I’m being punished for saving the lives of 100 wild animals
Rescue centre in woman’s home facing closure by planners
FROM the outside, it looks like an ordinary bungalow.
But the three-bedroom property is home to almost 100 animals and birds – including 41 hedgehogs, three owls and a peregrine falcon.
Barbara Smith has been running an unofficial wildlife rescue centre from her house in Dunoon, Argyll, for almost seven years.
But after a bitter planning row, her local authority is threatening to raid the property and remove each and every creature in her care.
Argyll and Bute Council warned it will take ‘direct action’ to remove all wildlife from Miss Smith’s home and rehouse them at an ‘appropriate animal care facility’.
The former dog trainer, 42, said: ‘This is all deeply frustrating, disappointing and upsetting as I’m not doing anything to harm anyone or making a lot of noise or mess.
‘I’m just doing my best to help animals in need and I don’t make a penny from it – it costs me money to run. It feels like I’m being punished for doing something good.’
The row centres not on the quality of care but on the fact the centre is run from a domestic property.
Ms Smith was served with an enforcement notice in 2019 after failing to register her bungalow as commercial premises. She tried to challenge this, claiming the change of use legislation was unclear. But when she did not hear back for 18 months she said she assumed the case had been dropped.
She has now pledged to apply for retrospective planning permission at a cost of £600 to ‘stop them forcibly shutting me down’ – but it may be too late.
She is also in talks with the council about securing some land on the outskirts of town to build a selfcontained rescue centre, though has yet to raise the funds needed.
She added: ‘There has been a major communication issue here – I didn’t want any trouble.’
The creatures looked after by Barbara’s Wildlife Rescue include Holly the heron, found trapped in a frozen pond in 2018. The only way she would eat was if tiny fish were thrown into the water in Ms Smith’s bath – but after three months the bird was well enough to be released back into the wild. Tock the baby hedgehog was found by children in their back garden. He had to have all but two of his teeth removed due to severe gum disease – meaning he can never return to the wild. He lives in a cage in her living room.
Meanwhile, Grace the peregrine falcon – found with a broken wing in Dunoon – is also a permanent resident because she is unable to fly properly. Volunteers built her a shed in the back garden.
Miss Smith said: ‘The charity wasn’t set up on purpose. It all started after I rescued an injured baby crow and people found out about it and started to bring injured and orphaned wildlife to me.
‘I realised there was nothing else in the area and I could make a difference from my home… I never thought it would be an issue.’
She stressed she and her volunteers have a good relationship with local vets and animal welfare group the SSPCA, which ‘calls me to help out if there is a rescue down here’.
She said: ‘Over the past seven years I have looked after more than 5,000 animals and birds.’ The council is currently advertising for a contractor to take ‘direct action to remove and transport non-domestic birds and animals from the premises, and rehouse at an appropriate animal care facility which can offer veterinary assessment/ treatment as required’.
A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council said: ‘We received a report a wildlife rescue centre had been created within a domestic property and its grounds without the relevant permissions.
‘While we are working with the owner to try to resolve the situation we are also currently scoping out the practicalities and financial implications of other means of resolution in case these are required.’
‘I am just doing my best to help animals in need’