tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2009-11-10:/This blog will give you an insight into the life of a wildlife rescuer in the making - posts will vary from my reasons for making this life-changing decision to stories about rescues to good advice so you can also help your local wildlife - guaranteed to make you laugh, guaranteed to make you cry - keep posted!MokoFeed2009-11-10T11:02:19+01:00tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-12-10:/2008/12/10/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-5200523/wildliferescue2008-12-10T22:13:56+01:002008-12-10T22:13:56+01:00 <p>Quick update</p> <p>Well, boys and girls, be careful what you wish for. Just a couple of weeks back I was moaning to a friend of mine that The Wildlife Rescuer hadn't really taken off and I was wasting my money getting equipment and I should delete my webpage...</p> <p>I've just received my 4th hedgehog call in the space of a week!</p> <p>Apparently there's a lady not far from where I live giving out my number... I have no idea who she is but I guess all I can say is thank you!</p> <p>I've only taken in 2 of the 4 hedgehogs. Sonic, as you know and Cyril, who I passed on to another centre today as he was very underweight and not responding to my basic first aid. I've never claimed to be anything but an animal paramedic and I think keeping him here would've been for my ego rather than his own good. Best he goes to somebody with more knowledge than I who could take good care of him 24/7. </p> <p>The other 2 hedgehogs, as they were not emergencies, I did not bring back to TWR towers, because I only have 1 cage currently, which I need free for emergency patients. </p> <p>So, you may be asking yourselves why so many hedgehogs? Well, hedgehogs should be starting to hibernate around now and because of the mild weather a lot are just not doing this. Also, a lot of late babies have been born, which means they are not big enough to hibernate. I anticipate that it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Still, it's giving me experience and it's getting my name out there so I'm a happy bunny!</p> <p>All the best guys </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/12/10/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-5200523/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-11-27:/2008/11/27/update-sonic-the-hedgehog-5120883/wildliferescue2008-11-27T19:18:41+01:002008-11-27T19:18:41+01:00 <p>Thanks to everyone for their interest in little Sonic. Just a quick update (cuz I'm shattered!)</p> <p>He made it through the night (hooray!) I checked on him around 2am and he was having a drink which was such a confidence boost. Well pleased! This morning he was snuggled up in the paper. I disturbed him to clean out the cage and feed him, then went to work. </p> <p>Momentary panic when I got home and he was lying outside of the paper... but I got him out and put him on the weighing scales and he was walking around fine which is brilliant!</p> <p>His weight? A tiny 278g... this time of year, for a hedgehog to have any chance of surviving hibernation it should be at least 600g... he's unfortunately gonna be in captivity now until the spring, when he can be released. At the very most, when he reaches 600g, he'll be put in an enclosed foster garden and fed every night. Poor guy... </p> <p>Anyway, I've uploaded a photo to the album. Feel free to check him out :-)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/11/27/update-sonic-the-hedgehog-5120883/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-11-26:/2008/11/26/sonic-5115297/wildliferescue2008-11-26T23:00:15+01:002008-11-26T23:00:15+01:00 <p>Y'kno I've been wondering when my first hedgehog call would come through. Wildlife centres all over the UK are fit to burst with young hedgehogs born later due to the mild weather, who haven't reached the minimum hibernation weight of 600g... well, mine came today. </p> <p>I was on the points of going out to meet a friend. Was dressed up, made up... then the wildlife phone started ringing. It was a local number... about 20 minutes away. The lady had found a hedgehog in her garage. She'd put it in a box, given it dog food and water and left it overnight. Today, she found it had got outta the box, but was staggering around the garage. One quick call to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society confirmed the hedgehog was showing symptomns of hypothermia. They gave her the phone number of her local wildlife rescuer.... me. </p> <p>Within 20 minutes I was outside her door with my animal carry case in hand. She showed me into the kitchen and opened a box to reveal a baby hedgehog no bigger than my hand. She didn't realise it was a baby! I quickly took it back to the car and put the box under the heater to keep it warm. 20 minutes later I was back home and transferring it into a cage after a quick assessment (no injuries, & it's a boy!) It's now got a saucer of puppy food and some water and every now & then I can hear it shuffling around... which is a good thing, but as it's in a dark room, I would hope it'd be a little more active. My major concern is that it hasn't had a drink of water. I have waited an hour now to let it settle, so shock doesn't kill it but if it doesn't take fluids soon I'm going to have to give them via syringe. Not the most pleasant of tasks, but if it'll stop it dying...</p> <p>I don't think my boss will be too pleased that I have to take the morning off to care for a baby hedgehog, but until I find a centre who'll take him on, I'm giving him my full attention. </p> <p>Oh & if you hadn't guessed, I've called him Sonic :-)</p> <p>Keep you posted guys. Will upload photos soon x </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/11/26/sonic-5115297/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-11-09:/2008/11/09/men-5007136/wildliferescue2008-11-09T11:58:22+01:002008-11-09T11:58:22+01:00 <p><span>Apologies to those of you who enjoy reading my blogs for the wildlife aspect; this one is purely about my shonky love life! A vent blog, if you will.</span></p> <p><span>Ok, so some of you will know that I broke up with my long-term boyfriend 2 weeks ago. Amazingly, I'm feeling fine; I barely think about him, I don't harbour any bad feeling toward him and I don't feel lonely, sad, empty... any of the emotions linked with break-up's. Isn't that a good thing, you may be asking yourself? Well, yes and no. I'm glad I've got over him so quickly because heartache really is the worst feeling in the world but it really does make me feel quite concerned that I've got over the best relationship I ever had with barely any upset!! Yes, the day after I was inconsolable and locked myself away. The following week, although much better, I still thought about him but week 2 it's like we broke up months ago... hmmm.</span></p> <p><span>Which brings me onto my next point... Halloween! What a night! I wore a gorgeous ballgown and a venetian masque as an attempt at a costume (I just really wanted to wear the dress!) My good friend Dave came down from Birmingham and old schoolfriend Skelly accompanied us to the coolest rock club in Cardiff. This was 6 days after the break-up and my chance to let loose and return to my roots - 22 yr old just wanting to hav fun! By 11pm, I was hammered (all planned; I haven't been drunk in such a long time and I needed a release, which I would've been too uptight to do whilst sober)</span></p> <p> <span><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/817/2971817_67cabad636_s.jpg" alt="Halloween 6" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="236" height="168">                                       <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/835/2971835_efaf3f23c0_s.jpg" alt="Halloween 4" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="229" height="167"><br>Soon, Dave & Skelly were chatting up 2 middle-aged birds so I went a-wandering, chatting to any random fella who happened to look my way. Before long, my personal space was invaded by a Swansea-based Jedi who looked freakishly like the dark-haired Bevin Boy off The Coal House (non-Welsh people won't understand this reference). No idea what his name was, but before long we were snogging. Classy eh? The first guy who gets close since the break-up and I hav no idea what his name was. He took my number at the end of the night but I haven't heard from him (which is for the best, as he p'd off my mates and I found him waaay too arrogant!) I was also kissed by Skelly (dude in the photos) which freaked me out somewhat. Skel's been an awesome friend since high school, so it left me a bit confused. However, we have spoken and sorted it out. All in all a fantastic night! I met the Blues Brothers, a clown (who was a huge fan of the general chest area haha!), a few old hardy rockers and a man dressed as a nana who gave me his pearl necklace... great night had by all! I did wake up the following morning feeling a bit dejected, but I think this was the effect of the alcohol and the more I think of it, the more i realise i had a great time. </span></p> <p><span>Take you back now to mid-October and the Gorezone Weekend of Horrors, which I attended representing my dad's business, <a title="SBTS Autographs" href="http://www.sbtsautographs.com">SBTS Autographs</a>. This again was an awesome weekend but mighty confusing. I got to have tea and cupcakes with ex-bond girl Caroline Munro which was awesome!