Following our Foxes

An exciting part of being a Wildlife Assistant is being involved with the releases and the post-release monitoring work.  We are now in year 2 of a 4 year project that is looking into survival rates of fox cubs following release.  This year 6 cubs are being fitted with GSM collars which will collect important data on their movements post release.  I was very privileged to observe the collars being fitted and was in charge of recording all the details of each fox as they were being fitted and checked over.

Taking measurements.

Recording weight.

In order to fit the collar the foxes were given an anesthetic; this gave us an opportunity to take important body measurements and for our vet to give them a full health check before their return.  The team had to ensure the collars were fitted correctly so as to firstly avoid the fox pulling it over his head but secondly allow for a little more growth.  The collars where then sprayed with a bitter spray to deter the foxes from chewing them, which had been a problem last year.

Giving a health check and checking its condition.

Spraying the collar with bitter spray.

  

We will now be able to monitor the foxes post release which is always important from a rehabilitation point of view, to ensure that we are returning them back to the wild, fit and able to survive and integrate back into a wild population.  It will be great to see if our foxes decide to stay where we release them or move on to establish their own territory as they tend to do in the wild.  

Using GSM collars is an important step forward in terms of monitoring fox cubs. Although expensive, they will allow us to collect important data without having to track them on a daily basis.  Using GSM collars is also far less labor intensive than using VHF collars.  Information gathered from this project is likely to be very useful to anyone involved in the care and release of orphaned fox cubs and will hopefully give us all peace of mind that we are giving them all a fair chance of returning back to the wild successfully.

The collar will allow us to trace the fox by satellite.  

By Michelle Bite

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

  To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

Sticking your tongue out is not always rude

As a child I was always told that sticking my tongue out was rude. However we needed to encourage a buzzard to show us its tongue when a quick look in the mouth revealed it was not quite right. There was a white crust on the tongue which looked sore and inflamed. A swab was taken using a cotton bud and wiping it on a microscope slide. Strangely it appeared to be worm eggs which could have been transmitted from prey it may have eaten that was carrying the parasite.

  

The buzzard was given tablets to combat the worm alongside a course of antibiotic and painkiller. Despite how nasty the tongue appeared it did not stop the bird from eating. Once the course of medication had finished we put it into one of our outside aviaries so we could continue to monitor the tongue.

On recent observation in the mouth there appears to be improvement however the buzzard needs to be kept under observation for a little bit longer.

      

After a couple of weeks and a re-check with the vet hopefully it can be released back into the wild with a healthier looking tongue. It just proves having a tongue stuck out at you is not necessarily rude!

By Michelle Bite

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

  To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

Flying for a Hobby

Everyone has a hobby they enjoy but I think my new one is the most fascinating. It is not a sport or a craft but a stunning type of falcon called a Hobby!

An RSPCA inspector brought the Hobby in as it was thin and unable to fly. Closer examination showed the left wing was slightly dropped with a small wound so he was put on a course of antibiotics and painkillers. There had been no improvement after a few days so the Hobby was anaesthetised for an x-ray to be taken. While the falcon was under it gave me the opportunity to admire the beautiful colours and patterning of his feathers.  Some of the key features are their dark slate grey colour, black ‘moushache’ and rusty red undertail. It was great news the x-ray looked good so he should just need feeding up and a bit of time for the wing to recover.











It is important that on release the Hobby has the strength and full use of its wings to be quick and agile enough to catch prey as well as for its migration to Africa for the winter. Hobbies are rarely spotted in the wild and it is not often that we see them at Stapeley so I felt very privileged to be taking care of one.

 

By Michelle Bite

 

 

 

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

 

 To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

 

 

Special VIP treatment for hedgehog – And Breathe…...

One of our adult hedgehogs has been suffering with a bad chest, a bit wheezy and crackly! He had been on medication for a week but this had not appeared to have remedied the problem. An x-ray was inconclusive as to what may be causing the respiratory problem so it was time for the tank!

The tank is in fact a nebuliser but we are hoping that a daily visit into the mini tank may help to ease his chest. For twenty minutes a day, the hog is popped into a perspex box which links up to a tube, which attaches to the nebuliser machine. This machine, along with a dose of medicated water, creates a steamy vapour which then travels down the tube and into the container, which is then inhaled by the hedgehog.

There isn't much room in the box, but this ensures the hedgehog is secure and gains maximum benefit from the surrounding vapour. We hope this assists in clearing his chest, although he still has a few more visits to go yet.  I will report back in a week or so as to whether this has worked out or not.

By Lynsey Cale

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

 To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

Who has been eating my food?

Shortly after my last blog on the progress of the orphaned hoglet it was decided that he could be signed off ready for release. As he was admitted at just over a week old the hedgehog now just needed a suitable location with a short period of support feeding.

I thought it would be wonderful to carry out the release in my own garden so I may still be able to occasionally see him. So, that day after work the hedgehog came home with me and I left him in an open skipper with a bit of food to start exploring his new environment when he was ready. Watching from a distance I saw him tuck into the food before wondering off into the big wide world.

However the story does not end there!   Keen to see the hedgehog again I set up a special sensor camera that is triggered by movement. I was hoping to capture him on film eating the support food I was putting out for him in the evenings. As usual the food disappeared, so I was very excited about checking the footage, however, I was a little surprised to see that it was not a hedgehog that was scoffing the food but a very intelligent and healthy looking magpie!  This magpie was obviously not going to pass up on the opportunity of an easy meal !!

  

I will continue to keep an eye out for the hedgehog in my garden but I am guessing he has probably now moved on.  I just hope he has taken well to his new life back in the wild. 

By Michelle Bite

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

 To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

Something’s ‘Afoot’ with one of our Swans!!

The element of surprise is constant during the summer time at Stapeley! Amidst all the everyday feeding and cleaning, you actually never know what will come through the door at any given time, or what it is you might witness next...

I witnessed a small operation last week, carried out by our vet, Bev. A lame swan had been brought in to us, having been observed limping quite badly. On further examination, it was apparent there was a hard lump under the skin of the swans’ leathery foot.

On removing the lump, it was clear to see why it had caused such a problem for the swan to walk comfortably. A large marble sized ball of hardened pus was the offending mass, caused by an initial infection. 

On successful removal, the swan was made comfortable in our isolation unit. Once the wound has healed, the swan will be put onto the outside pool area and will then get to enjoy meandering around the grounds in new-foot-heaven!!

By Lynsey Cale

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

 To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070

Hoping for a Swift release

Amongst the orphan birds brought into Stapeley, Swifts are one of the more challenging to raise. Whilst admitting one I could not help but look at it in awe.  They spend most of their life in the air carrying out all of the usual activities of feeding, mating and even sleeping - pretty amazing!

Always on the go Swifts only land to nest and raise their offspring.

Unlike other birds Swifts can only feed while flying because their soft beaks are unable to pick up live food. It is therefore necessary to regularly force feed their diet of wax worm larvae, crickets and flies which is very time consuming to prepare, especially with the substantial amount they seem to get through!

They have extremely delicate, extra long and extra thin wings which have to be in tip top condition in order to support their lifestyle in the sky.  So while looking after the orphans, exceptional care is taken to prevent any feather damage which could delay their release.

     

To add to the pressure they must be ready and released before the end of the summer so they can migrate to South Africa along with other Swifts. Hopefully it will not be long before the orphaned Swifts at Stapeley can be taken to a field where they will have the space to gain the height to start their life in the sky.

By Michelle Bite

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

 To donate to Stapeley text and our orphans: STAP70 £2 or £5 to 70070