WRI exists to promote wildlife rehabilitation, improve wildlife welfare, and conservation in Ireland.
Ireland urgently needs dedicated infrastructure for wildlife treatment, rehabilitation, veterinary teaching, and public education. Every year, injured, sick, displaced, and orphaned wild animals come into contact with members of the public, veterinary practices, and rehabilitators, yet there is still no purpose-built national facility designed to meet this wider need. Supporters from veterinary medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, education, and community organisations have highlighted the gap in specialist care, training, and coordinated response.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital is not simply another rehabilitation facility. It is designed to build national capacity by strengthening practical skills, professional confidence, shared learning, biosecurity, public understanding, and long-term infrastructure for wildlife welfare in Ireland. Rehabilitation is an important part of that vision, but so too are teaching, training, standards, and wider sector support.
This project is intended to complement and strengthen the wider wildlife rehabilitation landscape in Ireland, not compete with it. By providing teaching, placements, professional development, public education, and shared expertise, the Wildlife Teaching Hospital is designed to support better outcomes for wildlife and help strengthen the wider network of people already working for wildlife welfare across the country.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital is about more than direct care. It is about creating the skills, systems, and infrastructure needed to improve wildlife welfare over the long term. By bringing together rehabilitation, veterinary teaching, biosecurity, education, and practical learning, the project is designed to deliver lasting national benefit.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital is also part of the restoration infrastructure Ireland needs if wildlife recovery is to be taken seriously. By supporting treatment, rehabilitation, training, disease awareness, shared standards, public engagement, and evidence-based practice, the project helps create the practical capacity needed to support biodiversity recovery and nature restoration over time.
The project reflects a One Health approach, recognising the links between animal health, environmental health, and public wellbeing. Supporters have also highlighted its value for research, data collection, disease awareness, education, and biodiversity protection.
During 2025, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland made significant progress in advancing plans for Ireland’s first dedicated Wildlife Teaching Hospital, reaching the most advanced stage of development achieved to date. A multidisciplinary planning team was established to support the proposed Mornington site, and detailed technical assessments and environmental studies were undertaken to inform the planning process and ensure appropriate consideration of ecological, infrastructural, and site sustainability requirements.
Read the Wildlife Teaching Hospital Planning Progress Report (2025)
This project has been developed through careful planning, expert input, environmental assessment, and operational preparation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland has invested substantial time and resources in ensuring that the proposal is responsibly designed, professionally informed, and grounded in technical and ecological evidence.
Environmental responsibility has been central to the development of the project. The planning process has involved ecological assessment, hydrological input, design work, and sustainability considerations, supported by qualified specialists with extensive professional experience. The work completed to date reflects a serious commitment to proper planning, biodiversity protection, and responsible long-term delivery.
Alongside the planning process, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland prepared extensive operational documentation demonstrating how the facility would function in practice, including standard operating procedures covering wildlife intake, biosecurity, veterinary teaching, rehabilitation processes, and overall facility management. This reflects the level of organisational work required to progress a national wildlife teaching and training facility responsibly.
The WRI Wildlife Teaching Hospital Strategy Group is a practical working group established to help progress Ireland’s proposed first dedicated national Wildlife Teaching Hospital. It supports the development, testing, and strengthening of core project materials and proposals for Board consideration and future external engagement. While governance and formal decision-making remain with the Board, the Strategy Group plays an active role in moving the project forward through document development, constructive challenge, and shared responsibility.
The project also received letters of support from a high-calibre group of stakeholders, including veterinary and wildlife specialists, academic contributors, community organisations, and national and international collaborators, reflecting strong confidence in both the need for the project and the seriousness of the work behind it.
Public engagement formed an important part of the process, with both online and in-person information sessions helping to inform local communities and stakeholders and provide opportunities for discussion and feedback. The project also received regional newspaper coverage, contributing to wider awareness of the need for dedicated wildlife rehabilitation and veterinary teaching infrastructure in Ireland.
