A WILDLIFE rescue charity has had to change its name after a licensing technicality meant it had been rescuing animals illegally.

The Cotswold Swan and Wild Bird Rescue, based in Cirencester, has changed its name to the Cotswold Animal and Bird Rescue so it can aid animals which are not birds.

Manager Paul Richardson said: "We just discovered that as a charity we are not, according to the letter of the law, technically supposed to rescue animals such as deer, badgers and foxes, only swans and other wild birds.

"But we are dealing with about nine calls a day about deer and badgers at the moment. When we get a call out to rescue an animal we can't say no we can't help I'm afraid, it's not a bird'.

"But we have changed the name now and we can resuce all animals legally."

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