Swans a plenty at Stapeley

Throughout the year we see lots of swans and geese admitted to the wildlife hospital.  Many of the swans are brought in as juveniles, particularly at this time of year, and are reported by members of the public as being unable to stand and very weak.  When a bird is showing signs of weakness it may appear that it has problems with its legs but this is often not the case.

A case which I worked on this week was a good example of this.  The cygnet arrived on the 2^nd  December, found by a member of the public, who was concerned the bird could not stand up and instead kept falling forwards.  The cygnet was extremely underweight when he arrived, weighing only 4.3 kg.  There was however a swelling on its wing joint.  On further investigation the x-ray showed that there was no serious damage; it was prescribed oral antibiotics, some pain relief and given plenty of food.

        

The team have kept a close eye on his weight over the past ten days and today he appeared healthy; was walking well and putting on weight.   He had his final check up this morning and the vets were happy to sign off his treatment and release him out onto one of our outdoor pools (pictured above) with all the other waterfowl, which is always nice to see.  The staff will continue to monitor his progress over the coming weeks until we are happy that he is strong enough to be released back to the wild.

Jenna Haslam

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate

'Today gets the seal of approval' - Catherine Smith

After a morning of cleaning and feeding lots of hedgehogs I spent some time with wildlife assistants Michelle and Sophie in isolation. We were about to attempt to tube feed a seal...

The grey seal had been rescued in from Red Wharf bay in Anglesey on Wednesday (23rd Nov).  It had been monitored for 48 hours and no parents were seen during this time so help was needed. The orphaned seal is said to be about 2 weeks old; she weighed in at 15kg on admission. 

 

Trying to minimize stress as much as possible Michelle covered the seal with a towel and restrained it by kneeling over its back and pinning its head down (gently but safely), making sure her fingers were nowhere near its mouth! Then Sophie aided her with the syringe and tube whilst it was fed down its mouth and into its stomach. She also had the glamorous task of taking its temperature via the rear end. 

It was feisty as expected and made noises I'd never heard an animal make before. Staff here receive lots of training with seals as although they look cute they can give you a nasty bite, apparently. The seal is tube fed five times a day and is currently being fed a mixture of lectade which is a re-hydration therapy with aqua-vitamins and fish soup which is blended mackerel. 

This seal is being transported to RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre shortly; they specialize in the rehabilitation of seals and offer more facilities for this. I am confident it will grow and make a full recovery and I am eager to keep up with its story.

Catherine Smith

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate

Fox Release

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be asked to help on one of the last fox releases for this year. The site was quite local at a commercial quarry. Myself, Rob (Senior Wildlife Assistant) and Sophie (Wildlife Assistant) loaded all the kit into the car and trailer and eventually managed to coax all five juveniles into a box for transporting. I drew the short straw and had to sit in the back nearest to the foxes which if you've ever smelt a fox before then you'll probably understand and feel my pain. 

To our delight, we were joined by a couple of members of staff on site. The RSPCA most of their orphaned mammals species through a method of release known as a 'soft release' which means they are first transferred to large cage at the release site and then support fed and watered over a period of three weeks after being released, with the amount of support feed decreased over time to help bridge the transition between captivity and living in the wild. 

The cage is made up of eight wire panels, so the first step was to stride out a suitable area and then dig out a trench to drop the panels into, before then bolting then together. Setting the cage into a trench helped to prevent the foxes from digging out, in theory! Once built the box with the foxes in was placed inside.  Branches and leaves were also put inside and on top of the cage to make it more natural, along with some food and a bucket of water.

After everything was finished it was down to Rob to open the box and to make a quick escape. On this release, we were lucky enough to see one very brave fox emerge and have a quick feed before we had to leave. The foxes will be caged for one week before being released and then support fed for the further three weeks.

Jenna Haslam

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate

'Wotter day'

Last week I had the amazing opportunity of helping to release two otters that have been in Stapeley Granges' care for about 10 months. They came to us on Christmas Eve 2015 as orphans by storms from Rea Brook, Shrewsbury. They were named suitably by the staff as Mary and Joseph (pictured below). Over the next ten months the pair were fed and monitored closely and raised in an excellent otter enclosure, built with the money W G Harvey Discretionary Settlement generously donated. 

      

The first task in this release was to catch the otters to move them into an empty run so they could be quickly boxed up the next morning. This sounds like a fairly simple task although it took nine members of staff and volunteers to heard the otters around their enclosure and towards the door where a box was placed and the door was quickly shut. It was like a military operation as otters can be quite vicious if approached in the wrong way. I was thankful to be involved in this, let alone what was yet to come.

