HOSPITAL/INJURED WILDLIFE

VETS WHO WORK WITH SECRET WORLD

We believe that every living creature deserves to be given the best possible chance of survival. There are lots of considerations when dealing with injured wildlife, stress and long term viability being the main factors, but if veterinary attention will make the difference, then treatment is given, regardless of the expense.

Here at Secret World, we are very lucky to work with vets that not only take an interest in dealing with all manner of wild creatures that we ask them to look at for us, but also, we rely very heavily on their generosity. Quantock veterinary hospital charge us only for drugs and x-rays, not for their very valuable time.

The expertise of the vets we work with results in a high standard of care for the animals we rehabilitate that we are very proud of.
There are so many moving stories that we could tell you about to illustrate this, but we don't have the space for them all! Instead, the most recent examples are real representations of everyday cases handled by our vets.

Many badgers are injured on the roads each year, particularly in the spring. Badgers use territorial paths which have now been used for new road systems resulting in more and more badgers being killed on the roads.

More and more hedgehogs are being injured by garden tools in particular strimmers

'Rainbow the Badger Cub'

She was just 8 weeks old when she arrived at Secret World after being found by the side of the road. Too young to cope on her own, she should have still been suckling from her mum, we had to assume that this severely under weight little cub was an orphan. After carefully checking Rainbow over, we realised that she had a problem with her hind leg… we took her straight to the vets where she was anaesthetised and an x-ray revealed the leg was broken. She had to cope with an external fixator (a pin holding the internal pin in place) for 6 weeks until the break healed. To avoid her chewing the wound she had to wear an Elizabethan collar. She coped very well with her ordeal, and has now made a full recovery. Rainbow was recently released back to the wild.

'Hawthorn the Hedgehog'

Hawthorn the hedgehog suffered severe wounds when he was involved in an accident with a garden strimmer. Luckily, our vets were able to clean and stitch his wounds in time to save the little hedgehog from permanent damage. The nature of the wounds were such that Hawthorn would've been in considerable pain, so he needed to be kept topped up with pain killers so that he did not go into shock whilst in our care. His wounds are now healing nicely, but he is missing lots of spines and will need to stay with us a while longer to ensure his complete recovery before being returned to the wild.

'Ouch! The Barn Owl'

He came to Secret World after being found by the road side by a farmers wife. His left leg was broken and we feared the worst for him. After a thorough examination and X-ray, Liz Mullineaux, one of the partners of the practice, decided that an operation to pin the broken bone was feasible and she went ahead with the complex procedure. Ouch! quickly recovered from the anaesthetic and began eating well. The pin needed to be in place for 4 weeks, so, back at Secret World, he was confined to a small hospital cage until we were satisfied that his leg was well on the way to recovery. After 3 weeks, Ouch! was moved into an aviary so that he could exercise his wings (this is very important to avoid muscle wastage) The pin has now been removed from his leg and all of his reflexes are working well. Ouch! has been given a clean bill of health and is ready to return to the wild.

'Did you know…
Almost a third of the entire population of Barn Owls in the UK die as a result of a road traffic accident. Barn Owls can also suffer from secondary poisoning through consuming poisoned rats and mice.'

'Penny the Pipistrelle Bat'

She is one of many casualties with injuries caused by domestic cats She like many other bats, was rescued from the jaws of a family pet by a distraught member of the public and rushed to Secret World for emergency care.

Penny was given a course of antibiotics to combat infection and is being cared for in the hospital, giving her wing a chance to heal. She will have to learn to fly again
if she is to stand any chance of survival in the wild.

'Hector the hedgehog'

He was attacked by a dog, but luckily, a passer by rescued him and brought him to Secret World in December. He was in shock and very underweight for the time of year, so spent Christmas with us, and about 20 other rescued hedgehogs, being fattened up! He is now big enough to be able to hibernate and will be returned to the countryside in the next few days.

Our first priority is always the animal's health and well being. There is no way we would turn away an animal and refuse to help in any way.

If you come across any injured wildlife PLEASE ensure you follow the procedures below: seek professional advice as soon as possible i.e.. Wildlife unit or your local veterinary surgeons.

If you take the animal home please keep it in a WARM, DARK AND QUIET PLACE. OFFER ONLY WATER – no other fluids.

New Road, East Huntspill, Highbridge, Somerset TA9 3PZ, UK
Tel. : (44) (01278) 783250, Fax : (44) (01278) 793109
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Website by Dae Sasitorn, lastrefuge.co.uk
and Angie Barber, The Secret World Wildlife Rescue