ON arriving at Jean Thorpe's home at Norton, near Malton she informs me that she is just in the process of feeding the birds. Thinking that she means the birds outside in the garden, I wait at the back door assuming that she will return. When she fails to reappear, I follow her inside and find her using a pair of tweezers to give dog food to a brood of young wagtails sitting in a makeshift nest on her kitchen worktop.

This is part and parcel of a typical day in the life of the self-styled wildlife rehabilitator, who cares for a staggering 500 wild creatures per year at her home, which is tucked away at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

Demand for Jean's services peaks during the spring and early summer when the number of young birds and animals in need of care soars, but weather conditions are also a key factor. The heavy downpours of the last month or so have made it a difficult breeding season for hedgehogs in particular.

Jean shows me 17 of the tiniest hedgehogs I have ever seen curled up in straw bedding in one of the many pens in her garden. Like all of the animals in Jean's care, they will be released into the wild as soon as they are strong enough.

She explains: "None of the animals that come here are kept as pets and I would never keep a wild animal that has become disabled. I firmly believe that if a wild animal can't be released and can no longer be wild, then it should be put to sleep. These are hard decisions to make, but it's the right thing to do."

This is the reason why Jean goes to great lengths to avoid what she calls "imprinting" the creatures in her care or, in other words, allowing them to become too comfortable around humans.

"To get a wild bird back to the point where it's capable of leading a wild life is such a buzz; money can't buy that feeling. It's exactly how you want it to be because if you imprint a bird or animal, you have absolutely failed."

In one of Jean's many aviaries are two young kestrels, which fell foul of unseasonal weather conditions when the tree that their nest was in was blown down in high winds. The two grey fluffy chicks were found on the ground and, with no other trees nearby, would not have survived on their own.

They are both doing well and, at the time of going to press, were due to be released at the Lower Derwent Nature Reserve near the village of Wheldrake.

A wander around Jean's property also reveals five young tawny owls brought to her from locations across Yorkshire, two young sparrowhawks, an injured adult barn owl, a marsh harrier found near Wetwang with a badly broken wing, two little owls and a selection of young ducks.

An elderly female kestrel that was hit by a car near Dewsbury inhabits the intensive care unit, which is a dark, confined area where the bird can be kept warm and at rest so that the extent of her injuries can be fully assessed. As well as treating victims of road traffic accidents, Jean also cares for victims of wildlife crime, such as illegal shooting, snaring and poisoning.

She said: "Not enough is done to tackle this type of crime and I wish it was taken more seriously. It's a very real problem and the wider public can play an important role in terms of looking out for things and supplying information to the police."

Although Jean specialises in caring for raptors and is one of only 12 Raptor Rescue-approved rehabilitators in the country, she has plenty of experience of caring for wildlife of all shapes and sizes. She regularly takes in badgers and foxes, and has even nursed injured deer back to health on occasion, but admits that they are very difficult to look after. A couple of stoats were recently hand-reared and released in to the wild, and Jean also has an area ideal for swans, complete with a large paddling pool. Despite the fact that Jean regularly receives referrals from police forces across Yorkshire and from organisations such as the RSPCA, all of her work is done on a voluntary basis.

She works closely with the Battleflats Veterinary Practice at Stamford Bridge, which provides free medical care to all of the injured wildlife that arrives on her doorstep.

Jean has had a lifelong love of animals and first began caring for injured wildlife 25 years ago. For many years she juggled her commitments with a full-time post at Askham Bryan College, where she worked as an animal technician and lectured on wildlife rehabilitation, but now devotes herself entirely to caring for injured wildlife from across the county.

Although it is clearly a labour of love, she is the first to admit that it can be a struggle to fund her voluntary work. Donations are always gratefully received and puppy food can be particularly useful for feeding young birds and animals.

She says: "I love what I do and I'm good at what I do, but it can be tough. My late partner built the aviaries for me, but they are old now and I would love it if a joiner could just help me make do and mend. There are times when the place is absolutely full, but I would never turn an animal away."

Despite the hardships, it is the successes that keep Jean going, she adds: "Letting things go is the best part, it just blows you away to know that the treatment you have given something has made it capable of leading a wild life again. If you like animals, it is enough just to know you're doing the right thing for them. Wouldn't life be poor without animals and birds?"

As I leave Jean to get back to her never-ending work, I can't help thinking that life would also be poorer without Jean and others like her, who protect our native wildlife.

Jean's tips on
helping stricken
wild animals

Baby garden birds
If you find a baby garden bird on the ground, pick it up and put it somewhere higher up, but close to where you found it, where it will be out of reach of predators. The chances are its parents will be around and will come back to
feed it.

Birds of prey
If a wild bird is on the ground and can't fly away, the chances are it is either ill or has a serious physical injury. If you can gather it up without getting bitten or scratched, then take
it to the nearest vet. Alternatively, call a vet or the police.

Badgers, foxes, deer and other large animals
Don't attempt to touch larger animals that have been injured as you run the risk of getting a nasty bite. Call the police and/or a vet as soon as possible.