L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages

What L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages does

L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1998 and headquartered in Saint-Forgeux, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured wild birds and mammals. Operating as one of the largest wildlife care centers in France, the organization treats nearly 7,000 animals per year across more than 220 species, with cumulative intake exceeding 40,000 animals since inception. Service delivery is organized across three intake sites covering four departments (Rhône, Loire, Drôme, Ardèche), coordinated through a centralized answering service at 04 74 05 78 85. Specialized programs include the Pôle Martinets (swifts) and the Pôle Mammifères buildout, and clinical protocols cover rare and endangered species such as Short-toed Snake Eagle, Osprey, Bonelli's Eagle, and Griffon Vulture.

The operating model is built on a hybrid workforce of approximately 10 base employees (scaling to 20 at seasonal peak), roughly 300 active volunteers, ~10 board members, and rotating interns and Service Civique participants, with peak combined participation exceeding 40 people during the spring and summer surge of nestlings and young mammals. Veterinary care includes intake and first aid, individual convalescence, group rearing for species-appropriate socialization, aviary-based rehabilitation, and release at or near the discovery site. There is no proprietary technology product; the underlying capability is clinical and ecological expertise codified into species-specific rehabilitation protocols, supported by partnerships with the Réseau des Centres de Soins de la Faune Sauvage and the Confédération Nationale Défense de l'Animal.

Services are provided free of charge to the public. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is generated through four streams: public donations and membership subscriptions, legacies and bequests (facilitated via the Confédération Nationale Défense de l'Animal), and institutional grants from regional, metropolitan, departmental, and EU public funders (Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Métropole de Lyon, Métropole de Saint-Étienne, Départements du Rhône, de la Loire et de la Drôme, and UE FEADER). Additional minor support comes from corporate and foundation sponsors including Enedis, SNCF, Fondation Nature et Découvertes, Lilo, and FBB. Marketing is minimal and relies on the organization's website, a supporter newsletter, and grassroots volunteer networks.

Name

L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages

Legal name

L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages

Website

https://hirondelle.ovh

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

L'Hirondelle is a French non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center founded in 1998 that rescues, treats, and releases nearly 7,000 injured wild birds and mammals annually across 220+ species in southeastern France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife rehabilitation services
• Wildlife rescue center
• Animal veterinary care
• Species conservation
• Wildlife medical treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Forgeux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and public support: The center receives financial donations from the public to support operations. A 'Faire un don' (Make a donation) button is prominently featured on the website.
2. Membership subscriptions: Adherents (members) pay subscriptions to support the association financially.
3. Legacies and bequests: The association can receive testamentary bequests through the Confédération Nationale Défense de l'Animal. Legacy donations are facilitated via standardized testament formulas provided on the website.
4. Institutional funding and grants: The center receives support from regional and European funding bodies including Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, UE FEADER, Métropole de Lyon, and other institutional partners visible in their logo section.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

L'Hirondelle is a nonprofit wildlife care center that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured wild birds and mammals across the Rhône, Loire, Drôme, and Ardèche departments of France. Services include initial intake and first aid, convalescence in individual boxes, group rearing for young animals, aviary-based rehabilitation, and release at the discovery location or suitable habitat. The center is open to the general public free of charge, relying on a network of approximately 300 volunteers and multi-site intake points to admit and treat nearly 7,000 animals per year across more than 220 species.

Product overview

L'Hirondelle is a nonprofit wildlife rescue and care center (association loi 1901) that provides veterinary care, rehabilitation, and release services for injured wild birds and mammals. The center operates across four departments in France (Rhône, Loire, Drôme, and Ardèche) and is one of the largest wildlife care centers in the country, treating approximately 7,000 animals annually across three sites. The organization does not offer a technology product platform; rather, it provides direct animal rescue services, public guidance on found wildlife, volunteering opportunities, internship programs, and accepts legacy donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation services

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 7,000 animals admitted annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Réseau des Centres de Soins de la Faune SauvagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerL'Hirondelle is a member of the Wildlife Care Centers Network (Réseau des Centres de Soins de la Faune Sauvage), a national coordination body for wildlife rehabilitation centers in France. This membership provides access to shared expertise, protocols, and collaborative resources across the network.
• Confédération Nationale Défense de l'AnimalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Confédération Nationale Défense de l'Animal is an association recognized as being of public utility. L'Hirondelle receives legacies through this confederation, which also provides institutional support and legitimacy for the center's charitable activities.
• SPF / SPA LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociété Protectrice des Animaux (SPA) Lyon, an animal protection organization. Visible in the partner logos section, suggesting collaboration in animal welfare.
• CNDA / CNSPA (Centre National de Documentation et d'Animation / Conseil National des Centres de Soins de la Faune Sauvage)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational documentation center and council for wildlife care centers. Visible in the partner logos section.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO): France's leading bird protection NGO, operating wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation programs nationally. Directly comparable in mission (wildlife rescue and rehabilitation), species focus (especially birds), and volunteer-driven operating model.
• Hôpital de la Faune Sauvage (Montpellier / Lunaret): Wildlife hospital operated in partnership with Montpellier; provides veterinary care and rehabilitation for wild animals. Comparable in offering veterinary-grade wildlife rehabilitation as a non-profit service to the public.
• Centre de Sauvegarde de la Faune Sauvage de Buoux (Vaucluse): A wildlife rehabilitation center in Provence covering similar raptor and mammal species. Comparable as a regional wildlife care center member of the same national network, with overlapping species protocols and intake model.
• SOS Faune Sauvage: A French wildlife rescue network coordinating intake and care of injured wild animals. Comparable in public-facing intake model and species focus, and often cross-referred by member centers of the national wildlife care network.
• Tête en l'Air: A bird rehabilitation center in the Île-de-France region specializing in wild bird rescue and release. Comparable in service focus (wildlife veterinary care, rehabilitation, release) and dependency on volunteers and donations.
• LPO Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: The regional branch of LPO operating across the same four departments (Rhône, Loire, Drôme, Ardèche). Comparable as a wildlife conservation and rehabilitation actor in the identical geography, with overlapping volunteer base and donor pool.

Emerging players

• VetAgro Sup — Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire de Lyon: The Lyon veterinary school's teaching hospital provides wildlife care and is geographically adjacent to L'Hirondelle. Overlaps in wildlife veterinary expertise and serves as a referral/training partner for wildlife cases in the same region.

Broad incumbents

• IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare): International wildlife and animal welfare organization with French operations. Comparable in wildlife rescue mission at scale, though it operates globally across many species and causes rather than as a regional rehabilitation specialist.

Others

• Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis: Major French animal welfare foundation funding companion animal protection. Comparable as an institutional funding/awareness channel for animal welfare causes, though its primary focus is companion rather than wild animals.
• Société Protectrice des Animaux (SPA): France's largest animal welfare association, focused primarily on domestic animal rescue and sheltering. Adjacent rather than directly comparable (different species focus — companion vs. wild animals), but shares donor pool, volunteer model, and institutional legitimacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l-hirondelle-centre-de-soins-pour-animaux-sauvages

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about L'Hirondelle, Centre de Soins pour Animaux Sauvages