Tributes have poured in for the “remarkable” founder of wildlife hospital Tiggywinkles who died aged 73.

Following the sudden and sad death of Les Stocker MBE, friends and family have celebrated his life, saying they will continue his great work helping thousands of injured and sick animals.

The Haddenham-based charity was started after Les, his wife Sue and son Colin began nursing animals in their back gardens.

Tiggywinkles, The Wildlife Hospital Trust, has now grown into one of the biggest and well-respected animal charities in the county, having treated more than 200,000 animals.

A statement from Tiggywinkles said: “First and foremost, Les leaves his wife Sue, son Colin, daughter in-law Verity and two beloved grand-daughters Amelia and Alexia. “Our thoughts are with them, his two sisters and rest of his family at this very difficult time.

“The loss will be greatly felt to the world of wildlife. “Les was a steadfast ambassador, achieving his goal to turn wildlife rehabilitation into a profession, to have it recognised by other professionals and to ensure wherever possible, that all casualties have the best treatment in order to return back to their natural habitat.

“Over the lifetime of his work Les has inspired other individuals and organisations to rise to the challenge of rehabilitating wildlife.

Bucks Free Press:

“In addition to working very long hours hands-on, he wrote books, papers and attended conferences to establish the importance and furtherance of rehabilitation. His tireless dedication has changed the way the world sees and deals with sick and injured wildlife.

“He has built an incredible organisation, one that will strive to continue his legacy.

“Amongst his many achievements were an MBE, being honoured by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as an Honorary Associate, the title of Rolex Laureate, two bestselling books, a regular newspaper column, he was an invited member of the New York Academy of Science and was widely recognised as one of the World’s leading authorities on British wildlife.

They added: “The wonderful team at Tiggywinkles will continue through these sad times. As a Charity with a family feel, the loss of this truly remarkable man will be immeasurable.”

Bucks Free Press columnist and family friend, Colin Baker, said: “He [Les] is an exact contemporary whose life ended far too soon suddenly last week.

“He will be massively missed by all who loved and respected him especially his wife and son, Colin, who will carry on his excellent work.”

For more information about Tiggywinkles, visit www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk