Daring dentistry

No one likes going to the dentist but if left tooth problems can become worse and cause further difficulties. In wildlife this is more serious as it effects their survival if it causes infection or they are unable to eat.  A badger was brought in by an RSPCA Inspector for abnormal behavior, he had been found dazed and ataxic i.e. wobbly on his feet.  He was placed in a pen for observation overnight and allowed to settle and rest.  The following day a general anesthetic was given by the vet, which enabled the vet to carry out a proper examination and x-ray.  No fractures were found but there was an infection in his nose which led to the vet finding a major tooth problem. A closer look revealed his upper left canine tooth was cracked and the root had been left exposed, this had lead to a nasty tooth abscess- no wonder he felt rotten!

Although quite an extensive operation the missing canine would not make much of a difference to the badger once back in the wild.  If the tooth was left it may lead to further infection, a lot of pain and potentially death.  My work in the hospital was almost complete so I was given the chance to observe the procedure, which was fascinating. It is very rare to see dentistry on a badger.  It gave me the chance to really see how large badgers canine are and the extent of the damage.

Captivity is always stressful for wildlife so the team are always looking to return our animals, back to the wild as quickly as possible, as soon as they are fit and healthy.  Therefore after a few days of recovery he was given a long lasting antibiotic and quickly released back to where he came from - minus the tooth and no visit from the tooth fairy!

                                                   

   Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

Getting a Kite to fly again

When a member of the public arrived with what they thought was a Buzzard I did not realize how significant it would turn out to be. I was informed the bird had been seen to spiral out of the sky and crash land into an electric fence in a field where they rescued it. As soon as we took it out of the box for observation we knew it was not a Buzzard, from its colouring and wing pattern we identified that it was in fact a Red Kite!

                                       

It was understandably in shock, had a bit of blood around the mouth and raspy breathing - it was treated and left it in peace to recover overnight.  When the Red Kite was x-rayed as part of its vet check, it was us who got the shock as 8 shots were found in it - including two in the head!

                                 

It is incredible how this bird survived, looking at it now, you would never know the ordeal it had gone through. Our vets were understandably concerned about the head injuries.  Perfect health and 'spot on' vision are essential for these top predators to catch prey and survive in the wild. 

When the Red Kite was rechecked yesterday the sight in the left eye had greatly improved and its general condition was such that we were given the green light to take the Red Kite out into one of our outdoor aviaries to see how well it flies.  The next few days will be spent monitoring its progress; I will keep you updated on this extraordinary bird’s progress.

                                             

To see the news article click on this link   http://blogs.rspca.org.uk/regionalnews/?s=red+kite

                                                  

   Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre

What skills do you have?

Every year Stapeley has over 6000 admissions into its Wildlife Centre and Cattery, the cost of their care and running the Centres reaches £800,000!  With no government funding to finance these costs we rely on generous donations and legacies. These are generated Stapeleys fundraising and education team in attending events and promoting the Centre.

    

On Thursday I helped at the recruitment evening to encourage new volunteers to join the support group. Community fundraiser Chedia gave a presentation on why funds are needed, what we do and how they could get involved.

The group has monthly meetings to arrange events at Stapeley (such as the successful Christmas fair) and in the local area to raise funds and awareness.

                 

There is a variety of roles to utilise everyone’s unique skills in event planning, publicity or education- there is something for everyone!  Now the group’s success has started gathering momentum more help is needed to keep it moving forward to enable Stapeley to continue its fantastic work.

                          

If you wish to offer your skills and time to help us fundraise or in the Centres please contact us on volunteer-stapeley@rspca.org.uk.  You can also see the website http://bit.ly/WYhfkb

Help us to help the animals.

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre

Stapeley in the snow

After all the weather warnings the snow finally arrived, with the knowledge I was going to be working outside I put on as many layers as physically possible!  With the snow still falling I made sure all our outdoor patients had plenty of food and water available- not covered over by snow or ice.

                          

    

Luckily the swans are on their pool most of the time preventing the water from freezing over, I think they are brave going for a swim in this weather!  One option for people at home is to put a ball on the water which can prevent the water from freezing.

                                

       

Although the snow has caused havoc, staff and members of public have remained undeterred battling through to bring in wildlife casualties unable to cope. Unfortunately the one thing that the snow does put a halt on is our releases until the weather improves to make the transition back into the wild easier.

