Malleybones in Sussex, and East Winch at Kings Lyn Norfolk.

It was intriguing to learn of the range of inmates the Wildlife Centre catered for and of the complex details of surgery and rehabilitation methods required to ensure continuity of life, for some of these unfortunate creatures who incur injury without provocation.

Richard Jay arose to congratulate Rupert upon his presentation, which was full of character depth of human interest and response to the plight and needs of injured wildlife. He spoke with sincerity and enquired if and how the Wildlife Centre was funded, in reply Rupert informed us that personal donations were made to friends of Hatch Wildlife Centre, RSPCA.

Richard proceeded to thank Rupert Griffiths on behalf of Taunton Probus for his superb presentation concerning a topic, which the average person would hardly give a second thought for and possibly assume that somebody or other would take the responsibility of tending for the needs of wildlife in difficulty.

Taunton Probus membership, were extremely pleased to note the development of Hatch over the years, into a Wildlife Hospital Unit, combining RSPCA authority and service record.

Come to Probus to learn how, what and where things happen in our society.

President Richard Denton-Cox closed the meeting at 12.00 noon.