The next day I went to the release sight with Supervisor Rob and two volunteers to create an enclosure that the otters would live in for the next two weeks until we would then open the fencing to allow them to move on and find suitable habitats for themselves. We used around 50 metres of electric fencing to create this area and had to clear a lot of nettles and weeds as it was so over grown. A pool was placed in the area which was filled with the near by river water, along with tyres and tubes for the otters enrichment. Volunteer Graham put up two camera traps which are motion censored so we can see the otters reactions to their new surroundings. The next day, we traveled again to the site but with the otters in the back of the van. A journalist from BBC radio Stoke arrived who interviewed Rob whilst I made the finishing touches to the fencing. We then carried the box containing the otters over the fence and stood by while Rob opened the sliding door. While one otter stayed in the box and remained unseen the other, believed to be the female, shot out without hesitation and began scouting her surroundings for us all to capture on video. Rob mentioned this was quite rare and hasn't happened in the last six years in all the releases he had done, which made the experience even more exciting. 

 

Otter populations are on the increase in the UK since the 1960's and 70's where they were extinct in most parts of England, but can be now found in every English county! The work of the RSPCA in rehabilitating sick, injured or orphaned animals plays a huge role in the conservation of species populations and I am so proud to be a member of this organisation. Looking forward to get involved in more releases next year!

Catherine Smith

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate

It's hog time for placement student Jenna Haslam

My name is Jenna and like Catherine I am also on a year long placement here at Stapeley Grange as part of my degree. I study zoology at Swansea University and when I was offered the chance to take a year out to gain some experience I jumped at the chance and applied to be a wildlife assistant for the RSPCA. My intention was to get an insight into the sort of career that I will potentially pursue after I graduate and since I started here at the beginning of September I haven’t been disappointed with the experience! 

I have to admit that the foxes are my favorite so I am very much looking forward to getting to work hands on with them next Spring but for now I’m getting very well acquainted with the resident hedgehogs and we have quiet a few!

Before I started I’d never seen a hedgehog up close and now I feed, weigh and clean out an average of 20-30 every day. Its so rewarding when you can see the recovery over time with individuals gaining weight until they are big enough to be released. We then get to box them up so they can be returned to the wild.  It’s amazing how each individual has its own personality and how quickly you get to know each character from working with them each day; we get to know who the messy ones are too!! 

Jenna Haslam

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate

A hungry gannet and stung hog

Going into my tenth week at Stapeley Grange as a student on a placement year I can see I am being given more and more responsibilities regarding treating the animals with their specific medications. Personally, I feel I have come a long way, as when my cat was first diagnosed with diabetes, injecting him twice a day was more of a nerve wrecking task than it should have been. However now, I feel I am confident in injections and oral medication and also learning the art of crop tubing

I have also been given other tasks such as bagging up a fully grown swan for release which was quite an experience, along with hand feeding a Gannet in isolation (pictured below) and helping Supervisor Rob dismantle a fox cage at a release site. This was a physically tough task but allowed me to see a site where foxes are taken for a ‘soft release’ meaning they may frequently come back to the cage for food that we take before finally moving away and finding a suitable habitat for themselves.  

    

One particular case which caught my attention whilst working in the Orphan Room was a hedgehog with a significantly swollen tongue. The vets came to the conclusion it was stung by or had tried to eat a grounded been. Many people thought the hedgehog was a lost cause and would have to be put to sleep but after a few days of steroids and other treatments the swelling went down and the hedgehog could eat and drink for itself again. 

Although it is becoming quieter at the centre, as we move to winter, there is still as much cleaning and washing as ever. The wash room will be tidied and cleaned once a day but 24 hrs later it is full of used skippers and cages that need scrubbing again - but if nobody did these jobs, we would run out of accommodation very quickly.

Catherine Smith

Student Placement

Volunteering at Stapeley - Catherine Smith

I was asked to start off at Stapeley as a volunteer before my placement in September, so that it would be easier for me when I started my one year programme.   Over the past couple of months I have learned so much; I don’t know what I expected but it has certainly opened my eyes as to how much effort and work goes into the rehabilitation of injured, sick or orphaned wild animals.

  

I have carried out so many jobs in the centre already ranging from cleaning and feeding the ducklings in the duckling room, preparing feeds for foxes and polecats to feeding corvids by hand in the indoor aviaries.  And of course there has been a lot of, not so glamorous, washing!  But as staff regularly explain this is equally as important as everything else I have been involved in!   I have also helped with the feeds in the orphan room, lots of hedgehogs and lots of nestlings that require hourly feeds which really keep the team busy.  

Another job I was recently given was to prepare badger cub feeds, by Sarah who has worked at Stapeley Grange for many years and is very knowledgeable and experienced.  I was asked to make bowls of dog food, day old chicks, which is what I expected but then they were also given watermelon, digestive biscuits, peanuts and jam sandwiches! The badger cubs here at Stapeley Grange eat better than I do at home!