                    

     

Wildlife needs help during these conditions. I had a flock of pigeons ‘hungrily’ follow me as I carried trays of seed out to the aviaries and witnessed a cheeky grey squirrel taking opportunity to help itself to some of the swan’s available food.  At Stapeley we have bird feeders (donated by CJ Wildlife) that we keep topped up, they very quickly get many grateful customers.

                         

 

If you also want to help the wildlife in your garden providing them with unfrozen fresh water, food such as seeds, fruits and nuts (unsalted) as well as garden waste can make all the difference.  For more information on how to support wildlife in your garden take a look at the RSPCA website: http://bit.ly/aLVAlH

Supporters of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre

When captive Birds of Prey need our help

Among the many wild birds of prey admitted to Stapeley we are occasionally presented with stray, abandoned or mistreated captive exotic birds.  

An owner may lose their bird if it escapes from its aviary or slips from its tethers.  They are unprepared for survival in the wild with no idea of where to go or how to successfully hunt for live prey.  As a result they are frequently found weak or entangled by their falconry equipment by Members of the Public and brought in by the RSPCA Inspectorate teams.  A recent example was an Eagle Owl that was brought in, found in a barn, thin and with anklets on.   He is doing great now and the hunt is now on to find him a suitable home.

However it is not always accidental, some captive birds of prey are abandoned when the owners cannot cope financially or find them too difficult to handle. Birds of prey are difficult to look after, live for many years, require specialised diets, suitable housing and equipment, its not cheap.  The species vary in their specific needs, their carers therefore need experience and knowledge of their particular birds.

Unfortunately, there are also cruelty cases where often a lack of lack of knowledge or neglect has lead to the bird suffering, these cases are really sad.  

Ways we can identify a bird is captive are if it has a ring or equipment still on, is micro chipped and through its tame ‘non-wild’ nature.  If their owners can't be traced we find birds such as the Eagle Owl a place at an RSPCA approved facility where they can receive the required care needed.  Finding suitable homes is not always easy but we always get there in the end. 

Supporters of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre

Can I see some ID please?

Many birds at Stapeley are fitted with BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) rings prior to their release.  The scheme enables information to be gathered on population trends, migration, longevity and survival via keen bird watchers and researchers around the UK and overseas.  For Stapeley, returning information helps us to monitor former patient’s survival in the wild.

   

Today I observed supervisor Andrew Smith fitting some of our swans with individually identifiable rings and taking measurements – all of which will be added to the main BTO database.  They were additionally fitted with a thicker coloured Darvic ring which allows them to be identified by observers from a distance in the field with minimal disturbance (swans also do not like being asked for ID!).

 

One case I am keen to hear about is one of the females we rung - due to her inexperience she had found herself stuck in pond ice but was luckily uninjured.  Now she is a good weight she will be released and support fed with three others at a private site, they will be free to fly away when they wish.  It would be great to get an update one day soon saying that she had paired up and produced some offspring.

Supporters of Stapeley Grange

Christmas cheer at Stapeley..its hog time

You may have asked yourself what the Stapeley team do on Christmas Day?  Well it was work work as usual (feeding and cleaning) with the added festive cheer; the odd Santa hat, a few mince pies and the occasional Christmas carol along the corridor.

At this time of year hedgehogs and swans make up the majority of our admissions, all needing a helping hand through the winter.  We often get in hedgehogs that were born late in the year and are too small to hibernate; they therefore usually just need some feeding up - puppy chum, meal worms, and small dry dog biscuits usually works.  No turkey or mince pies for these guys.  We record how much each hog has eaten, its preferred food and monitor their weight daily.  This enables us to give the hedgehog more of the food it prefers and reduces waste (every penny counts!!).  We like our hedgehogs to be above 600 grams and the weather conditions fairly mild (above 5 degrees) for a 3-4 days before we release them and although there was an extremely cold stretch early December, the Christmas period has been quite mild allowing us to release a lot of our hogs.

It’s been a busy year for most wildlife centres around the country when it comes to hedgehog admissions; they have even pushed our pigeons of their usual number 1 spot,  as the most admitted animal to Stapeley Grange.

                                                                    

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre