A RESCUE group formed after a rise in people posting about hurt animals on social media is looking for new recruits. 

Worcester Wildlife Watch, a group which helps to rescue wild animals in Worcester, has seen a boom in interest a year after it was formed. 

The group currently has 27 volunteers and was started after the founders saw an increase in social media posts asking for help with injured wildlife in Worcester. 

To date, the group has rescued over 130 animals and transported them to the Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. 

Some of these casualties include mice, geese, swans, badgers, foxes, pigeons, gulls, jackdaws, magpies, ducks, buzzards and even a lost egret.

Rosa Tarry, founder of Worcester Wildlife Watch, said: "It's gone beyond ever what I thought it could be and I'm really proud of the entire team. 

"Most of the reports come from people who have found something injured in their garden and don’t know what to do.

"We encourage education in the community, we want people to learn how to assist wildlife themselves.

"However, we understand that it’s not always possible for someone to jump in the car and drive down to Vale.

"This is where we are happy to help.

"Whilst we are still in our infancy, we don’t have any direct contact details, however we closely monitor most of the local social media groups for posts about injured animals.

"We have also partnered with Vale and local vets, who pass on details to us where the public have contacted them for help."

With Wychbold Swan Rescue set to close, the group now hopes to fill the gap and train its volunteers to specialise in swan rescues. 

Anyone interested in learning how to rescue a swan safely has been urged to contact The Swan Food Project.

Miss Tarry added: "We have been so lucky with the generosity of the community.

"The residents we attend are always keen to donate.

"We’ve also had members of the community donating and purchasing carriers for us to use in transport, and more recently, with the support of a local business, we have been able to purchase a specialist grasper and anti-bite gloves which will enable us to attend more poorly foxes.

"Ultimately, we want people to learn how to live in harmony with wildlife, and show kindness and compassion to all creatures.”

If you would like to volunteer, the group said to keep an eye out for recruitment posts on the WR2 and WR3 community groups on Facebook.