</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/859/2971859_97f27cc052_s.jpg" alt="Jane, me, Steve, Rob & Caroline" hspace="5" vspace="5">                          <img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/877/2971877_3c3b6da0d8_s.jpg" alt="Me & Robin P" hspace="5" vspace="5"></span></p> <p><span>Much later on in the day, something happened that really has left me stumped ever since. I got talking to a bloke. This was no ordinary bloke; he's a Goth with long black hair in his late 30's. He's a horror fan, he's flirtatious despite being in a relationship... but I loved his company! He made me laugh so much! At the end of the first day, I left the cinema early due to the crappiness of the film, went to the toilet and when I came back into the foyer he'd also left the cinema and was changing his shirt, revealing a hairy chest and pierced nipples... wow! Good timing or planned? Hmmm... anyway, we talked more and I managed to persuade him to come back the following day. The next day flew by, but he hadn't shown up. I surprised myself with how gutted I was! I met another lovely guy who was originally from Aberdare, near my hometown who I've agreed to go and see in Memorabilia in 2 weeks for a cuppa. <br><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/884/2971884_34240958f0_s.jpg" alt="Me & Aberdare EA dude" hspace="5" vspace="5"></span></p> <p><span>Anyway, as I was saying, day flew by. I left the cinema just before the final film to get a drink... I was walking down the stairs when who should be walking up? The goth dude! I couldn't conceal my happiness and a smile was plastered all over my face. He was wearing a KISS shirt; one of my favourite bands! I told him where I was sat and that I would see him in 2 minutes. I wasn't disappointed; he sat next to me for the final film and put up with my incessant ramblings bless his heart. I was so pleased he was there! After the film it was time to go back to the hotel... I didn't wanna leave! I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek and that was it... we parted company. Fortunately, we found each other on Myspace and have exchanged a couple of emails since but I don't understand how I just can't get him out of my head! On his Myspace, there's a photo of him as a vampire and he looks amazing... I've dreamt about it a couple of times... I hope he comes to memorabilia to hopefully allow me to get him out of my head!!</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/885/2971885_d54e7c1f57_s.jpg" alt="Me & the goth" hspace="5" vspace="5"></span></p> <p><span>Which finally brings me on to last night (no more photos I'm afraid lol!) I went to an ex-colleague's house for pizza and to watch the last of the day's international rugby union games. We got on well, we had a laugh... but we ended up kissing quite passionately. We've always got on well but I've never thought of him in that way so again, I'm now sat at home feeling mighty peeved with myself *sigh*... enjoying the single life seemed to be a lot easier the last time round! Guess I've matured more than I allow mysekf to believe. Hopefully these dumb mistakes are just teething problems and I'll learn from them sooner rather than later. </span></p> <p><span>Anyway, that;s me. As screwed up as ever... hope all's well with everyone xxx</span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/11/09/men-5007136/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-10-24:/2008/10/24/a-huge-thank-you-4925578/wildliferescue2008-10-24T17:21:13+02:002008-10-24T17:21:13+02:00 <p>I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for sending me a complimentary electric heat pad. I haven't encountered any financial problems as yet, but with the current climate, things may become problematic so any help is a huge bonus. I swear I was on the point of crying - I know I'm not the only one who would've received one, but the timing was so perfect as things have been awful lately. </p> <p>Over the last week, I split up with my long-term boyfriend. The reason for which isn't quite clear to me as yet, but we've grown apart and I don't think we're right for each other anymore. Further to this, last night I came home to an email asking for urgent advice about a Muntjac Fawn. Muntjac's aren't native to the UK so if one is captured, it cannot be released into the wild unless a licence from Defra is obtained. The vet who had the deer didn't know about the licence and, from what I've been told, cried as she put the poor animal to sleep because she didn't know what else to do. There was nothing wrong with it, except it had been orphaned. It was in Surrey so i couldn't have been any physical help, but I was gutted that I wasn't available to advise. Why? Because of the break-up, I switched off the phone and refused to check the inbox... I was selfish and unfortunately an animal has paid the price.... I assure you this will not happen again. </p> <p>Another thing that quite upset me was a pigeon in London Paddington train station. I nicknamed it Igor as I sat watching it for an hour waiting for my friend to come and get me (I was kinda scared by the Tube map!) The poor thing had cotton or similar tangled around its foot, causing the toes to bend under the foot (like a fist, rather than being out straight. It walked like a gorilla i.e. like on a fist). My first instinct was to grab the pigeon and to cut away the cotton with the nail scissors in my bag. But then I stopped and evaluated the situation... Igor didn't appear to be in any discomfort and was hobbling along fine. He was feeding on scraps and, when he got spooked, was able to fly away. Add to this the danger of a condition called Pressure Necrosis if the pressure is released (the tissue around the ligature dies and the animal is highly susceptible to secondary infection) then I could actually be sentencing the bird to death. As I don't have any wildlife contacts in central London and nobody around seemed too helpful, I may have caused Igor fatal amounts of stress by carrying him around Central London (obviously didn't have my kit with me). So I decided to leave it. Throughout my weekend I came across a lot of pigeons with gammy foots and wondered... have any charities ever considered doing a mass pigeon health check in central London? Hmm...</p> <p>Anyway, I'm in a better place today, looking forward to a weekend with my friends (with the TWR phone in my back pocket) forgetting all the rubbish that's going on right now. Hope everyone is well xx </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/10/24/a-huge-thank-you-4925578/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-10-04:/2008/10/04/llanthony-secunda-manor-house-paranormal-investigation-4821098/wildliferescue2008-10-04T19:26:37+02:002008-10-04T19:26:37+02:00 <p>Hey all!</p> <p>Llanthony Secunda Manor - Caldicot, Gwent, Wales</p> <p>This was my first investigation in about 6 months, so was well looking forward to it! It was a last-minute arrangement which included myself, my dad and bestest buddy <a href="http://www.myspace.com/robinpierce">Robin Pierce</a>. Llanthony Secunda Manor is in Caldicot and is being refurbished to be used as a holiday let. It's very subtle, nestled in a modern housing estate. The oldest parts of the house date back to the 15th century; apparently owners never stay for long because of the ghostly presence. It's uses have included as a farmhouse, a monastary and a religious retreat.</p> <p>I have uploaded an album of the photos taken through the night. There are a couple with weird lights appearing, but please disregard the 'orbs'. The house was dusty and I think these are just reflections of the flash. </p> <p> The event, in a nutshell, wasn't overloaded with activity, so instead of doing this on a vigil-by-vigil basis, I thought i'd do it by room and pick out the main points. </p> <p>To get the negatives out of the way first, I'll discuss my doubts. Readers of my previous investigation reports will know that I do believe in spirits, but I'm not naive - I do need convincing before I'll believe any old ghost story. </p> <p>The 'mediums' didn't convince me. This isn't to say that they weren't genuine (they have, after all, worked extensively with the one and only medium I trust - Ian Doherty), just that they didn't convince me. During the whole 8 hour vigil, only 3 main energies (a man, a girl and a young woman) were identified with the occasional monk thrown into the mix. The teams were split into 4 groups and each one came back each time with a story of a nasty man and a young girl - how could they have been in 4 separate rooms at the same time? Also, glass tipping was a bit too polished - perfect answers to each question (I didn't get involved as I'm not a believer, so can't comment whether they were pushing the glass). There was also a lot of excitement in the group. For example, during the tour of the house, we all went to the attic. Immediately, people complained of being cold and feeling dizzy/sick/unbalanced. 1) It was an attic at 10pm in October... of course it was going to be cold. 2) The floorboards were bouncy and there were 30 people walking around - it was like being on a ship in a storm! I was very aware that people were taking any noise or emotion to be ghostly manipulation - they were ready to believe any garbage fed to them by the mediums or me or anyone else (not that I'd dream of taking advantage of this naivety).</p> <p>Ok... back to the good stuff...