How cool that you are considering becoming an animal rehabilitator!
In some parts of Sweden, there is a real shortage of animal rehabilitators. In other parts there is a lot. The problem is quite often that as an animal rehabilitator you get a lot of work for part of the year and the other part of the year is quieter.
When you want to become an animal rehabilitator, you need to do a number of things:
– Make sure you really want to be an animal rehabilitator. It’s a lot of work and you have a lot of responsibility from the first conversation until you release the healthy animal again. Also keep in mind that it is not fun to have to euthanize a severely injured animal that cannot be saved. It’s not fun either when you think things will go well, but the animal dies anyway.
– Ensure that you have space to keep animals. Is it suitable where you live? Or where do you want/can you have your facility?
– Ensure that you can take care of the animals in terms of time. If you already have a job, it can be difficult. Also, keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to go on vacation anymore. Some animals even require you to get up at night to take care of them.
Still interested?:)
Good!
– Then you need to know that there are various courses to learn the most important things. Google it!:) If you get stuck, contact me!
– You need a vet who is interested in helping you with everything that requires a vet. You need i.a. a veterinarian to prescribe medicine and for operations and other things for which a veterinarian is trained. Is it necessary, e.g. If blood is sent to a laboratory, the vet also needs to do this. The veterinarian’s name must be included in the application to obtain a permit.
– You need to keep track of your finances to see that you can really afford to run a facility. Everything costs. Medicine, vet visits, books, food for the birds, equipment, etc.
– You need permission from the County Administrative BoardandThe Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
This is the basic thing you need to have in order to start an animal rehabilitation. Also keep in mind that all rehabilitators are different. Try not to offend anyone who thinks differently and make sure you ask lots of questions during your training if you’re not entirely sure you understood something being covered or if you have your own concerns.