Animal & Wildlife Search and Rescue in Hungerford

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• Livestock Search and Recovery

  We sweep fields, hedgerows and woodland with thermal and visual cameras to find missing cattle, sheep, horses, pigs or poultry, with or without tags or trackers.

  Cattle graze the commons in summer, and farms across the upper Kennet valley keep sheep, cattle and horses on valley meadows and downland.

  You know where the stock is before you send people and vehicles out.

  You and your stockmen do the rounding up; we watch and guide from above.

• Pet and Companion Animal Search

  Lost dogs, cats and other companion animals often go to ground in cover a search on foot walks straight past. Thermal imaging can pick up body heat in vegetation and in low light.

  Dogs that bolt on the Common or at Freeman’s Marsh usually hide in reed, long grass or riverside scrub, often after a fright from the cattle.

  A focused search around the last sighting, with positions relayed so you can approach calmly.

  Built-up areas and roads bring airspace and privacy limits, so each request is assessed first.

• Zoo and Collection Animal Location

  Discreet aerial support for wildlife parks, zoos, aviaries and private collections looking for a displaced non-dangerous animal.

  Eyes over the site and its surroundings, working to your keepers’ recovery plan.

  We do not deploy for dangerous species; those are a matter for the emergency services.

• Wildlife and Conservation Monitoring

  Planned aerial monitoring of protected or vulnerable species across large areas: survey routes, thermal counts and habitat imagery.

  Planned surveys on the marsh and rivers are designed around protected wetland habitat, water voles, nesting birds and the Town and Manor.

  Repeatable data delivered to your team, without walking the whole site.

  Planned around the species, the season and any disturbance considerations.

• Injured or Distressed Animal Location

  Where an animal is thought to be injured and lying still, thermal detection can find it in dense cover, on steep ground or in places rescuers cannot easily reach.

  Useful for a casualty in reed or marsh, on the riverbank or in a field away from the paths where it cannot easily be seen.

  Precise GPS positions, so rescuers go straight to the animal.

  We locate and observe. Handling and treatment stay with vets and welfare professionals.

• Priority Call-Outs

  When time matters, phone us with the location and what has happened. Each call-out is assessed against location, airspace, weather, light and who is available.

  A clear answer on the phone about whether a search is possible, and what it involves.

  We do not publish response times; availability depends on the day.

1. STAGE 01

   Enquiry and information

   You tell us what is missing, where and when it was last seen, and what the ground is like.

2. STAGE 02

   Location and feasibility

   We check the location against our zones and look at airspace, access, weather and light.

3. STAGE 03

   Search plan

   We divide the area into search zones from the last known position, the terrain and the animal’s likely behaviour.

4. STAGE 04

   Aerial search

   Our pilot watches the thermal and visual feeds live and checks every heat signature against the animal’s size.

5. STAGE 05

   Findings and handover

   We relay GPS positions to your team and stay on station until recovery or until you stand us down.

The ground we search around Hungerford

• Hungerford Common

  Port Down is wide, open grassland with tree-lined roads across it and gates with cattle grids at every entrance. In summer it is shared by walkers, dogs and a herd of cattle; open grass like this is very easy to search on thermal.

  LimitationThe cattle have right of way here. We fly with the herd in mind, avoid low passes that could unsettle them and never fly over the roads or the railway.

• Freeman’s Marsh, the Dun and the Kennet

  West of the town, the Dun winds through Freeman’s Marsh among meadow, reed and scattered trees, and the Kennet and the canal run alongside. Marsh, reed and soft banks make this hard country to search on foot.

  LimitationPart of the marsh is an SSSI with water voles and wetland birds, and both rivers are famous chalk streams. Flights are short and anything near water is checked on the visual camera first.

• Downs and woods

  South of the town the land climbs to Inkpen and the downs, and woods run west towards Savernake Forest. A dog chasing a deer here can cover a lot of ground before it stops.

  LimitationUnder a closed canopy the camera cannot see the ground, so the drone checks rides, clearings and edges and guides people into the trees.

• The town, the A4 and the M4

  Hungerford is compact, with the A4 and the railway running through it, the A338 north to the M4, and the canal cutting across the High Street. A loose animal from town usually heads for the commons or the river.

  LimitationWe stay off the town, main roads, the railway and houses. Searches right beside them are judged individually.

• CAA Registered Drone Operator

  Airframe is a CAA Registered Drone Operator and our pilots are qualified for commercial operations.

• Aviation safety and airspace

  Every search is planned within UK drone rules, including checks on controlled airspace, roads, railways and people nearby.

• Site-specific assessment

  Each search is assessed for its own location, access and hazards before we fly.

• Weather and suitability

  Rain, wind, fog and low cloud can stop or limit a flight. We will not fly when it is unsafe, and we will tell you why.

• Fully insured

  Commercial drone liability insurance is in place for every deployment. Documentation is available on request.

• Animal welfare and your information

  We work to your plan so the animal is not pushed further away, keep you informed, and do not share your details with third parties.

More on how we plan and fly operations and the aircraft we use.