</p> <p>Suit of Armour Room (Study)</p> <p>I only experienced stuff in this room whilst on my own or with Robin; when the group was in here I didn't pick up a thing. I even stood in the middle of a circle where a supposed energy was building, but felt nothing. On my own, I saw a shadow creep across the sloped ceiling. The lights were off, the heavy curtains were fully drawn and there was nothing moving to create a shadow. Apparently when we compared notes at the end, somebody else had also picked up on shadows in this room. Also, as I sat on the chaise lounge with Robin just talking about general nonsense, my throat became very dry and I kept coughing. I assumed this was due to the dust and thought nothing of it... however, this coughing stopped as soon as I left the room and didn't happen again at all throughout the evening, even when I returned to this room later on. See photo in my album - there is some kind of light in the bottom right hand corner by the chair - the room was pitch black when I took the photo. </p> <p>'Safe bedroom'</p> <p>This was the pink bedroom in the photos. The medium, Mike, identified this as the room where the little girl would have died. He felt it was a comfortable, safe room where she would have been locked to contain the disease which caused her death. I didn't really pick up much in this room, except again when it was myself & Robin alone. We sat on the bed, stared out of the window in an attempt to pick up any movement in our peripheral vision in the room. I saw a shadow move from the left of the window, towards the bed, but can't be sure that this wasn't caused by external factors (e.g. somebody passing the door). Here my Dad picked up the name of the girl as "Emily", which was later reiterated by 2 other people, including Mike the medium, who were not present at that time. </p> <p>Attic</p> <p>I think I've already mentioned that this room didn't convince me. Many people felt very nervous up here, many felt nauseous or cold... I felt fine. The windows did rattle a fair few times and people got very nervous... but I was lying in the middle of the room completely at ease, although very, very cold. Robin and I had a bit of a laughing fit up here for no apparent reason - spiritual manipulation or just childish - your call ;-) My memories of this room are pretty vague; I don't remember anything happening here. </p> <p>Bedroom with sofas</p> <p>Can't really remember the story behind this room, but this was where the final vigil took place and the glass tipping. Apparently the nasty man, the young girl and 2 monks were helped to pass over to the light here... interesting stuff... made people feel "humble". I joined the seance, I felt nothing... decide for yourself. </p> <p>Master's Bedroom</p> <p>Now, this was the one that got me interested and persuaded me that this place may actually be haunted. We did 2 vigils in here. The first was the most interesting for me because I didn't expect anything. I was completely happy, sat with Robin listening to everyone else sharing their feelings but not really paying much attention. It was the same old about the room feeling oppressive, the women feeling sick, the energy building in the middle of the room etc etc. Out of nowhere, I suddenly felt very lethargic. I couldn't hold my head up so lowered my chin to my chest. Tired, perhaps? My first inkling that something was wrong was when I felt the urge to sit upright and looked around the room with "Who are you?" repeating over and over in my head. No, I assure you I wasn't asleep and I wasn't imagining it... Mike advised that the spirit may be attempting to channel through me, and I should imagine putting barriers up around me. Well, this didn't work... soon my head lowered again and I felt on the brink of sleep when my heart started racing, my breathing became very heavy and I started shaking uncontrollably. My muscles tensed and my fists clenched. It was if I had too much energy in my body and I had to release it. All I wanted to do was stand up, shout and hit something. I felt aggressive for no apparent reason. In an attempt to release the energy, I punched ahead of me a couple of times and stamped hard on the floor, but this made me feel worse... the energy was getting too much. I didn't want to get aggressive, I didn't want to stand up so I attempted to speak, shakily, to explain what I was experiencing. Whether the medium used this to his advantage or not is unclear, but I was told the "nasty man" was pacing back and forth along that wall looking out of the windows. It had already been established that he didn't like women and perhaps I was picking up on his anger at women being in his bedroom. Suddenly, I heard a crackle and Robin jumped... he said he had a sensation like an electric shock on his back... that was enough for me and I moved to the other side of the room - my legs were like jelly and it took some doing, but I had to get away... within minutes of sitting on the other side with Mike, I was back to normal, laughing and joking again. </p> <p>This is the only experience I had all night to convince me that the house was haunted. </p> <p>Later in this room, we had another vigil. We split into small groups and held hands to build up energy. I was paired with Mike - we had created a good relationship through the night with friendly banter so I was cool with this. He attempted to goad the 'nasty man' to get him to make a noise etc. Although I heard no noises, I could see green, blue and red energy building up around Mike... whether this was my eyes trying to make sense of the dark or the anger building, I have no idea but I definitely felt intermittent breezes on my hands and the temperature fluctuated immensely. </p> <p>Although I wasn't present at the time, my father also did a crystal experiment here, requested a tap on the furniture and got one... go dad!</p> <p>All in all, a very quiet night but very enjoyable. I felt confident here and laughed and joked throughout the night. </p> <p>Looking for a Welsh holiday let? Check this out!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/10/04/llanthony-secunda-manor-house-paranormal-investigation-4821098/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-10-02:/2008/10/02/hovercraft-pirates-mixtape-4812447/wildliferescue2008-10-02T17:42:40+02:002008-10-02T17:42:40+02:00 <p>Hovercraft Pirates - Mixtape</p> <p>Let me set the scene... it was 3:30, I'd just worked a long, boring day in the office and all I wanted to do was get home before the traffic piled up. I was tired, unmotivated and hating the fact it was only Thursday. As the same old song came on the cd player in the car, I decided I had 2 options: drive home in silence or try that free promo disc from the radio station... aren't these things usually crap? Bands with contacts in high places trying to make a quick buck? Who the hell are Hovercraft Pirates anyway!!?? I decided I had nothing to lose and whacked the cd in the player. </p> <p>The first track started slowly.... as I drove down the road I resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be another mediocre dull band....</p> <p>Then the madness kicked in</p> <p>What the hell do you call this!? Punk? Experimental rock?? Who gives a damn, it's incredible!! Lead singer Paul Blue's shouting singing style (is there even a technical term for that??) inspires rebellion: hell, I was ready to take on the world by track 4!</p> <p>Each track has its own merits but the following stood out for me:</p> <p>Track 2 (Always Free): this song defies the laws of music - the rhythym is so bizarre I began to wonder if my cd player was jumping! Very clever, very catchy... loved it!</p> <p>Track 3 (Bar fights and deserts): This was my favourite song - can't tell you why but it was upbeat, catchy, mischievous.... I can't think of an adjective that comes close to capturing the soul of this song!</p> <p>Track 6 (Happy/Free): again, I can't explain why this particular track grabbed me but it stuck in my mind and I can't wait to play it again to remind myself why!</p> <p>Track 11 (Rock): Only heard the first few bars of this as I pulled onto the driveway. If I hadn't had 2 hungry dogs waiting for me to feed them, I would've sat and waited to hear the rest of this - can't wait for tomorrow when I can hear the rest of it and the craziness that track 12 will no doubt bring!</p> <p>All in all, an incredibly surprising album. The album cover gives nothing away, nor does the first minute or so of the first track (Rica). </p> <p>I am one very pleasantly surprised cookie and would highly recommend this album to pop, punk, experimental and general rock fans... it's heavy but light, playful but serious... it's a kaleidoscope of sounds sending the listener into a new, crazy rock world. I loved every single second of it!</p> <p>I was going to say that Hovercraft Pirates remind me of Billy Talent, a punk band I like very much... but Billy Talent ain't a patch on these guys!</p> <p>Go forth and buy this amazing album!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/10/02/hovercraft-pirates-mixtape-4812447/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-10-01:/2008/10/01/paranormal-investigation-3rd-october-4807479/wildliferescue2008-10-01T17:36:06+02:002008-10-01T17:36:06+02:00 <p>Hey guys</p> <p>Just a head's up that I've agreed to attend a last-minute paranormal investigation of a manor house in Caldicot, Gwent, south Wales. Apparently Sugar Magazine investigated and wouldn't stick around, people have reported poltergeist activity, puddles appearing on the floor and ghostly wailing. </p> <p>This is my first investigation with my best mate, Robin, who's a virgin hunter, so looking forward to his reactions as well as the new thoughts and feelings he'll bring. </p> <p>I'll upload my report on the weekend. </p> <p>All the best guys! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/paranormal-investigation-3rd-october-4807479/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-09-12:/2008/09/12/kingfisher-4719006/wildliferescue2008-09-12T17:39:59+02:002008-09-12T17:39:59+02:00 <p>Wow what a week! It started off really well when I had a conflict management course on Monday - may seem boring, but it was excellent! Really interesting and we did self-defence techniques, which is always useful to know in this line of work - you never know who's out there!</p> <p>I somehow managed to miss a call on the TWR phone during this time & gah! Due to issues with Orange's server, I couldn't get into my answermachine! Long story short, this was finally rectified on Thursday night.