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Late Shift with the Corvids

It’s getting busier every week with more and more admissions of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. This week I assisted in near enough every area, but was assigned one room to take charge of myself; the Corvid room. It’s nice knowing that my development is being noticed and that wildlife assistants and supervisors now feel that they can assign me a room to care for myself.

The Corvid room consists of basically a lot of orphaned Corvids!! Corvid's are a specific family of birds which include Rook’s, Magpies, Crows and Jackdaw, all very intelligent birds. I was in charge of hourly feeds, cleans, topping up food and water and if needed assisting in admitting treatments with the aid of wildlife assistants and veterinary nurses. My knowledge and experience of working the orphan room really helped for my lone work in the Corvid room and I was able to get straight to work and monitor any unusual behaviours.

   

During a late shift there are generally fewer staff so we have to organise ourselves to ensure all areas are fed, watered and locked up for the night. I assisted Michelle in preparing and providing feeds to the foxes located outside.  We also fed our pair of otters (which are growing fast) and many other bird species that are now in our aviaries. We herded in the ducklings and ensured everywhere was secure and locked down for the night. I also helped clean and feed the ducklings inside, assisted in orphan room and also helped clean rooms and prepare feeds and stock up on equipment and materials.

  

I was able to observe Katie (Seasonal Wildlife Assistant) admitting some new animals, which included Hedgehogs and a racing pigeon! The staff here take great care in taking as much information as possible on the animals when they first arrive.  Each patient gets a printed card which remains with the animals until their is an end result. All data entered onto the database is apparently analysed at the end of the year so that the team can assess how well they have done with each species.

Laura Thorpe - Volunteer Wildlife Assistant

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I'm having a 'Raven' time - week three of my volunteering at Stapeley Grange

This week volunteering at RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre I assisted Michelle (Wildlife
Assistant) in Isolation where I met a beautiful fledgling Raven. The Raven currently being rehabilitated in Isolation was rescued from Wigan which is where I currently live and not far from the street that the Raven was rescued.  I have seen a few around Wigan but will be on the lookout for more now...they are so beautiful and clever.

Ravens are the biggest member of the crow family; they are very smart birds and are a popular resident here in the UK mainly situated in the west and north though they are showing to be expanding eastwards. The majority of Ravens are permanent residents in the UK although some
birds especially those that do not breed have shown to travel, but not too far.

Before entering the pen, I checked the Ravens records and looked inside to assess its body language, I worked as fast as I could to prevent the bird becoming overly stressed as stress in birds can cause further complications.  I watched Michelle catch the Raven and place it inside a cardboard box, I enjoy observing Michelle catch and restrain as I have started restraining the animals being rehabilitated and further gaining my confidence and skills in the areas. Once the Raven was placed into the box, we weighed it and whilst Michelle filled in the birds details I quickly cleaned and disinfected the branches and placed in fresh bedding and provided it with some clean branches to perch on.  Once the pen was cleaned, I provided the Raven with food and water and then Michelle released it back into the pen without having to handle it.  We are hoping that he will be moved outside soon which is where it will stay before before being released back to where it came from, which hopefully I can be involved in.

Laura Thorpe - Volunteer Wildlife Assistant

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Fox cub update - a volunteering experience

My first week I assisted in caring for three fox cubs, providing them with food, water and observed how they were syringe fed, toileted and provided with treatment from the Wildlife Assistants and Veterinary nurses.

 

Over the past couple of weeks the centre is seeing far more animals arrive with the number of orphaned fox cubs in care rising fast. I assisted in the care of these cubs on my second week; I helped to clean their pens, feed and water the cubs, and observed Michelle handling and weighing them.  Michelle explained that it was important that that this was done quickly and efficiently so to prevent the cubs imprinting; essential that we keep them wild. The centre has strict protocols with regards handling and reducing human contact for all its animals so the hospital can be a very quiet place at timees, especially when it comes to working in the fox room.

March to September is the centres busiest period as it when the team receives many orphaned animals. I am particularly interested in foxes and other wild mammals and enjoy caring for them.  Overall the fox cubs appear to be doing really well and interacting with each other showing as they should and showing some natural wild behaviors, as you can see from this shot clip (they are so cute). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbIrWf-ZEWI

It is great to see they are all doing so well and are on track to be released later by the team later in the year. 

Laura Thorpe - Volunteer Wildlife Assistant

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Volunteering at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre – Part 2 - Laura Thorpe

Week 2 volunteering at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and another full day assisting my volunteer 'buddy' Michelle (Wildlife Assistant) on her daily duties caring and rehabilitating a variety of British Wildlife. I met many more new faces and was again greeted into a welcoming environment with many people who share the same interests and passions as I do.

I spent the day on outside duties but also helped out in other areas of the centre too. I helped care for a variety of patients including swans, ducks, Canadian geese (which the Centre has a special license for), hedgehogs, many types of bird including a sparrow hawk, otters and Celia, our orphaned Grey seal.

