720 animals collected at the Millau Wildlife Centre since January, a worrying record

Deux oisillons attendant d'être nourris. Midi Libre – Romane Levi

Nourrissage d'une chauve-souris. Midi Libre – Romane Levi

Les soigneuses du Centre de Sauvegarde. Midi Libre – Romane Levi

Le Centre de la Faune Sauvage de Millau connait un pic d'accueils d'animaux sauvages en cette période estivale. 

The Millau Wildlife Centre rescues and cares for local wildlife, mainly birds and small mammals. Hedgehogs, squirrels, bats, dormice, garden dormouses, so many animals that come to find refuge at the centre. The year 2024 broke the record for admissions to the Centre, with 720 animals welcomed in total since January. In summer, the main activity is feeding since many critters are collected, requiring feeding every hour. 

Elodie Auzuech is a keeper at the Center. Originally trained in agriculture, she turned to wildlife, initially reptiles. After a correspondence school for keepers, she found her place in Millau. She makes a point of educating the public on the actions to take with animals. "De many young ones are picked up and brought in by people. We try to raise awareness about this because many species do not need to be picked up, mainly nocturnal birds of prey, she explains, thatthe owl finding itself alone on the ground is part of its natural development. Owls have an exploration phase of about ten days on the ground during which the parents come to feed them. People pick them up, thinking they are suffering."

A significant part of the work done at the Center is to "replace" animals brought in. "People are asked to return the animal to the place where they found it, within a radius of one hundred meters, so that the parents can continue to raise it. It must be done within 24 hours, 48 ​​hours maximum, after having collected it otherwise the parents abandon it”, explains the caregiver. 

The wildlife hospital

With a capacity to accommodate around forty animals, those in care are not intended to stay. When they are cured, they are released but many die during treatment. Some who are not viable despite treatment are sent to euthanasia. “We are not intended to keep disabled animals, we do not have the right to do so. Some species could be placed in zoos but we rarely do so. It is not in our state of mind to leave animals in cages for their entire lives." 

Emeline Denayer is also a caregiver at the Center for the summer. She notes that climate change has an impact on wildlife animals. "The number of admissions is exploding, especially during the summer with the high temperatures. We also treat species that we didn't receive before, particularly because of the modification of their natural spaces. We also see young ones that we shouldn't see at a certain time, because of the shifted seasons."

Good practices to adopt with wild animals

Elodie Auzuech gives some recommendations to adopt with animals found in the wild. "When we see young ones alone, we should not pick them up most of the time. If it is in the garden and you don't see it move for several days or if it comes to ask for food, then you have to worry."

For chicks that have fallen out of their nest, the keeper advises taking a cardboard box with high enough edges and putting the bird in it, hanging it from the tree where the nest is. "This way, cats can't come and play with the bird and the parents can continue to feed it until it flies. No matter the situation, the basic idea is always to call someone before acting”, she concludes.

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