Collisions with cars, electrocutions, trappings, injuries following hunter shooting or gardening work, destruction of habitat… Wildlife pays a heavy price to humans every year and care centers are still too few in number.
In 2022, the six Geneva wildlife care centers brought together as a collective treated 450 birds of prey, more than 3,000 wild birds, 25 foxes, 600 hedgehogs and 90 squirrels before releasing them into the wild. In the canton of Vaud, the Erminea care center cares for 2,500 to 3,000 animals per year.
As for the Savoie Country Rescue Center (CSFS), Trétas libre, located near Chambéry, it welcomes some 1,500 animals annually, a figure that is increasing slightly.
For Genevan Christina Meissner, founder of SOS hedgehogs, the verdict is clear: the number of places available is well below the capacities of the care centers. “The center is in my house. I have thirty places, she explains, and I can't go beyond that. One year, I took in a total of 250 hedgehogs, it was a record. »
“In Chambéry, the Free Trétras estimates that the average cost of hospitalization for an animal is 100 euros per day. An amount that varies depending on the species and needs of the animal. »
This question of space is crucial for most centers. The Geneva Bioparc, which notably includes a care center and currently accommodates 250 animals, a third of which are threatened in the wild, should move in the medium term from Bellevue to the Belle-Idée site, located in the commune of Thônex.
“The premises are so dilapidated that in order to ensure effective care in good conditions of hygiene and comfort, we acquired a second-hand ambulance to deal with the emergency while waiting for the project on the new site,” explains Christina Messner, also president of the Bioparc Genève foundation board.
For its part, Erminea has an expansion project that would move it from a current 150 m2 building to a 600 m2 structure on two floors, as the center's needs have rapidly increased after its installation in 2018.
“It’s a two million project with the purchase of the land and the various developments,” explains Laélia Maumary, founder of Erminea. We still need to find funds through donors. We are thinking in particular of foundations. »
Essential donations
In Switzerland, for example, the cost of a bird placed in a care center is estimated at 30 francs per day and that of a hedgehog at 50 francs. “For an adult fox, you need 100 francs because the food is very expensive,” explains Laélia Maumary, whose center currently accommodates 250 animals.
On the other side of the border, Free Trétras estimates that the average cost of hospitalization for an animal is 100 euros per day. An amount that varies depending on the species and needs of the animal. Caring for a baby mammal, for example, leads to an increase in electricity consumption because the hot water bottles and the incubator must be heated. They also require time for feedings which are very regular.
“Our annual operating budget is 200,000 euros,” explains Marie-Sophie Saintillan, president of the center. We have few public subsidies. Two years ago, we began to approach the municipalities. The amounts are small, but we feel more and more interest in our work. »
Aid from foundations, businesses and, above all, donations from individuals remain the centers’ main financial backers. “Of the 20,000 francs annually that SOS hedgehogs needs to operate, we receive between 5,000 and 6,000 francs from the State,” explains Christina Messner. More than half of the budget is covered by sponsorships based on a monthly amount of 50 francs. »
If overall the level of donations remains stable, they are however subject to seasonality, we note at Erminea. “In the summer, people make donations when they bring in an injured animal, but it's more difficult during the winter. »
Train volunteers
With a limited number of contracted staff, health centers rely largely on volunteers. A situation which has certain limits.
“We have to train people, which takes time,” explains Laélia Maumary. Plus, it's physical, you have to be very, very motivated. We therefore ask volunteers to commit to coming at least once a week. In the summer, we take on interns, but for a minimum period of three weeks. »
Practical advice
“Seeing a hedgehog in broad daylight means it is cold and seeking warmth,” says Christina Messner. It must be put inside in a cardboard box or crate and warmed with a hot water bottle or a PET bottle filled with hot water before contacting a care center. »
In the fall, making piles of dead leaves under hedges allows hedgehogs to spend the winter warm. Also note that a baby animal is not alone in nature. Parents are nearby even if they are invisible. Unless the baby is visibly injured, he should not be picked up because he is not abandoned.
Odile Habel
This article comes from our magazine L'Extension Automne 2024, available free of charge in online e-reader format.