</p> <p>The answerphone message was from a local veterinary surgery! They'd had a kingfisher given to them (no details re what was wrong with it). Anyway, it seemed fine and they needed it to be taken for rehabilitation. My first thought was actually one of slight concern - kingfishers are so difficult in captivity because they usually won't eat for themselves. All the same, I rang them this morning and, as suspected, they'd found somebody else to take the kingfisher but thanked me for getting back to them. </p> <p>So TWR is growing! I have a VET who's contacting me now! How super cool is THAT! It makes me feel like a professional rather than an idealist - mucho happy! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/09/12/kingfisher-4719006/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-09-06:/2008/09/06/choosy-animal-lovers-4690171/wildliferescue2008-09-06T15:38:29+02:002008-09-06T15:38:29+02:00 <p>Ok, sorry guys, this is a bit of a vent & would appreciate if you respect me enough not to reproduce my comments on other blogs/websites... but...</p> <p>I met up with an old friend today who I haven't seen for some time and, because of that, he had no idea that I had established the service and was helping wildlife. We talked about it quite in-depth and the subject of 'vermin' came up. Now, this isn't a new one on me - I've had plenty of people pulling faces when I've talked about helping "dirty" pigeons or "disease-infested rodents" & the new one seems to be seagulls. </p> <p>This friend seemed to have a gripe about seagulls - he didn't like that there were so many in his seaside town of Aberystwyth, he didn't like that they tried to steal food from people, he didn't like that they were so noisy and because of the inconvenience they caused, he felt that they did not deserve rescuing and should be culled/left to die. </p> <p>It wasn't quite how I saw the day going, but this made me furious - a seagull, as well as other vermin species (pigeons, rats, rabbits) are sentient beings and, just like us, feel pain and have an instinct to survive. It infuriates me that if another species adapts successfully to human ways then they are seen as vermin and must be destroyed. These animals have just as much right as humans to live and breed and eat and nest where they want to. Ok, I understand that rats in the home isn't ideal and I understand the need to have them removed, but why kill them? Why not have them removed humanely</p> <p>Top and bottom - every animal deserves to live - why should humans have the monopoly on the world?</p> <p>This has led me to think about offering a humane pest control service (e.g. setting traps and taking the animal and releasing it elsewhere e.g. in a nature reserve) however, i'm not going to go into this with my eyes shut - i'm more than aware that this could unbalance eco-systems in other areas so I plan on researching this vastly before I advertise this service. I'm not a killer and I disagree with culling, even if it is to protect public health. </p> <p>Apologies if the content of this blog has offended, it is my personal view and I'm in no way suggesting others should feel the same. </p> <p>Watch this space guys </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/09/06/choosy-animal-lovers-4690171/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-09-05:/2008/09/05/rain-rain-and-more-rain-4687598/wildliferescue2008-09-05T21:12:06+02:002008-09-05T21:12:06+02:00 <p>Everybody enjoying the rain? I personally love this weather and, living in Pontypridd, I seem to be at the epicentre of the flooding right now - a neighbouring village, Treforest, flooded yesterday, the main road through Wales closed in several places today and there were 2 landslides in villages just outside Pontypridd (Cilfynydd & Trehafod). </p> <p>You may be wondering what this has got to do with anything. It's this kind of weather where you have to think of the wildlife. Ok, hedgehogs are likely to be doing okay with the copious supply of snails and slugs (yuck) but insects would seek shelter in this weather, leaving birds without food. Also, excess water could flood burrows and setts or even cause the surrounding earth to collapse. </p> <p>Please, please, please everybody keep your eyes open for suffering wildlife and give me a ring if you find anything that needs help - 07527 055 332. Although I only work in South Wales, I do have contacts across the UK.</p> <p>One last plea - if you can spare some food, that would be awesome - wild bird seed in a sheltered bird feeder, cat/dog food for mammals but no milk and no bread - these have no nutritional value to mammals and cow's milk can even kill due to the large amount of lactose</p> <p>Haven't really got an update on the ducks for you guys either - as much as I've searched, i still haven't been able to find a breed, although a fellow rescuer suggested it may be a gooseander due to the shape, so I'm trying to find different breeds. </p> <p>Thanks for reading xxx</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/09/05/rain-rain-and-more-rain-4687598/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-09-01:/2008/09/01/tale-of-the-sitting-duck-4665859/wildliferescue2008-09-01T11:04:22+02:002008-09-01T11:04:22+02:00 <p>First comment of the day - wow, what a weekend! The other half and I needed a break - overworked and underpaid doesn't come close. When we were invited to north Wales by my good friend Robin Pierce, we jumped at the chance! We rented a beautifully converted longhouse just outside Pwllheli for the weekend. It took us nearly 4 hours to get there, battling with holiday traffic, tractors and those who think the speed limit on any road, anywhere in the country is 30mph (grrr) </p> <p>Anyway, long story short, we had a fantastic time, despite sharing the longhouse with an army of spiders varying in size from little money spiders to great big godzilla ones, with hairy legs. Friday we spent at Pierce towers; we enjoyed a lovely BBQ in the garden overlooking beautiful fields, then we chilled inside drinking good wine, having lots of laughs. Saturday the other half and I went for a walk on Criccieth beach, skimming pebbles, rock jumping (don't ask), lobbing seaweed at each other - yep, we are childish, but it was serious fun. In the night, we celebrated Stevey baby's 17th birthday by going bowling (at which I sucked - no sarky comments, guys!) and then finishing it off at our longhouse with a nice meal and more wine and laughs.</p> <p>Sunday was a bit of a whirlwind - we had to be out of the longhouse by 10 so we were up early packing and cooking our remaining bits and pieces before leaving an amusing message in the guestbook and heading back down south (stopping at the Pierce's on the way to say our final farewells of the weekend)</p> <p>This is where the 'sitting duck' comes in: we were about halfway home, around the Caersws/Carno area, when I notice out of the corner of my eye a duck sat at the side of the road. It had primarily white feathers with black patches and what looked like blood around its bill. Long story short, I didn't recognise the breed characteristics and my first reaction was "it must've been hit by a car, maybe concussed, but it needs help". Whilst looking for a layby I scanned the surrounding area - nature reserve on one side, farm shop on the other - it could've come from either. 1/2 mile later I came across a layby so swung back around and parked up near the duck. It was quite big, as far as ducks go - when it stood up, it stood upright, like a runner duck. Soon, when it caught on that we were not going anywhere without it, it started waddling around. That's a good sign - at least it had no spinal injury. My other half tried to grab it as I got an animal carrier out of the boot - cue the Benny Hill music!! I was laughing so much (unprofessional, I know), but I'd never seen anything like it! My boyfriend bent over running after a duck at the side of the main road through Wales!! Ok, so perhaps it wasn't injured - perhaps the red was colouring on the bill and the feathers naturally black rather than as a result of a collision. Either way, it wasn't safe on the side of the A470!! I soon had to get back in the car and drive up the road as the pair ran further and further in the wrong direction but alas, just as he was finally close enough to grab it, it started flying, narrowly missing a 4x4!</p> <p>Ok, not the way i envisaged the rescue going, but it was a success - whereas I would've worried if I'd left it there, I now know that, if it was injured, it wasn't bad enough to stop it flying or walking. Plus, by forcing it to fly away, we got it away from the side of a busy road, thus lowering its chances of being hit. </p> <p>Bad points? I realised I need a net badly - trying to catch an animal that's still mobile is nay on impossible!!!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/09/01/tale-of-the-sitting-duck-4665859/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-08-21:/2008/08/21/paranormal-fundraiser-4618969/wildliferescue2008-08-21T17:46:22+02:002008-08-21T17:46:22+02:00 <p>Hey</p> <p>Just another blog to advertise the proposed paranormal fundraiser for The Wildlife Rescuer. </p> <p>Thinking of going somewhere central, like Dudley Castle, but open to ideas. </p> <p>If I get enough interest, happy to look into accommodation (usually there are discounts for group bookings). Not sure yet whether to turn this into a sponsored event or a set payment event - what do you think?</p> <p>Only have 3 other interested people currently so wondering where everybody's gone!! C'mon people - this is an amazing opportunity to have fun and experience new things!!