04/09/2026
A frequently asked question we get during our sessions is: “will this animal be released into the wild?” It is rare for us to have any encounter animals that are true, native, wild animals. You can’t release non native and domestic animals into the wild (domestic means genetically changed from a wild animal by humans through breeding over generations). As a general rule, if you are having an animal encounter, you can be pretty sure it isn’t a wild animal that can or will be released and it is very unlikely that it is a wild animal at all. It wouldn’t be appropriate for establishments to allow members of the public to interact with a wild animal preparing for release, because, as lovely as you might be, interacting with you will disrupt the important rehabilitation process, which includes keeping, or returning, an animal to their wild and untame nature which is crucial for a successful and natural life in the wild. It also might not be very safe for you. All animals interacting in animal encounters have to be individually licensed with the local council and their welfare officer, who have to be satisfied that the animal is safe to interact with the public and happy to do so - they can’t be ones that are temporarily in the care of the establishment.
Photo of Todd, an epileptic wild fox who we could not return to the wild. He had been hand reared and accidentally habituated (tamed) during that process, and once we had determined both this, and the fact he was also epileptic and sterile, we were able to train him to be able to interact safely with visitors
