La Belette

Introduction to the Association

La Belette is a nature protection association aimed at safeguarding wildlife and undertaking related actions for studying and protecting biodiversity.

These actions are particularly manifested through the association's central project of creating a wildlife rescue center in the Lot department (46). This facility will be capable of taking in, treating, and rehabilitating distressed wild animals of all species until they can be released back into their natural habitats, thus concretely contributing to the protection of declining biodiversity.

While the rescue center is not yet open, its wildlife mediation service already helps foster better cohabitation between the region's inhabitants and the surrounding nature, raises awareness about environmental protection, and assists when encountering a wild animal in need of help.

The association also works to offer naturalist animations and outings to help the local population better understand and protect local wildlife and flora, always with the goal of protecting and preserving biodiversity.

Project Description

The flagship project of La Belette association is the creation of its wildlife rescue center. Located on a 2.5-hectare site at the border of the Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne departments, the facility will provide care for all species of distressed wild animals in a region where currently no solution exists to rescue them.

Distressed individuals (injured, sick, or orphaned) will be treated, rehabilitated, and then released into an appropriate natural environment. The rescue center will also operate on a broader scale: environmental protection awareness and education, scientific research, conservation and reintroduction of endangered species, health monitoring, animal care training, and addressing environmental damage will also be part of its missions.

Today, the necessary works for opening the rescue center are progressing well: renovation of the two buildings that will form the heart of the facility, construction of convalescence boxes suitable for larger species, installation of a wastewater treatment system through phytoremediation... in addition, significant projects concern the various rehabilitation structures (aviaries and enclosures) that will be used for the education/rehabilitation of wild animals after hospitalization or breeding at the rescue center.

Among the types of installations necessary for the opening of the facility is a large flight aviary. This is essential for rehabilitating larger bird species, especially raptors, as the association is located in an area where many of them live. The dimensions of this aviary are substantial: it is planned to be 60 m long, 8 m wide, and 5 m high. It will be dividable into two 30 m long aviaries to accommodate, if necessary, the simultaneous rehabilitation of species that cannot coexist. This project is ambitious but, once again, essential for the proper rehabilitation of these large, emblematic bird species. Erecting this flight aviary represents a concrete way of assisting them and thus contributing to their conservation. This project is estimated at 22,000 euros, and financial aid from Ecomail will enable La Belette to meet this significant expense.