Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital

01/11/2026

We are thrilled to be shortlisted as a Charity of the Year finalist in this year's Chichester & District Business Awards. 😀

🏆🦔 We will be attending an awards ceremony tomorrow evening to find out who has been selected as the winner.

💖 There are dozens of worthy charities in Chichester so we feel honoured to even be nominated. We will let you know the outcome after the ceremony.

Wish us luck 🙏

31/10/2026

How cute is this little guy? 😍 We recently admitted this long-eared bat found grounded and unable to fly. 🦇

🏨 He was initially treated at Downland Vets Hilsea before being transferred to us for ongoing care. He was thin, dehydrated and shaking so required some special treatment.

🖤 Caring for bats requires an incredibly gentle approach. They are sensitive to stress and their tiny bodies and fragile wings must be handled with great care to ensure they remain fully functional.

😴 With winter approaching, getting this little patient back to full fitness is especially important. Bats enter a deep, energy-saving state called torpor where their body temperature drops and their heart rate slows dramatically (sometimes to just 4 beats per minute).

🪱 Before this hibernation period, bats need to build up sufficient energy reserves to see them through the colder months. We are feeding him lots of worms to help him build up weight and strength in the hopes he will be fit for release soon.

🫣✨️ With centuries of folklore and misconceptions, bats have an undeserved reputation especially around Halloween. These fascinating mammals play a vital role in our ecosystems and have developed incredible adaptations to help them survive.

👂🔊 Long-eared bats have enormous ears, almost as long as their bodies! These remarkable ears help them detect the faint echoes of their very quiet calls, allowing them to locate prey with incredible precision.

Thank you to the finder for rescuing this little one.

30/10/2026

We are so grateful to the team at Havant Vets for Pets for organising a charity Halloween raffle in aid of wildlife in our care. 🎃👻🐾

🙏🏨 If you would like to grab yourself some raffle tickets to be in with a chance of winning a spooky pet boo basket then please pop along to their clinic in Havant. Last chance to get tickets is today 30th October!

🖤🦔 Wishing everyone the best of luck!!

Thank you 😊

🎃🐾 We’ve got something exciting happening this month! 👻

This October, we’re running a Halloween raffle with some spooktacular prizes up for grabs for your pets! 🐶🐱

🎟️ Tickets are £1 each or £3 per strip and can be purchased from reception.
Even better, all proceeds will be donated to Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital, helping to support the amazing work they do for wildlife in our local area. 💚

Pop in, grab your tickets and help us support a fantastic cause — while giving your pet the chance to win a Halloween treat! 🎃🐾
Winners will be announced on 31st October. Good luck! 🍀

Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital

30/10/2026

To end Bat Awareness Week we will be at Aldingbourne Country Centre today 30th October until 2pm 🦇

🖤 We will be there sharing interesting facts about our beautiful bats as well as making bat crafts. It will be lovely to see the visitors get creative with their creatures.

👻🧟‍♀️ Aldingbourne Country Centre have all sorts of Halloween fun this weekend so do pop along for a spooky time.Thank you to the Aldingbourne Centre for inviting us and for helping us raise donations.

‼️ We also have a bat quiz. Let's test your knowledge.
🦇 What is a baby bat called?
🦇 What is a group of bats called?

🙏✨️ Our thanks also to Aldingbourne Parish Council for their grant funding to help towards more outreach activities in the area.

29/10/2026

🤍🩶 More gull wonderful sightings! 🩶🤍

✈️ We are always blown away by the incredible journeys our precious wildlife can undertake once they leave our care.

🕊🏨 This year we cared for a record number of gulls. The extreme heat meant many were found in the wild suffering from dehydration and heat stress or simply found abandoned or orphaned.

🤯 Some of the recovered gulls we released in Hampshire just a few weeks ago have already travelled far and wide, with recent sightings of healthy gulls reported in neighbouring islands such as the Isle of Wight and Alderney.

🔖Gulls released from our care are individually ringed with a unique ID tag as part of a national project studying the survival, movements and behaviour of rescued birds.

😍 Receiving sightings of our rehabilitated gulls is incredibly rewarding. Each report gives researchers valuable information about where these birds travel and how they adapt after returning to the wild.

🌬🪽 It has been a challenging few days for sea birds with these extreme winds and heavy down pours of rain, so it is reassuring to know that some are coping well to the conditions.

✨ Please keep your eyes peeled for gulls with blue leg ID tags and get in touch if you spot one. You never know how far they have travelled.

🤩🙏 A huge thank you to everyone who takes the time to report a ringed bird, and to our dedicated volunteers who carefully ring our gulls before release. Where do you think one will be spotted next 👀

27/10/2026

This resting little hedgehog is recovering after being found caught up in garden netting. 🦔🐾

🙏🏨 Thankfully she didn't suffer any serious injuries from the netting. She was initially treated by a local in Arundel before being transferred to us for ongoing care by Sussex Volunteer Fire and Rescue

✨️🤎 She had a couple of ticks and was a little bit underweight but nothing too concerning. Our thanks to the finder and those involved to get her to safety. It could be a few weeks until she is ready to be released but for now she is eating well and gaining weight steadily.

🙏 We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the kind people who purchased new scales for our mammal and bird wards.

❤️ Gardens are often full of unsuspecting hazards for our wildlife visitors so it is important to check regularly to ensure animals aren't caught up or stuck.

26/10/2026

🦇 Happy Bat Awareness Week 🦇
Bat Week is celebrated between 24th - 31st October, timed with Halloween to teach people about the important role bats play in nature.

🤎 At Brent Lodge, we’re dedicated to protecting and rehabilitating one of the most fascinating and important creatures in our ecosystem—bats! These incredible animals often come to us after facing serious challenges such as injuries from cat attacks, habitat loss, or collisions with buildings.

🖤 There are 18 species of bats in the UK, 17 of which are known to breed regularly. Bats are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem by controlling insect populations and pollinating plants.

🙏✨️ Let's use this week to raise awareness about their importance and the need to protect them from harm. If you need more convincing, here are some cute bat videos.