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Originally Posted by almostnormal  another first rate bit of misinformation. what exactly do you imagine the shop at the discovery centre is going to do with the injured birds? much as i'm sure the RSPB would love to help them it doesn't have the resources to set up wildlife hospitals all over the uk, and they're about protection, preservation and education, not treatment. the RSPCA will take in injured wildlife if they receive it, as will local vets. I'm pretty sure that the sign on the discovery centre points you in the direction of both, and if you go in they also give you the details. the RSPB is about conservation of biodiversity (which i've already stated) and has been for the last 100 years or so. it has never been about taking in and treating injured birds. perhaps you should consider reading up on a subject before spouting misleading information. |
But the thing is this is what an awful lot of people think..... an awful lot think that the RSPCA is for birds and the RSPCA is for everything else - this is a common misconception and its just how it is. Its not fair to be angry at people for having this idea, its no one's fault its just how it is unless the RSPCA and RSPB and vets had a big publicity campaign to educate and this would obviously cost a lot of money and would only solve a problem that isnt all that much of a problem.
The sign as described I have thought would put most people off even going in! If that was the wording its actually quite unfriendly and makes the RSPB seem unapproachable and unhelpful and at worst uncaring - the amount of enquiries we get on here from people wondering what to do or who to go to for help with injured animals illustartes how unclear it is as to what to do!
It would have been better to have a sign up saying "if you have found an injured bird come in for information on who can help you' - therefore creating the double whammy of both helping those people who need it and informing people walking past that its not actually the RSPB itself that deals with injured birds. The perception of the RSPB would then be more positive and they might even get additional members out of it - how is that difficult or a bad thing? They can be firm about not taking the birds - they just don't have the facilities - they can also suggest that its too much of a strain to expect a local charity to be able to come out do to them needing as much of their money as possible for caring for the animals- but they could provide a flat pack cardboard carry case for a fiver and good directions to the nearest folk who can help - most people if they've cared enough to pick the bird up would go that extra distance if they have a car and if its made easy to do so.
I don't think its fair to have a go at people who have been left with a negative impression of the RSPB by their own experiance when the RSPB could have taken more care to be positive.