Following refusal at local authority level, the project is now under appeal. Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland remains committed to delivering a responsible, well-planned Wildlife Teaching Hospital and to advancing the project with professionalism, transparency, and care.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital project has been supported by significant technical, professional, and operational work. Selected project documents and reports can help demonstrate the seriousness, transparency, and responsibility behind the project, including planning progress material, professional team information, and selected supporting documentation.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital project is supported by a multidisciplinary professional planning team bringing together expertise in engineering, ecological design, hydrology, architecture, and visual impact assessment. This has helped ensure a robust, environmentally responsible, and professionally led development process.
Ecological input to the project has been led by Marie Louise Heffernan, Chartered Environmentalist, full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and Director of Aster Environmental Consultants Ltd. With over 30 years of professional experience, her work includes Appropriate Assessment, Natura Impact Statements, biodiversity planning, implementation of the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, ornithology, and wider conservation planning. This level of expertise is central to ensuring that ecological considerations are treated seriously and professionally.
The 2025 planning process included professional input from:
Mike Haslam
Ecological Architect and Lecturer
Architectural design lead for the project, with expertise in sustainable and environmentally responsive design.
Marie Louise Heffernan
Ecologist and Environmental Consultant
Lead ecological assessment and biodiversity-related planning input.
Savithri Senaratne
Hydrologist Engineer
Led hydrological assessment and water management analysis for the project.
Eddie Phelan
Chartered Civil and Structural Engineer
Technical leadership in infrastructure design, structural assessment, and planning compliance.
Magnaparte Ltd
Visual Impact Consultancy
Prepared visual impact and architectural visualisation material to support the planning process.
Veterinary teaching is central to the Wildlife Teaching Hospital project. The aim is not only to improve direct outcomes for wildlife casualties, but also to help build a stronger national skill base in wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, welfare, and case management. Supporters from veterinary education and practice have described the need for this kind of specialist teaching environment as clear, longstanding, and nationally important.
The Wildlife Teaching Hospital is intended to support practical, evidence-based teaching and placements for veterinary practitioners, veterinary nurses, and students who want to develop confidence and competence in wildlife care. This includes wildlife handling, triage, treatment planning, rehabilitation, welfare, and biosecurity.
This project is designed to strengthen wildlife welfare nationwide, not only at one site. By building professional skills, supporting placements, sharing knowledge, and improving standards, the Wildlife Teaching Hospital can act as a national teaching and learning resource that benefits the wider wildlife care sector across Ireland.
A purpose-built wildlife teaching hospital can also support structured data collection, disease awareness, professional learning, and high biosecurity standards. These are important not only for individual case outcomes, but for wider wildlife welfare, responsible practice, and long-term restoration capacity.
Education and outreach are a vital part of Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland’s work and of the long-term vision for the Wildlife Teaching Hospital. The project is designed to support learning not only for professionals, but also for schools, community groups, young people, and the wider public. Public understanding of wildlife welfare, biodiversity, and responsible intervention is an important part of building better outcomes for wildlife.
Wildlife education can also have a wider social value. Support from organisations such as Oberstown highlights how wildlife-related learning can support engagement, empathy, skills development, and positive participation for young people.
Support for the Wildlife Teaching Hospital helps strengthen wildlife welfare, veterinary teaching, capacity-building, conservation education, and restoration infrastructure in Ireland.
Support Our Fundraising Campaign
You can support the Wildlife Teaching Hospital directly through our GoFundMe fundraising campaign. Every contribution helps Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland continue the work needed to advance this important national project.
Support the Wildlife Teaching Hospital on GoFundMe
Donate
Donations help Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland continue planning, preparation, education, and public engagement in support of the Wildlife Teaching Hospital and its wider mission for wildlife welfare and conservation.
Sharing the project helps more people understand why Ireland needs dedicated wildlife teaching and rehabilitation infrastructure, and why this work matters for biodiversity, welfare, education, and national capacity-building.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland welcomes engagement from veterinary professionals, educators, conservation organisations, funders, and others who share the goal of improving wildlife welfare and building stronger long-term capacity for wildlife care in Ireland.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland is seeking to strengthen the Wildlife Teaching Hospital Strategy Group. We would particularly welcome expressions of interest from people with relevant experience, the time to contribute meaningfully, and the energy to help support the next phase of this important national project. Please send expressions of interest to projects@wri.ie
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