An animal welfare charity announced it will close down after it failed to secure new operating premises.
Runham Wildlife Rescue (RWR) in Norfolk has had to stop taking in new rescues because they say they no longer have the requisite space to “help sick and injured animals.”
The organisation was founded by its director Kelly Wolmer as a parrot rescue in 2006, and eventually grew into a welfare charity and sanctuary for all varieties of English wildlife.
But in a statement on its GoFundMe page, the charity said it had been forced to relocate three times, which it said made it “almost impossible” to receive grants and limited its overall income and support.
In a statement published on Facebook, the charity said: “It’s with heavy hearts that I have to say this, but we are going to close down.
“The process of finding someone to take us on is causing a tremendous amount of strain and stress on Kelly, who has been a rock throughout this process, standing strong when others would have fallen, building up from the bottom to get all the help and facilities she’s obtained for this rescue.
‘We’ve put so much money into doing it all the right way, we’ve watched our supplies and materials be reduced to ruins from waiting on decisions and promises, and now we are just running on empty trying to find a premises.
“As a result we will be withdrawing from rescue until further notice. We still have patients here, so we will have to continue as a sanctuary.”
The organisation launched a GoFundMe campaign on 30 August with a goal of raising £50,000 to buy land to keep the charity in operation. This had received just over £1,100 in donations at time of publication.
Animals that are currently with the charity will either stay with volunteers or be placed into foster homes, RWR said.