</p> <p>Check my last blog for further information </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/08/21/paranormal-fundraiser-4618969/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-08-18:/2008/08/18/paranormal-event-fundraising-4604588/wildliferescue2008-08-18T16:05:11+02:002008-08-18T16:05:11+02:00 <p>Hi all</p> <p>The Wildlife Rescuer is about to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime....</p> <p>Ok, little exaggerated, but hopefully it'll be fun!</p> <p>After speaking to, and getting inspiration, from a friend of mine, I have just spoken to an organisation that specialise in paranormal experiences. My regular readers will know that in the past I have done a number of ghost hunts, all across the UK from Hellens Manor in the South West to Ilam Hall in the North. They have now decided to offer charities the opportunity to arrange special ghost hunts to raise sponsorship money and the best part is, they don't charge a penny!! I am WELL up for that idea!!</p> <p>So if anybody would seriously be interested in a night (prob 9pm-5am) of paranormal investigations - seances, psychic readings and much more, please can you email me with your:</p> <p>Name<br> Email Address<br> Telephone number<br> Suggested location (esp. useful if you have already had a successful hunt there)</p> <p>& I will be in contact as soon as I have further information. No clue about dates or location as yet, will try to make this as accessible to as many people as possible. </p> <p>My email address is <a href="mailto:thewildliferescuer@yahoo.co.uk">thewildliferescuer@yahoo.co.uk</a> </p> <p>I would hope to have a group of around 15 people - minimum age is 18 and participants should be in good physical fitness in case there are stairs etc. I won't make it sound better than it is - it'll be a long night in the cold and of course, activity cannot be guaranteed but I've never been disappointed. If you have patience, nerves of steel, want a taste of the paranormal and want to help a good cause get in touch!</p> <p>Cheers xxx </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/08/18/paranormal-event-fundraising-4604588/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-08-12:/2008/08/12/catch-up-blog-4578904/wildliferescue2008-08-12T19:48:37+02:002008-08-12T19:48:37+02:00 <p>Hey guys</p> <p>Apologies for the delay with blogging. I've not been feeling too great lately - I've been suffering from bad headaches so have been trying to stay away from the computer as much as I can. </p> <p>As you may recall, I started back at the wildlife centre on Saturday, taking with me my colleague and another colleague's daughter. I was put in charge of the Small Mammal Room and left to teach the other 2 what to do. The morning went by very quickly - the girl made me laugh by being scared of "hissing" hedgehogs. </p> <p>Whilst showing the pair around the centre, it finally sunk in how knowledgeable I am - I was able to answer all of their questions, throw in some general facts and generally keep them interested. The moment that made me smile was when I took the girl into the tame foxes' pen, where she got to stroke a vixen. Her face said it all. It was obviously a very special moment for her and I was so glad that I was able to make it happen for her. </p> <p>I found out that I passed my course & better still, that my coursework was one of the best of the whole class - that took me back a bit, being told I was good at what was my dream - I'm living my dream - I'm good at my dream - could life get any better?</p> <p>A lot happened that I haven't recounted, but believe me, all in all it was a great day. Highlight for me was seeing my first Kingfisher - a lot smaller than I expected but the most breathtaking neon blue colour... stunning!!</p> <p>Still nothing happening on the TWR front. I've approached a number of wildlife charities asking for a bit of promo on their links page but to no avail as yet - I don't know if my emails are being ignored or if people are away on summer break, but I'm trying my hardest not to get disheartened. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society have surprised me the most - they were so enthusiastic when i first emailed them, but since filling out their registration form and sending them a cheque for membership, I haven't heard a thing (nor has the cheque been cashed)which is worrying!! Watch this space! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/08/12/catch-up-blog-4578904/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-08-02:/2008/08/02/wildlife-rescuer-made-the-day-s-finally--4532289/wildliferescue2008-08-02T09:23:56+02:002008-08-02T14:38:33+02:00 <p>Woohoo the day I never thought would come is finally here!</p> <p>It's a wet, grey, Saturday morning - I'm tired from only barely managing 7 hours sleep but hey, I'm super happy!</p> <p>Last night... what a night! I finally got into town at 10:30, however by 11 my friends had made it clear their plans for the night were very different to mine, so I took my own unofficial launch party, by myself, to where I wanted to be & that was Fuel!!</p> <p>I just wanted to say a huuuge thank you to the guys who run Fuel (Rob & Duffy you guys are wicked!) It's not a big club by any means but it is definitely the best one in Cardiff. Even though I was by myself there was not a minute that I felt awkward or lonely - the music was great, the people were great (hot DJ, hot owner, hot people (including a dude who looked just like Slash! - you can't really go wrong!)) Highly recommended!</p> <p>So... 09:23am I'm trying to kinda plan my day - I'm up and ready to go which is a miracle after all that dancing - I need to distribute flyers, I need to buy the local rag so I can check contact details to approach them about running my story next week and I need to buy my laptop - that's pretty much the plan for today unless I get a call.</p> <p>I'll keep you posted x</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/08/02/wildlife-rescuer-made-the-day-s-finally--4532289/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-08-01:/2008/08/01/my-life-changes-tomorrow-4530264/wildliferescue2008-08-01T18:05:33+02:002008-08-01T18:05:33+02:00 <p>The day before the biggest commitment of my life... wow</p> <p>How do I feel?</p> <p>Nervous, skint, excited, happy, optimistic.... none of those come close but it's the best I can do hah!</p> <p>TWR kicks off officially tomorrow - the flyers get distributed, the mobile phone is switched on 24/7, my gear is never too far away, my partying is cut right down as is my wasteful spending. </p> <p>From tomorrow, I am The Wildlife Rescuer, not just your average 22 year old. From tomorrow, I will be available for any wild animal that needs my help. </p> <p>Ok, so I've worked with wild animals a lot, I've rescued one, attempted to rescue another and I've given educational advice to a number of people (family, colleagues, members of the public...) but not under the name of TWR... I can't wait for that - I'll be so proud!</p> <p>But tonight... tonight I party because it's the end of one chapter of my life and the beginning of another. I've got a lovely black dress to wear as my vests aren't quite ready yet - it's a bit more of an unofficial launch party but I'll be sure to talk the ear off anybody who asks haha!</p> <p>I should probably take this opportunity to thank everybody for their support - it's been a long journey - my first blog was back in October and the plan was already half created by then - it feels kinda surreal!</p> <p>Have a great night everyone! If you can join me in Cardiff I'd love your company (planning on ending up in Fuel (Pure club, Guildhall place)) - I won't be drinking though - need a clear head for tomorrow haha!</p> <p>All the best xxxxxxx</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/08/01/my-life-changes-tomorrow-4530264/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-07-31:/2008/07/31/money-money-money-4526005/wildliferescue2008-07-31T19:32:12+02:002008-07-31T19:32:12+02:00 <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":-/" class="middle" border="0">Wow... I've just done a bit of a price-up on the kit I need for TWR. The kit I possess currently is the bare minimum for small animal work (e.g. cages, transport boxes, nursing kit, mite treatment) but I don't have anything for the larger mammals and birds - fox, badger, deer, swan etc. So I looked on a supplier website to get some prices, and get this:</p> <p>Laptop (I add this because it'll be used to keep the website up-to-date and for me to do my degree): £499</p> <p>Aviary net (to catch birds and ducks): £15.60</p> <p>Catch net (for mammals and swans): £95</p> <p>Quick release grasper (for badgers and foxes): £64</p> <p>Fox trap: £165</p> <p>Transporter cage for large mammals: £63.82</p> <p>Wildlife gauntlets: £69</p> <p>Stretcher for RTA casualties: £64</p> <p>This is I believe just over £1000... wow.... I had put to bed any ideas of fundraising and was going to go it alone but I need that equipment and, if TWR takes off, I need it fast... thinking caps on people - how do you raise £1000 quickly?</p> <p>I'll be opening a TWR bank account next week so will put an online donation link on my website... hopefully that'll generate something</p> <p>Not cool being worried before the service kicks off!</p> <p>I can more than afford to care for the little critters but without the equipment, I'm failing the big ones... it's gonna be a slow process but I'll get there in the end </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/07/31/money-money-money-4526005/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-07-30:/2008/07/30/volunteer-of-the-month-july-4521097/wildliferescue2008-07-30T17:36:36+02:002008-07-30T17:36:36+02:00 <p>Woohoo</p> <p>Just a quick blog to let you guys know I've been awarded the Welsh Assembly Government's Staff Volunteer of the Month for my work with wildlife - go me!</p> <p>I've taken screen shots of the article that appeared on the WAG Intranet today & uploaded it into my Media section under the Press/Publicity file - feel free to have a nosey!