30 Years and more than 70,000 Wild Animals rescued
Since its establishment in 1994, the Wild Animal Rescue Centre (WARC) of Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG) has been a sanctuary for injured, orphaned and sick wild animals, as well as a home for victims of the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). Our wildlife rescue efforts encompass a wide diversity of species in need of help, including mammals such as bats, leopard cats and squirrels. We also aid wild birds including raptors and owls, and reptiles such as snakes, alligators and monitor lizards. Each year, we care for some 4,500 animals, that arrive for rescue and through our rehabilitation programmes and facilities, we strive to nurture native animals back to health and return them to their natural habitats, including repatriation of exotic species.
This year, WARC celebrates its 30th anniversary, and in May we received the 70,000th animal! Over this period, a mix of birds, stray snakes, and other reptiles including – turtles, the victims of the IWT– and various mammals all found a (temporary) sanctuary at WARC.
To find out more about rescued wildlifes
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A history of +70,000 rescued animals over 30 years Stray snakes Following the establishment of the WARC, KFBG launched the Wild Snake Rescue Project in 1999 to mitigate human-snake conflicts by providing an end point for snakes captured following police call outs in Hong Kong. In the event of snake encounters, the public can follow our guidelines available on our website and shared on social media: click here for more details. Last year (2023), we received about 1,800 stray snakes, and we released 95% back into the wild – the remaining 5% was injured and died.
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Illegal wild trade victims at WARC - turtles Hong Kong is a global centre of the IWT, unfortunately. Exotic animals were in the past mostly traded for food, nowadays more as pets, but the result is the same: the suffering of animals, who often die slowly during transport, and the depletion of biodiversity in nature. When the customs or the police discover the victims of the IWT, generally they will be passed to the AFCD, and endangered species are transferred to KFBG’s WARC. We hydrate them, provide them with suitable feed, check their health and provide a temporary home – with the ultimate goal to send them back to their countries of origin for wild release or transfer to an accredited conservation programme. |
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The most traded animals in the IWT are turtles, perhaps because they are easy to transport and they make little sound even when suffering . Read here more about the rescued turtles at WARC . The page will also tell you more about World Turtle Day, which is every year on 23 May.
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Overview of Funding Support for Wild Animal Rescue Centre and Turtle Sanctuary Facilities
KFBG is a renowned environmental NGO in Hong Kong, dedicated to promoting nature conservation, holistic education, and sustainable living. Established in 1994 to fill an identified need, KFBG’s Wild Animal Rescue Centre (WARC) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Over the years, we have witnessed an alarming increase in the number of wild animals requiring our support, highlighting the pressing need for human intervention in the conservation of wild species. Animals arrive both from the wild and from Government seizures which have global origins; find the number of animal admission at WARC since 1996 below – totalling more than 70,000 to date!
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A few WARC facts KFBG’s WARC is the only non-government wildlife rescue centre operating in Hong Kong under a special licence from the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department. Our facilities include a veterinary hospital, quarantine facilities, animal holding enclosures and rehabilitation facilities. We have a professional animal rescue and rehabilitation team, including veterinarians, vet nurses, and animal keepers. Inside Look with the Rescue and Rehabilitation Team Interview with Senior Vet Nurse Devoted to Animals On and Off Duty |
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We receive a subvention from the Hong Kong government, for which we are very grateful, but this only covers a portion of the total cost and WARC’s expenses are growing, as every year we receive and rescue an increasing number of animals. The rescued wildlife contains both native and exotic species. The majority of the exotic animals are derived from the illegal wildlife trade.
Click here to know more WARC
You can help in our daily operations by volunteering at WARC; click here for details. Additionally, you can donate to help us upgrade our facilities, hire additional staff and continue provide adequate care for the rescued wild animals, whether they are native to Hong Kong or victims of the IWT. Your support will enhance our ability to offer high-quality rehabilitation facilities where captured and injured creatures can regain their strength before being returned to their natural ecosystems, preserving biodiversity for generations to come. On behalf of the rescued animals, we wholeheartedly say: Thank you!