ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the case of wildlife rehabilitation, a classic example of a practice that prioritises the individual. Wildlife rehabilitation may be described as the rescue of incapacitated wild animals – that are considered unable to survive in the wild without human intervention – and their subsequent release. The importance of relationship to the conservation task is evident. It is disingenuous of conservationists not to acknowledge, more explicitly, the importance of the individual. Ecological relationship, as the source from which biological diversity springs, is the nerve centre of conservation. The public's attitude towards rehabilitation is mixed, but seems to be largely positive. The rehabilitation of common species is clearly important in its own right, yet the knowledge gained from this work can substantially benefit endangered species. Conservation has much in common with – and in a practical sense much to gain from – at least one such individualistic practice: wildlife rehabilitation.
