Unusual casualty
We do sometimes get call outs to unusual animals, but this was a normal phone call about a badger that was in a shed. We sent one of our Response Drivers to go and catch it up and bring it back to be assessed. Normally an animal in an unusual place usually has something wrong with it, so it is always easier to bring it back. We can then check it over before it is returned to the location where it was found.
A confused Response Driver rang through once he arrived at the address as the animal was not a badger but was a skunk! Taking it to the nearest vets, the animal was checked over by a veterinarian. Luckily a vet nurse at the surgery had heard on the radio about someone who had lost their pet skunk. So very soon the owners were on their way to collect their pet. They were very relieved that he had been found.
Our Response Driver with the Skunk
The other day it was a wallaby so that was a first, but we have had reports of wallabies in the countryside. They have obviously escaped from a collection somewhere and are capable of surviving as their diet is similar to deer. Sadly, the wallaby was too badly injured to save but we were lucky that the vet on duty had been to Australia so knew all about wallabies.
It’s hedgehog time now with people being concerned if their hedgehog is big enough to survive through the winter. Hedgehogs have to weigh 650 grammes to go into hibernation but if you are putting food out for them, they have a little bit of time to put on weight before the weather really changes.
Telephone calls have slowed down and whereas in the summer we will have three people answering the phones, we can almost manage with just one person. It’s a challenging job as sometimes it is an emergency, and we have to go act quickly. We use mobiles a lot asking people to send photos or video so that we can be sure that we need to act or whether it is something that is normal. They have the support of the Wildlife Carers who are very knowledgeable and can assess a situation straightaway.
Pauline Kidner August 7th 2023
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