AN ANIMAL RESCUE centre has admitted it feels as if it’s ‘drowning’ due to the shear number of animals being taken in and donations being at an all-time low.
Staff and volunteers at Jackson’s Animal Rescue centre have been working tirelessly caring for all the animals at their centres and are currently at capacity - unable to take on anymore but are keen to expand to be able to help more animals.
Jackson’s currently look after 316 animals at their sites in Mold and Wirral and have been inundated with cats, rabbits, hedgehogs, birds, and guinea pigs.
Stephanie Oliver, founder of Jackson’s Animal Rescue said: “To be honest we are absolutely drowning here! We are seeing cats abandoned every day - often pregnant, or Mum cats and litters of kittens found. Donations are at an all-time low because it's such a hard time for people, meanwhile our costs are going up and up and we don't know when it's going to end.
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“We really want to expand our space here at Jackson's so that we can help more animals, since we opened, we have never had a single space free without an animal waiting to occupy it, we know that the need is desperate, but how will we fund it?
“Staff and volunteers are working flat out, around the clock, caring for so many animals. Yet the breeders keep on breeding for profit, while rescues are full to the brim, it's awful.
"We have a total of 316 animals in our care. This is the busiest we have ever been in our existence, and it’s really taking its toll.”
“Staff are working 14-hour days as standard, we are getting shouted at by people when we are unable to help, and it’s simply exhausting and draining, and we fear that it’s only getting worse.”
At Jackson’s Place in Mold, the number of abandoned cats has increased dramatically. With 22 cats currently on the waiting list, unfortunately many people will choose not to persevere with the wait, meaning that even more cats will sadly be abandoned.
Stephanie added: “With the cost of living rising, this is really quite terrifying. We have pedigree cats in our care that have been dumped, pregnant, and in dreadful states. We have never known so many cats to be just dumped like rubbish. Every single available space we have is taken, and our vet bills are escalating at a scary amount with all cats requiring vaccines, neuter, and microchips before rehoming. The vet bills just for our domestic animals is averaging £4,000 per month.”
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It's not just cats which the centre is struggling to care for, there are over 60 rabbits and guinea pigs needing care and rehoming, but with the current financial climate, adoption has simply ground to a halt.
“We have people screaming at us on the phone because we can’t help faster. With the amount of rabbits and guinea pigs in our care, it’s costing us around £70 in fresh food every week.
“At The Wildlife Centre on the Wirral, we have a record number of hedgehogs. There are 146 hedgehogs in our care. This is a typical figure for the winter period, however this time of year a normal figure for us is 80-90, which just demonstrates how much busier we are. Today we have spent £250 on more enclosures because we are literally running out of places to put them.
“We are insanely grateful to our vets for doing everything they can for us, and always going above and beyond for our wildlife. One bottle of anti-biotics costs around £90 and we are racing through it with so many poorly hedgehogs. To have a hedgehog sedated and x-rayed costs around £15 per hedgehog, and there’s an average of 5 each day that need this, that’s £75 per day.”
The cost-of-living crisis is certainly having an affect on Jackson’s Animal Rescue Centre with funds dwindling and the Rescue struggling to cope with the strain, matched with rising vet bills, and no adoptions.
Donations to the centre are available through PayPal at contact@jacksonsanimalresuce.co.uk, as well as in-person donations can be made at either of the centre locations.
You can also assist in supplies for the centre by purchasing items from their Amazon wish list which helps with caring for the animals and their vital needs which can be found via the following links.
Mold- https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1FIA0D02HPT3Q...
Wirral - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/LKAO6Q41ODVA...
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