13 Mar 2026
Vets and clients share founder Neil Forbes’ concern about the impending loss of GWE’s capacity to train avian specialists.
Chris Simpson
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Neil Forbes, pictured here in 2017, founded the practice and is hoping someone can come forward to run it in the future.
The founder of an exotics hospital threatened with closure hopes a “knight in shining armour” will be able to save the practice.
Vets Now, part of IVC Evidensia, announced earlier this month it had proposed Great Western Exotics (GWE) closes on 27 March, citing insufficient demand to sustain the centre long term.
Avian specialist Neil Forbes, who founded GWE in 2004 and ran it until 2017, described the proposed closure as “extremely sad”.
He said: “I hope that some knight in shining armour can charge in there and pick up the smouldering wreckage, and give it a good shake and turn it back into the organisation that it once was.
“What it takes is someone with good management skills, someone with some cash in their pocket who can actually come in and pick up the pieces… and allow the service to continue, and that has to be done in a commercially viable way.
“I’m absolutely confident that it could be [saved]… but it has to have the right people involved to make it work.”
Asked if the practice could be sold, an IVC Evidensia spokesperson said: “We do not comment on rumours or speculation. We can confirm that we have undertaken efforts to explore all potential options to secure the hospital’s future.”
GWE currently offers the only European College of Zoological Medicine avian residency pathway in the UK.
Dr Forbes added: “It’s a great shame that, going forwards, there probably won’t be any veterinary surgeons from the UK becoming European specialists.
“Owners have lost out, patients have lost out, and the veterinary profession has lost out, and I think that’s very, very sad.”
Avian specialist Tariq Abou-Zahr, who spent almost five years at GWE completing an internship and residency, described the practice as “the mothership of avian training in the UK”, adding: “For us to lose that facility is likely to have a massive impact moving forward on avian training… and that’s concerning from an animal welfare point of view.”
A client-led petition to save the practice has accrued around 1,700 signatures.
Clients have expressed concern regarding continuity of care and the availability of suitable alternatives to GWE, a tier three RCVS-accredited 24-hour referral centre offering a range of key services in a single location.
The IVC spokesperson confirmed clients would be provided their animals’ clinical notes to pass on to their next practice and added: “Should the hospital’s closure be confirmed, exotic and avian species in the Swindon area will continue to be cared for by their local daytime veterinary practices, with referral to other local veterinary hospitals when clinically required, which is the national best practice throughout the rest of the UK.
“Our priority remains the welfare of the animals in our care, and we are committed to supporting our colleagues, clients and partners throughout this transition.”
British Veterinary Zoological Society president Elliott Simpson-Brown described the proposed closure as “an incredible loss”, but he added: “We are confident there will be a number of BVZS members willing to do what they can to take on these clients across the UK.”
He continued: “Often overlooked, it serves as a stark reminder that we need to remember exotic, zoo and wildlife veterinary education holds an important place in encouraging the exotics vets of the future. This country needs its exotics vets.”
