Take away that worry and that strife....

Orphaned Hedgehog...yes they do come that small!!

Right now it's the busy season; known as orphan time for wildlife rescue centres up and down the country. There are rescues to go out on, animals to treat, babies to feed, cages to clean, release sites to organise; as well as meetings to attend and never ending fundraising. During the next few months everyone will be helping to rear and prepare baby animals for the 'Big Wild'. All the rescue organisations from the largest, right down to the Old Lady with her Hedgehog rescue in the shed, will be getting progressively noisier with all the chirps, tweets, growls and barks of all the young ones that have ended up on their doorsteps and all wishing there were more hours in the day. 

Fox release, Redhill, Surrey

Probably now more than ever they need your help, it's your chance to help make that difference for wildlife. You can help ease the financial burden and take away any worry so they can concentrate on getting the wildlife back to the wild. Not just by donating money, (but I'm sure they won't refuse!) but supplying the centres with the small things that they need; tins of cat/dog food, dog/cat biscuits, bird seed, newspapers, towels, feeding bottles, heat mats, pet bowls....the list is endless; and you may not have to spend any money or leave your home to get these things, why not use those Nectar points, Tesco vouchers, order what's needed on-line and get it delivered straight to the centre. All you have to do is find your local rescue centre (Google is free!) and give them a call, search for their website; ask them what they need and for very little effort, expenditure or time, you can really make a huge difference. Help alleviate the worry, especially in these tough financial times, and allow the rescue centres and their armies of dedicated volunteers to really concentrate on getting these animals back out to the wild where they belong.

Another success story following hours of dedication

With every rescue, with every animal brought in, there's the heartache of the ones lost and the jubilation of the ones that are saved and released back to the wild. Emotions and mental health is always tested to the maximum. It's a roller coaster ride every week, every day. In the past I've rescued a Heron that died 24hrs later, treated a Fox that I thought wouldn't make it and now with its pinned leg is doing fantastically, released 2 swans after they had flown into a power line and a fence, watched another fox give up its fight for life after so much time had been spent trying to save it, had a blackbird die in my hands, been bitten by a hedgehog that didn't move when it was rescued and is now well on the way to recovery, one Owl put to sleep and another released following a full recovery from a broken wing. But I, like loads of other rescuers and rehabilitators, wouldn't give any of this up for the world. I like to think I'm making a difference, doing my small bit for the little creatures that have no voice of there own. Helping preserve the future for our 'taken-for granted' wildlife and you can do the same. Help take the pressure off and go MAD4wildlife today.

'There's a frog stuck under the ice in my pond.....'

Even though I've been involved in Wildlife Rescue for a good few years now, there is still plenty to learn and a knowledge base that needs to be extended and updated continuously. 

The shortfalls and gaps in my knowledge were shown about 2 nights ago following a call on the 'out of hours' advice line. The call from a lady, was about a Frog found under frozen ice in her garden pond; she had managed to rescue it and was not sure what to do next. She had it in a tub and the Frog had been extremely lethargic when taken from the pond, but was now getting more lively.....

Now to be honest I didn't have a clue. Amphibians are not regular patients at the centre and I suppose I'd never really thought about having to rescue one before. Ask me about Badgers, Foxes, Owls, Buzzards or Swans, Pigeons and Hedgehogs and I know exactly what to do. My mind was now full of questions; Should it be put back or kept? Can Frogs survive freezing water? Did it need to go to a rescue centre for recuperation until after the cold snap? So after apologising for my lack of knowledge, I told the lady I'd get back to her as soon as possible after I had done some urgent research!

Nellie the Newt - a rare wildlife casualty brought to the centre.

Now what I'm about to share with you is what I found out and also provide links to relevant information about Amphibians. This I hope you will find useful whether you work in Wildlife Rescue or not.

Firstly the short answer - Put the Frog back - now I'll expand and explain:

• Male frogs often lie dormant at the bottom of ponds during winter, they’re prone to dying when the ponds freeze over. This is a relatively common phenomena called ‘winterkill‘, but is more likely to occur this year due to the severity of the freezing weather.

• Frogs slow down their metabolism when lying dormant, and breathe through their skin. Plants in the pond produce oxygen through photosynthesis and this process is still possible even if a pond is covered in ice. So they (the Frogs) can still survive if the pond freezes over. However, lots of leaf litter in a pond produces and releases noxious gases as it decomposes thus starving the pond of oxygen and killing the Frogs. Also should snow cover the pond, it prevents the plants from photosynthesising, gases can again build up in the pond with the same result.

So what can we do to help our little amphibian friends during these cold winter months? I discovered an organisation called 'Amphibian and Reptile Conservation' (ARC) http://www.arc-trust.org/
This site is a hive of information, not only on amphibians but also reptiles in the UK and a must resource for anyone involved in Wildlife Rescue, Wildlife Conservation or anyone wanting to set up and maintain a pond in their garden. Below you'll find what ARC suggests we should do with frozen ponds to help amphibians survive the winter months:

• Make a hole in the ice by leaving a pan of hot water on the surface, allowing the base of the pan to melt a hole. 
• Leave a plastic ball in the hole overnight, and remove it the following morning when the pond surface has refrozen. This enables noxious gases to leave the pond. 
• ARC also warns against smashing, or pouring hot water on the ice, or adding chemicals (particularly salt). All of these methods can cause serious damage to pond life

So there you have it, quite a simple solution and explanation, yet it was one that eluded me - perhaps it was short sightedness on my part, ignorance or just not understanding that when I put my hand up to say, 'I care about, love and want to help wildlife' - it means ALL wildlife. It doesn't matter whether its feathered, furry, scaly, flies, walks, swims, as big as a Red Deer or as small as a Stag Beetle; I/we owe it to all critters to understand what they are about, where they live, what they eat and what can be done to ensure there lives on this planet are as enjoyable and stress free as our own. I passed this information on to the lady and now the Frog is happily back in its pond...although, personally, the bottom of a pond is the last place I'd want to be in this weather!
I hope that someone reading this finds it useful, can put the knowledge you may gain into practice and hopefully go on to helping another beautiful creature.
The ARC website is a terrific site with so much information about Amphibians and Reptiles, I've learnt loads from it; did you know we have 7 species of Amphibian native to this country or that Leatherback Turtles are regarded as native to British waters?
They also have some useful downloads like this snake identification chart -
http://www.arc-trust.org/downloads/Identifying_Britains_%20Snakes_FINAL.pdf

Give them a visit and maybe even show your support 

Feeding Wildlife in Winter - How and What to Feed Wild Animals

We all enjoy the snow and have some great fun but at this time of year wildlife really struggles to find food. Educating ourselves to provide for the most common species is essential if we really wish to help and make a difference.

anothersuffolkblog.blogspot.com

Rather than type forever about how to do our bit for Wildlife during the cold winter months, Daphne Green has already done it! Click the link below and go M.A.D (make a difference) for Wildlife.
....and don't forget the most important thing; ENJOY your wildlife!!
Take care
Steve

Feeding Wildlife in Winter - How and What to Feed Wild Animals