</p> <p>All the best xx </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/07/30/volunteer-of-the-month-july-4521097/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-07-29:/2008/07/29/4-days-to-go-4516678/wildliferescue2008-07-29T18:04:38+02:002008-07-29T18:13:09+02:00 <p>Just 4 days to go until the kick-off of TWR!!</p> <p>Things are going great - I've got a number of cages bought in, just in case I need to rehabilitate anything here (a fledgling, for example, wouldn't be any hassle), I've got transporter boxes of various sizes in the boot of my truck and I've got a nursing kit, mite treatment and I'll be ordering a grasper tomorrow... just in case I get called to a fox or badger (which I ain't looking forward to!)</p> <p>I'm doing my best to spread wildlife awareness - I've got 3 colleagues coming with me to the wildlife centre over the next couple of months to try their hand at it, see if they can learn anything & I've got a local teenager also doing the same - she's gotta stay with me all day because of insurance stuff, so I'll be educating her on all things wildlife - how cool is that!</p> <p>Regular readers may recall me talking about "23", my first ever rescued blackbird in my previous blog... well the photo is in my photo album for you all to check out (it won't let me put a photo in the blog, sorry!)</p> <p>I've also added my advert into my profile pictures - feel free to spread the word (particularly if you live in Wales or surrounding areas!!!) Any free bulletin boards, your photo albums, a group email... anything! Get the word out there, people!!</p> <p>In other news... there's likely to be a change to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act soon - Defra are proposing to increase licence periods from 1 year to 2, and to omit the need for a welfare inspection (as this is covered under Animal Welfare Act 2006) - I'm sure there's much more to it than this, but that's all I've heard about - if I were to take in a Dangerous Wild Animal e.g. a wild boar or an adder, I'd need a licence to keep this animal to ensure it didn't pose a risk to the public, that its welfare needs were being met etc etc. </p> <p>Righty.. last but not least, Martin (Sloshed and Vexed) has shown me the errors of my way & I will never ever mention myspace here again... all blogs and photos will be posted here as well as there. </p> <p>Get in touch guys - love to hear from ya!</p> <p>All the best xxx </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/07/29/4-days-to-go-4516678/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-07-26:/2008/07/26/wildlife-rescuer-made-4501643/wildliferescue2008-07-26T13:38:02+02:002008-07-26T13:38:02+02:00 <p>Hey guys!</p> <p>Firstly, please accept my sincere apologies for not blogging here much anymore - I've generally kept them to Myspace as I can upload more photos etc etc. Anyway...</p> <p>The wildlife rescue service is going to be launched in just one week from today! I have a rather rubbish temporary website set up: <a href="http://www.wildliferescuer.webs.com">http://www.wildliferescuer.webs.com</a> and obviously there's my myspace: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wildliferescuer">http://www.myspace.com/wildliferescuer</a> - if you're signed up, add me to your friends list!</p> <p>I might've mentioned the name of the service in previous blogs: The Wildlife Rescuer - simple, to the point etc - perfect!</p> <p>I decided that the purpose of the service should change slightly also - I was hoping to rent a barn to set up a hospital but that's been unsuccessful to date so the purpose of the service now is to act as a go-between between animal and specialist i.e. to respond to a call-out and to take the animal to the most appropriate help. Smaller animals such as garden birds or hedgehogs, I'm able to care for here at my home but I'm afraid there's no way I could keep larger mammals, birds of prey etc here so they'd have to go straight to a wildlife sanctuary for rehabilitation. </p> <p>I've had 2 rescues to date (1 successful and 1 unsuccessful) - the first was a fledgling blackbird I came across in the middle of a busy main road. It was stumbling along (fortunately, between 2 traffic islands - how's that for lucky!) and it was cold and raining so I pulled up, dodged traffic, put it in an animal transporter box and took it to the nearest wildlife hospital (fortunately, I was on my way to the wildlife centre that was training me anyway so I was only 15 minutes away - that's one lucky bird!) I named it "23", as this was the number on its ring. I'm pleased to announce that, after a bit of recuperation, it made a full recovery and has since been released. A photo of 23 is featured on my Myspace site</p> <p>The second rescue was my first requested rescue. A lady called me after seeing a magpie injured on the side of the road. Her colleague had seen it in the morning on her way to work and she had then seen it at lunchtime when she returned from a meeting. I agreed to go check it out as she was too scared to touch it, but unfortunately, it was nowhere to be seen. I don't get disheartened by such things - even if the bird died, that's nature's way - it will become food for another animal. That's the food chain. I was very glad that this lady thought to contact me though, and it did give me more motivation to keep things moving.</p> <p>News, news... my story will be featuring in my staff newspaper next week - that'll be super cool! I'll be scanning a copy for my Myspace page!</p> <p>I'm a soon-to-be member of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society - have filled out all the necessary forms and will be sending off on Monday. That's a big thing because they'll advertise my details on their website and they have given me the biggest pack of hedgehog booklets that I can use or reproduce to help my cause - rock on!!!</p> <p>So in a nutshell, that's TWR to date - kick-off is next Saturday so watch this space! I promise I'll keep you updated as and when things start happening :-)</p> <p>All the best guys!!</p> <p>Sian x </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/07/26/wildlife-rescuer-made-4501643/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-06-04:/2008/06/04/my-first-rescue-4272423/wildliferescue2008-06-04T17:02:49+02:002008-06-04T17:02:49+02:00 <p>The Story of 23</p> <p>Well, I've done it! I've carried out my very first rescue! Ok, regular readers will know I responded to collect some ducklings but that was Vale work and it was with a colleague - this was completely unplanned. I was driving to Beckford on Monday night ready for wildlife training the following day. It was a long, busy road. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to a small dark object in the middle of the road. At first glance, it looked nothing more than rubbish blowing in the wind, but when I looked again it was a bird! It was staggering in the middle of the road, obviously experiencing difficulties. </p> <p>Well, I wasn't gonna leave it, was I?? Without thinking, I did a U-turn at the earliest opportunity and parked up in a bus layby. I rushed back to the bird; I could see it was no longer staggering but lying on its side. Panic! What if it had died? I was going to walk away but then the thought crossed my mind about cats and other animals venturing out into the road to feast on the carcass so I decided to go and collect the bird regardless and move it somewhere safer. As I approached, I noticed the bird was still alive! It was breathing heavily and lying on its side. As I leant down and cupped it in my hands, it made no effort to fly away. The poor thing was exhausted. </p> <p>It was about the size of my hand and was dark brown with a speckled breast - a Blackbird fledgling! I've mentioned in the past my love for blackbirds - they're lovely, docile birds & I'm honoured that it was this animal that was my first rescue. </p> <p>The bird was showing obvious signs of shock - it was cold, its beak was open and it was panting. I had to get moving quickly - after all, it must have been terrified first being surrounded by traffic, now being picked up by a human. I got back to the kerb where a pedestrian started talking to me. He too had seen the bird lying there. He tried to make conversation; I politely acknowledged him then put the bird in the towel-lined transporter box in my car. I placed it in the passenger footwell and put the heater on to 30C - sweltering!!! </p> <p>Fortunately, the wildlife hospital was only 10 minutes away. I left the bird in the Brooder Room whilst a volunteer went to grab the casualty manager. He assessed the bird and came to the same conclusion as me - it was a blackbird fledgling who had left the nest a bit too early and had exhausted itself. There were no other signs of abnormalities, so it was ringed (ring number 23, hence its name which will stay with me forever) and I took it to the Bird Room, putting it in a cage with 4 other similarly aged blackbirds.</p> <p>I checked on 23 the following day to make sure it had made it through the night and I'm very very pleased to say it did! Go me!</p> <p>That's pretty darn good stats - 100% success rate! Yay!</p> <p>In other news, I've now got a TWR phone and will be announcing the phone number very shortly - keep checking back!</p> <p>I'm rather worried about the new Avian Influenza outbreak in Oxfordshire but it's very early days - keep checking back for updates!</p> <p>All the best guys and gals!