Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett

Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column

IT’S NOT easy being human. Sometimes you need to treat yourself. And, if you can, it could be worth treating yourself to a day out at the London Wetland Centre (LWC) at Barnes.

A recent study by Kings College showed that seeing or hearing birds is associated with improved mental wellbeing. So, where better to be surrounded by birds than at a wetland centre.

The LWC lists 150 birds that may be seen on their 105-acre site. That should make our spirits soar.

Wetlands are areas of land that are either permanently or seasonally inundated with water. They support a huge diversity of wildlife.

There is so much to do at LWC. We can watch birds from hides, see otters being fed and go on a WildWalk. In addition, between 18 November to 8 January (4.30pm-9pm), there’s a light trail “Illuminature” to visit. See details at wwt.org.uk.

Of course, just as it’s not always easy being human, so it’s not always easy being a bird. But just as the wetlands helps humans so they also help birds. At present, I’m standing at the LWC’s sand martin bank. It’s empty. That’s because all the sand martins, including the ones who are very young, have migrated to the Sahara.

But LWC have built this nesting bank so when they return in the Spring, they have somewhere welcoming to call home.

Moving on from the sand martin bank, I’m now surrounded by Hawaiian Geese. At one time there were only 30 Hawaiian Geese in the world, but thanks to the breeding programme at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust their numbers have increased so they’re not currently in danger of extinction.

But wetlands, themselves, are in danger. Over a third of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1970. Threats come from climate change (a key reason for the Prime Minister to go to COP27) and also, more recently, from government announcements which have caused grave concern amongst charities such as the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

These announcements have been called an “Attack on Nature” and include proposals to amend or scrap crucial environmental laws which protect vulnerable wildlife.

If you want to know how you can help stop these proposals see, for example, rspb.org.uk and wildlifetrusts.org.

Also, importantly, there’s to be a Walk for Wildlife with Chris Packham in London on November 26 where we can be a visible presence in support of wildlife and the environment. See peopleforwild. life for more information.

Hawaiian goose