The last wildlife sanctuary in Groningen, Faunavisie in Westernieland, is closing down. Lung complaints force founder Pim Lollinga to stop caring for birds. There is only room for small game from October 1.
After thirteen years of struggling, this largely marks the end of the only major shelter for injured or sick wild animals in the province. Outside of Faunavisie, the province has two reception centres, one in Adorp and one in Stadskanaal. But they are small and focus exclusively on bats.
Friese Fûgelhelling will be the nearest wildlife shelter from October 1
From October 1, Groningen will have to rely on Friesland for the care of wild birds. The Fûgelhelling in Ureterp already receives around 2,500 animals from across the provincial border. There are expected to be many more as of October 1. Birds make up the majority of the animals that Faunavisie patch up and release back into nature.
Lollinga makes the decision with a heavy heart. Together with his wife Mieke Uijterlinde, he is the driving force behind Faunavisie. “We have done this work with heart and soul for thirteen years, but I can no longer manage it. I have always had good health, but in recent years I have been struggling with lung problems. Working with birds is no longer possible. After five minutes in the aviaries I’m done.”
The phasing out of wildlife shelters is causing concerns in the Provincial Council. The Party for the Animals wants the province to look for a solution. “Ureterp will soon be the nearest place for wildlife shelter in the entire North,” says PvdD member of Parliament Stijn van Hoeve. She prepares motions to keep the shelter open in her own province.
‘Towing sick and injured animals so far is undesirable and risky’
“It is an undesirable situation to drag sick and injured animals so far,” says Van Hoeve. “Both from the point of view of animal suffering and public health. The risk of spreading diseases is high, with all the increasing reports of zoonosis, the spread of animal diseases to humans.”
The PvdD politician sounded the alarm in the Groningen States this week. She believes that the provincial government should work on the professionalization of wildlife shelters. “Both Faunavisie and the Fûgelhelling run entirely on dedicated volunteers. This appears to be vulnerable, not only in Westernieland but also in Ureterp. All it takes is someone getting sick or breaking a leg and it will stop. There must be long-term security of existence.”
Provincial future exploration of wildlife refuge will not be completed until spring
The province is working on an exploration of the wildlife refuge and the possibilities to guarantee its continued existence for the future, but according to responsible deputy Henk Emmens (BBB), concrete plans will not be on the table until next spring. Van Hoeve does not want to wait that long.
“The province has a legal duty of care here,” says the PvdD State member. “If Faunavisie disappears now, we cannot wait with solutions. If necessary, with a bridging loan to tide it over with hired staff until final plans are in place this spring. All knowledge, skills and facilities are available in Westernieland and Ureterp. If that disappears, you won’t just get it back.”
Faunavisie itself has put a long-term proposal on paper as part of the exploration of the province. “For the time being, we will continue with the less labor-intensive care of deer and small game. But eventually that also stops because we are also getting older. We are still willing to volunteer 40 hours a week, but not 100 hours as before.”
Faunavisie wants to professionalize at a permanent location, for example Pieterburen
The founding couple would prefer to transfer the work to professional successors and move the shelter from their own garden to a permanent location. In the proposal that Lollinga has submitted to the province, he suggests the seal sanctuary in Pieterburen. “We are already working closely with it and it will move to the new World Heritage Center in Lauwersoog in a few years.”
That costs a lot of money that Faunavisie itself does not have, Lollinga acknowledges. The shelter has already fallen into financial ruin several times and saw the disappearance of the branch in Blijham two years ago. “We are all just getting by with donations and legacies, but there are no reserves left for major investments.”
According to Lollinga, the shelter can be professionalized with a maximum of 250,000 euros with paid staff. “But to continue this, a new revenue model is needed,” he says. In Pieterburen the shelter could be expanded with a visitors center and an operating room and training area for veterinarians. “That provides income with which you can support yourself.”
The Faunavisie founder hopes that the province will help think about alternatives. “For the provincial exploration, I have estimated a move at 1 million, but that is actually just a guess in the air.”