The day started with checking all those animals in care. We then started the process of feeding and cleaning and there is always lots of cleaning to do. I am really enjoying learning about handling and restraint techniques and administering treatments needed for all the different animals they have in care.  Watching and learning about injecting swans was great and is really expanding my knowledge.

Having never seen them in the wild before, the highlight of the day had to be to see the two otters; we cleaned their pen and refilled their pool. Michelle explained their feed of fish goes in their pool for enrichment allowing them to act out natural wild behaviors.  We are in and out so quickly so to minimise contact...it is so important to keep them wild. 

My next exciting task was feeding Celia her fish which was thrown into different areas of her pool; this forces her to search for her food. I later helped empty and clean Celia’s pool. I enjoyed cleaning her pool but worked fast keeping an eye on her at all times as seals may look cute but have nasty teeth! 

Michelle explain one indicator of a seals health is a wet ring around their eyes indicating they are hydrated. I also learnt the difference between the two types of seals in the UK; the common seal and the grey seal.

To finish off the day Michelle and I made up all the outside feeds for the late shift to take out; they also complete the last check of the day and lock up all the pens and aviaries. I really enjoyed my day outside with Michelle and learnt a lot about that stage of rehabilitation within the centre.  Luckily the weather was really nice! 

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

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Volunteering at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre - my first Day (Part 1)

My name is Laura Thorpe and I have always dreamed of a life dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife especially local wildlife here in Britain. Coming from a background in Animal Care and Welfare mainly focusing on domestics, exotic reptiles and larger livestock I had a little insight into the dedication and commitment it takes to care for animals, but from spending my first day at Stapeley Grange I knew that this new journey of mine would be completely different, still amazing but completely different. It excited me and encouraged me to pursue my dream no matter how long it would take, I was ready to work hard and give everything I can to become competent in Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

Arriving at Stapeley Grange I was welcomed by many lovely faces, they made me feel welcomed and needed and were very helpful in getting me settled and started. I arrived at 8 am and got stuck straight in, I was spending the day with Michelle who has been a Wildlife Assistant at Stapeley Grange for many years, she’s traveled all around the world and has so much knowledge and experience, and she’s also fearless! I am going to be working beside Michelle every week as well as helping the entire team, I guess she’s acting as my mentor, training and teaching me the ins and outs of how to care and rehabilitate a variety of British Wildlife.

We started the day with the orphaned fox cubs, this alone was amazing as I have never seen fox cubs before and so was an experience in itself. Entering the room you must be very quiet to avoid creating a stressful environment for the cubs and avoids the cubs learning human voices so that they do not gain any type of relationship or interaction with humans for when they are released back into the wild.

This was definitely one of the highlights of the day; I observed Michelle syringe feeding the cubs, the handling techniques used and how to safely feed them. It’s important to remember that handling of any wild animal especially cubs such as foxes and badgers should be kept minimal as “ A tame fox, is a dead fox” and so the centre has strict protocols to follow when handling wild animals, this will help with their release and will help the animals cope better in the wild. Once fed I also observed how Michelle would toilet them, it is very important to stimulate the animal to urinate as most mammal young are unable to urinate without assistance. This would normally be done by their mothers and is therefore important to do when the animal is being rehabilitated as it could cause infection or a lack of interest in further feeding. Whilst Michelle was completing these tasks I would help clean and disinfect their nursery and discard of any waste correctly inspecting whether they had been urinating and defecating properly. I would also help prepare their feed and disinfect any equipment and clean and tidy the room ready for their next feed, this was done three times throughout my shift and was a task I very much enjoyed observing and participating in.

PART 2 to follow soon....

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Seal release in North Wales

Last weekend, myself (Lynsey Cale) and two colleagues, saw another successful seal release!  These usually run quite smoothly, as the seals are keen to exit the confines of their vari-kennel, and need little encouragement to swim into the sea.

However! whilst one of our two seals was gone in a flash, the second had other ideas which involved staying put! We waited patiently, hoping the lapping waves and incoming tide (!) might encourage him out of his kennel - but oh no, that would be too easy!!

Eventually we tilted and tipped! We slowly tilted the kennel and out popped the seal; it worked, the seal was out!

                                                       

Before i had a chance to move the vari-kennel out of the way, the reluctant seal had spun around and sped his way back into the container!  After repeating the tilt/tip process again, we used the two empty kennels to create a barrier, so as to prevent the seal from moving back up the beach!

       

Perseverance prevailed and our apprehensive sea dog, eventually got the message and could be seen swimming out to see.  Both these seals were rescued during the December storms, so after 4 months in rehab, they were finally home.

Hurrah!

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

To Support RSPCA Stapeley Grange by donating £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007 
Texts cost £3 + standard network rate