This famous hospital on the Cornish Cliffs was founded in 1928 by the Misses Dorothy and Phyllis Yglesias when their younger sister found an injured Jackdaw in her garden.
Over the years Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital has become famous, especially so during the Torrey Canyon disaster in 1967, when over 8,000 oiled sea birds passed through the Hospital. Each year hundreds of birds of over 50 species are treated at the hospital.
The sisters ran the hospital, with the help of volunteers, up until 1953. After the sisters found it had become too hard a task running the Hospital alone, they approached the RSPCA who agreed to take it over in 1953. Staff were employed and the financial burden was at last taken from the sisters’ shoulders. During the next few years, the Hospital was run on the same lines as the sisters has run it for all those years before.
However, at the end of February 1975 the RSPCA withdrew all financial support due to their own monetary difficulties. The Misses Yglesias and many of their friends were determined that the hospital would not close, and a public appeal was opened to which there was a tremendous response. At a public meeting held in February 1975 a committee was selected to run the Hospital again on the same lines as before. On the 28th of July 1976 the Hospital became a charity in its own right funded entirely by voluntary contributions. July 1978 saw a turning point when Mobil Oil Co, presented a cheque for £10,000. This amount covered the expenditure for 1 year.
In the same month Dorothy’s second book was published “In Answer to the Cry”. Her first book “The Cry of a Bird” was printed in 1962 and came out in paperback in 1989. Sadly in 1977 the death occurred of Miss Phyllis or Pog as she was affectionately known. January 1980 saw Miss Dorothy’s many years of dedication recognized when she was bestowed with the MBE in the New Years Honours List. On February 14th, 1980, came the saddest blow to the Bird Hospital when its Founder and President Miss Dorothy died. She died as she had lived, still taking an active interest in the daily care of birds and her ashes were laid to rest at the Hospital.
As the Hospital approaches its 100th anniversary in 2028, we are thinking about our offer and facilities so we can continue provide excellent care and rehabilitation for sea birds. The decision to refine its name from Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital and Sanctuary to Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital reflects a more modern approach to the charity. We have taken on board new legislation that has been implemented in response to the bird flu outbreak, introducing strict biosecurity measures to minimise risks to all bird species. Our focus will always be about providing the best care we can for the birds and while this means that we are no longer able to be open to the public we are exploring ways in which we can engage with the public and our passionate community of supporters and fellow bird enthusiasts. The goal remains to ensure birds in our care are returned to their natural habitats as quickly and safely as possible, just as the Yglesias sisters had always intended.
Here’s to another 100 years!
