Wildlife rescuers brace for busy season as young animals face dangers from lawn equipment

Animal welfare groups in Denmark are preparing for a surge in injured or orphaned wildlife, with robot lawnmowers, cars, and gardening tools posing deadly risks to young animals like hedgehogs and squirrels, DR reports.

Last May, 681 young animals required rescue nationwide—three times the number from the previous month. The Danish Animal Protection Society has urged its volunteer wildlife carers to prepare for another busy season.

Hans Jørn Frisk, an experienced wildlife rescuer from Toftlund, currently cares for a young tawny owl found abandoned on a farm. The bird, which must be fed mice five times a day, will be released back into the wild in about a month.

“Seeing them return to nature is reward enough,” Frisk said, though he admits the work can be emotionally taxing. Some animals arrive with severe injuries and must be euthanised, while others, like squirrels, form strong bonds with their carers. “They climb all over me, scratch my glasses off, even crawl into my pockets,” he described.

The organisation advises anyone who finds an animal in distress to contact the Animal Protection Hotline at 1812.