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/06/04/my-first-rescue-4272423/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-05-30:/2008/05/30/the-wildlife-rescuer-is-nearly-go-4246927/wildliferescue2008-05-30T13:38:54+02:002008-05-30T13:38:54+02:00 <p>I had a comment the other day asking where I was with my wildlife training</p> <p>Apologies for not keeping you guys up to speed; my blogs have been on myspace instead. Feel free to read them at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wildliferescuer">http://www.myspace.com/wildliferescuer</a> </p> <p>I copy an excerpt below:</p> <p>This is from week 5:</p> <p><em>Wow was it a day & a half! Ups and downs, highs and lows, easy bits, hard bits... it was mentally and physically draining. </p> <p>As soon as I reached the centre I was called in to assist in the assessment of a seagull that had been admitted. It had a dislocated wing and had been shot with a pellet gun - the decision was made to put the poor bird out of its misery and it was euthanased. Not the best way to start the day but at least it wasn't suffering anymore. </p> <p>Then my day got a whole lot worse... I was asked to work in the Bird Room... those of you who read last week's blog will know it went badly... very badly, in fact! I reluctantly walked through the door and started working, aiming primarily for my loyal, respectful, polite little blackbirds - they didn't let me down, they were easy to catch, easy to weigh, easy to grab again to put into a new, clean cage. Then there were the thrushes - similarly well-behaved. The canary was quick... too quick... but it didn't need weighing and some quick thinking resulted in opening the divide between its and the neighbouring clean cage so no catching necessary... then there were just the big boys left... the pigeons/doves.....</p> <p>Another man had been working in the room with me and fair play, he'd done most of the birds so I had very few to do! I decided to change my technique slightly, go at it with more confidence and control the wings once I had it out of the cage...... I am so happy to say it worked!! Yay!!!</p> <p>Confidence restored, I got through the rest of the day with remarkable ease!!!</p> <p>Later that day, a Tawny Owl was brought in after a road accident... love owls, could've watched it all day! A pheasant was also brought in after a road accident (bloody people!) - they are one type of bird that I love. It was feared that it had broken his back because it wasn't moving its legs so it was given anti-inflammatory medicine and has 24 hours to improve or they'll put it out of its misery... my fingers are crossed for you, sweety!!</p> <p>Highlight of the day... for me, this was releasing 4 collared doves. Everytime I've been there I've been helping patients recuperate or assessing patients that have just been brought in injured or sick... it felt so good to work at the other end too, with birds that had overcome their injuries/illness and were ready to return to the wild.... it was beautiful. Ok, the first one was kinda hit & miss - I didn't toss it high enough and, as it wasn't flying perfectly, it nearly hit the side of the aviary and then it went to land in the fox pen (but thought better of it luckily) but after that, it was the most amazing feeling... tossing them to the sky and watching them disappear in the sunlight... be free, little ones!!</p> <p>So that's it in a nutshell! A wonderful day; I learnt so much and I came away with the most fantastic sense of achievement!! I'm halfway through the course which is kinda frightening but it means that TWR is very near to being launched - how exciting!!<br> </em> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/05/30/the-wildlife-rescuer-is-nearly-go-4246927/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-04-03:/2008/04/03/wildlife-rescuer-training-starting-in-5--3991824/wildliferescue2008-04-03T18:48:22+02:002008-04-03T18:48:22+02:00 <p>Wildlife Training drawing nearer!<br> Woohoo it’s finally got to that stage when I can count the days until I start my wildlife training! Just 5 more days to go! I’ve got kit ready, I’ve booked a B&B - I’m fully organised for a change!!!</p> <p>The most amazing thing has come out of this - last week I put a message on the bulletin board in work offering that, if anybody would like to donate items to the rescue centre, i’d be happy to cart them up with me... & y’kno what... I’ve had a fantastic response rate! The Beast is currently full of dog beds, towels, sheets, dog food, cat food, rabbit food, feeding bowls, animal carriers, stationery... even a microwave & kettle - anything people could think of, they’ve been passing onto me free of charge. I’m gobsmacked by people’s generosity! It really has restored my faith in human kind... </p> <p>& of course there was all the support I was getting for the gig that never was - I can’t think those who got involved enough & hope they’ll be just as keen when it comes to reorganising later in the summer. </p> <p>So yeah, I’ll take this responsibility to thank everybody for their support and yay it’s finally getting to the stage where i can make a difference!</p> <p>Last I heard the centre has 4 fox cubs as well as baby squirrels, rabbit kits and of course the resident adult animals to care for... I can’t wait to get stuck in!!!</p> <p>Yay!!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/04/03/wildlife-rescuer-training-starting-in-5--3991824/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-03-27:/2008/03/27/sbts-autographs-on-bbc-wales-news-3952115/wildliferescue2008-03-27T19:02:20+01:002008-03-27T19:02:20+01:00 <p>What a week!! After having a very good show on Sunday in Newport Leisure Centre, organised by Fantasy Events, we started turning our attention to the Memorabilia Show, which takes place in the NEC, Birmingham this weekend (29-30 March). Then Wednesday evening the phone rang. Nothing strange there, we deal with many telephone queries from our customers. But it was none other than the producer of the BBC Wales News!!</p> <p>Long story short, following the court case in North Wales of the fraud who’s been selling fake Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard autographs, they wanted to interview a reputable business who could advise the public on how to avoid getting caught out! So, 10am this morning, Nick Palit arrived at the house and half an hour later, the deed was done!! How exciting!!!</p> <p>We are expected to be shown either tonight or tomorrow. </p> <p>So... if you don’t believe us when we say we’re genuine, maybe appearing on the BBC as a reputable business will persuade you (remember, they approached us!)!!</p> <p>SBTS Autographs... as seen on the BBC!</p> <p>Keep an eye out guys!!</p> <p>Hope to see you all at the Memorabilia show in NEC, Birmingham. Come along and say hey! We’re always happy to answer any queries or have a chat. </p> <p>Check out the website: <a href="http://www.sbtsautographs.com">http://www.sbtsautographs.com</a> </p> <p>All the best</p> <p>Sian</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/03/27/sbts-autographs-on-bbc-wales-news-3952115/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-02-24:/2008/02/24/the_dirty_looks~3775427/wildliferescue2008-02-24T22:30:47+01:002008-02-24T22:30:47+01:00 <p>Well, I must admit I was surprised at this one. </p> <p>The band, don't get me wrong, were excellent - flawless, in fact - I was even more impressed when I learnt that they were improvising due to their drummer leaving the band only a month previously. </p> <p>I went to the gig with 3 other mates expecting it to be quite busy but nope, if there were 30 people there it was as much which is kinda worrying - I need bands who have a set fan base who'll follow them... worried isn't the word!!</p> <p>When the end of the gig came, I was expecting all of the band to come and meet with me to discuss the set but it turned out only the bassist (drummer for this gig) Owen had the manners to stick to our plans and we discussed everything and he made me feel very comfortable about having them at the gig, he's offered his services as a sound tech so one venue may let me use it completely free *woohoo* - what were the other band members doing, you may ask...</p> <p>Chatting up the blonde groupies </p> <p>It's not sex, drugs and rock & roll in that order for nothing!! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/02/24/the_dirty_looks~3775427/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-02-22:/2008/02/22/simon_cowell_time~3765753/wildliferescue2008-02-22T17:52:33+01:002008-02-22T17:52:33+01:00 <p>I must admit that I am looking forward to tonight on a serious level. </p> <p>I still have a bad neck/left shoulder & I still have this recurring headache/sickness thing going on but this is the first time ever in my whole life that, instead of being the auditionee, I get to be the auditioner... so to speak...</p> <p>Tonight I'm going along to Barfly in Cardiff to listen to one of the bands I've got signed up for The Wildlife Rescuer 14+ gig "TWR Rocks". The band, The Dirty Looks (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/thedirtylooks"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thedirtylooks">http://www.myspace.com/thedirtylooks</a></a>) are an awesome Indie band from Cardiff who were one of the very first bands to offer their services. So I get to chill out, relax with a drink with my best mate, enjoy the music, then look super cool chatting to the band about the in's and out's of my gig after their set .</p> <p>If they're not good enough... well, I can't see that happening.... we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. </p> <p>Go me!! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/02/22/simon_cowell_time~3765753/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-02-21:/2008/02/21/my_hectic_day_aamp_random_moans~3762172/wildliferescue2008-02-21T21:39:29+01:002008-02-21T21:39:29+01:00 <p>I'm so bored! It's been a hectic day. I took Monday-Wednesday off to recover from the rush that was the Bluetongue outbreak last week & to take care of my puppy, Tehya, post-op (neuter). It was great - daytime tv, long walks over the common, staying in bed an extra hour... wasn't looking forward to today because I knew it was going to be busy. </p> <p>Busy is the understatement of the century</p> <p>I walked into the office at 9:15 this morning - I couldn't see my desk for the number of letters, files and telephone messages scattered everywhere - & I've got a pretty enormous desk!! I could feel my blood pressure rising before I even took my coat off. Then there were the 134 emails, most of which had "urgent" or "important" somewhere in the title... wow! </p> <p>By 10:30 I was only halfway through checking my emails; I hadn't even attempted to combat the files and paper post. Isn't it always the way when you've been working solid hard, the minute you stop to do something for you (like, in this instance, open a personal email - an important email about the wildlife rescuer gig, no less), your boss is right there looking over your shoulder... groovy... anyway, he asked me to compile a report with statistics re which local authorities were tail docking working dogs - which had the highest percentage, which month was the busiest, what breed is being docked the most... oh & best of all, I had an hour to do it in before he went to a meeting to discuss said figures... slightly raised blood pressure now resulted in pounding temples. </p> <p>Somehow, I managed it - go me! Even before I could revert back to my emails I was having pressure from aforementioned boss about analysing and reporting on the electric shock collar consultation (can I point out here that I am NOT a trained statitician, I'm not keen on numbers & putting information in every order imaginable doesn't thrill me!!) When there were around 130 responses, some more than 30 A4 pages long, I'm not rushing to start this!! Hell, I've not even semi-completed the Equine Code analysis and that consultation was less than half the size and it ended a month ago!! No, I'm not lazy, I don't procrastinate *much*, I've just got too many responsibilities!!</p> <p>Lunchtime came, I decided to down tools and grab a sandwich... much deserved!! I pick out my favourite, go to the till only to find they've hiked the prices up this week - inflation - & guess who didn't have enough money!! Yep, I had to borrow off my colleague - how embarrassing!! For the sake of 9p!</p> <p>The afternoon was spent going through my emails - some were painful, others were pointless. I found out that I have to spend 2 (yes, a dreaded overnight stay) days at an away day event thingy next month in Swansea & I had to email the organiser with my 'waterproof trousers' size - Medium; my dietary needs - none; and "an interesting fact about yourself that nobody knows about" - where do I start? I don't do sharing information with colleagues. I gave 3 or 4 examples (my partnership in SBTS Autographs, my love of rock music, my musical background & something quite exaggerated to make me sound cool). What on earth are they planning on making us do over a whole 2 days!?? I know one day will be field training with the Quack Pack (look them up, they're wicked!) but will the rest be, like, bonding and forward planning!!?? Neither are my favourite topics... </p> <p>Later this afternoon I was hounded by a union rep candidate trying to get my vote - I hope he got the gist of my "do you realise how desperate you're being" look. </p> <p>Anyway, I left work at 4:30 - I couldn't handle anymore. I had the "you need to know where you're going to be in 10 years time and start planning now" speech off my boss - 10 years!?!? 10 years ago I was in my first year of high school - I was naive, slimmer, I wasn't a misanthropist and I thought I was the cleverest little cookie on the planet (in reality, my primary school peers were as thick as proverbial poo); that seems a lifetime ago, I don't wanna even begin to think where I'm going to be a lifetime in the other direction!! I may be married, I may be a yummy mummy, I may be homeless, I may be famous... I just don't know & I don't like to plan!! I think the point of his speech was "we're paying for your wildlife rescuer training, we expect some kinda commitment back" but if he thinks I'm still gonna be on £20k in 10 years time, he's got another think coming - in 10 years, I'll be earning a lot more than him *that's the plan anyway*</p> <p>Since I've got home I've had slight cramp in both my legs - joy of being back in work, sitting down all day etc - not enough exercise - I hate this feeling, like you need to stretch out your muscles but whatever way you try just doesn't work... gonna jog around the block with Logan (older dog) later - it's too cold and late to take Tez (puppy) out. </p> <p>Oh & a valid point was raised about my gig... PLI (Public Liability Insurance)... hmm, hadn't thought of that one. Is that likely to be covered by the venue? Do I have to pay it? May be worth asking!!</p> <p>Oh & that's another thing - the sodding lift door closed on my wrist earlier! Bloody hurt an' all but no mark means I can't sue grrr... that money would've done loads for the service... </p> <p>Right I'm babbling, I'm going for that jog</p> <p>Adios folks!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/02/21/my_hectic_day_aamp_random_moans~3762172/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-02-17:/2008/02/17/stupid_weekend~3740598/wildliferescue2008-02-17T17:10:57+01:002008-02-17T17:10:57+01:00 <p>What a stupid weekend!!</p> <p>It started perfectly - I went to my fella's as per and, for only the second time since I met him, he'd gone to a huge effort for whatever reason - he was in a shirt & jeans, he'd made a huge dinner and he'd bought DVD's he KNEW I'd like (one had Christian Bale in therefore a definite winner). To say I was impressed was an understatement!</p> <p>As the night went on he got drunker and drunker. He'd polished off a whole 100cl bottle of vodka the night before on his own and it was obviously affecting his stamina tonight. By 9:30 I brought him a pint of water to rehydrate himself so he didn't damage anything. I put it on the table next to him & he kicked it all over me (he swears it was an accident but I'm not so sure). I storms upstairs, quite annoyed, to get changed, thinking he'd be right behind to apologise. Wrong. I hear him pouring himself another glass of vodka & juice. When he did finally come upstairs, I was over the anger and I laughed it off. </p> <p>10pm came and he could no longer speak, walk etc so we went to bed. I was quietly proud that I'd controlled the situation - hopefully he'd wake up bright & early with a small hangover and we could at least enjoy Sunday. </p> <p>I celebrated too soon. </p> <p>1am: he wakes me up by kicking and punching. I thought he was throwing a drunken strop but when I tried shouting at him he didn't respond and soon started snoring - he was still sleeping. Soon after he tries to get outta bed so he could relieve himself, have a smoke etc. As I mentioned earlier, he couldn't walk so he fell over straightaway. His room is full of junk so I can only imagine what he fell onto - glasses, bin, video/DVD cases... he finally managed to get himself back up and tried to walk again, only to fall over again this time onto his weight machine. Obviously, I helped him - he was in no position to attempt the stairs on his own. & yep, he did fall - fortunately on his bum all the way down without dragging me with him. Once again I tried to get some water down him but again most of it ended up on the floor as he couldn't grip the glass properly. </p> <p>I finally got him back to bed and he slept through until 4-5am when he started being sick... this happened a good 3 or 4 times during the next few hours. </p> <p>10am... I was still wide awake and he was waking slightly, in a great deal of pain and very hungover. I left him in bed and went downstairs to watch tv. We were expected at his mum's at 1pm so 12pm I woke him up, to which he asked to be called again in half an hour.<br> This carried on until 12:50 when he finally got up, showered and got ready - we were 20 minutes late. </p> <p>His mum is a very sweet lady who I have a lot of time for; today she gave me a gift. </p> <p>A bottle of heavy duty anti-wrinkle cream</p> <p>Not quite sure how to take that... lol...</p> <p>I received a text from mum on the way home asking me to get a birthday card for my aunty on her behalf. I bought the best of a bad lot, gave it to mum who responded with the classic "oh right... thank you"</p> <p>GRRRRRR</p> <p>So I'm meant to be going back to Damian's tonight after he's had some more sleep but right now I'm more than happy with my own sober company. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/02/17/stupid_weekend~3740598/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:wildliferescue.blog.co.uk,2008-02-12:/2008/02/12/happy~3718746/wildliferescue2008-02-12T21:35:03+01:002008-02-12T21:35:03+01:00 <p>                                                             <img src="http://data3.blog.de/media/726/2060726_d1a145c6cb_s.jpg" alt="The fella" hspace="5" vspace="5"></p> <p>He's done it again... my gorgeous boyfriend Damian has managed to do it again... he's turned my foul mood into utter happiness - how does he do it! I texted him almost in tears telling him I was so angry and unhappy and he rings me, we chat lightheartedly for a while & then he goes<br>"Um.. odd request.. I'm doing a cross-dress sponsored walk Thursday... can I borrow some of your clothes?"<br>Instantly I burst out laughing - the thought of my muscley, macho dude in a skirt and pretty top walking around Wales... I can't get the image out of my head and it's making me laugh so much... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://wildliferescue.blog.co.uk/2008/02/12/happy~3718746/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>