Wildlife Rescues – Pigeons, Magpies, Crows, Hedgehogs and a Cockeral

It’s been a busy week at the Sanctuary with Wildlife Rescues. Pet Samaritans have been out in force responding to injured wildlife around Derbyshire. Thanks to everyone who called in.

A plucky Pigeon was brought in with some nasty injuries. We’ve cleaned them up and fingers crossed they will heal over time so he can go back into the wild.

A little crow came in and soon started to feel better. He made friends with Kate (our resident bird whisperer) and jumped up on her shoulder for a photo. What a funny little chap.

Hedgehog hospital is busy as ever. One hog was feeling very sorry for himself. A quick examination revealed a large amount of ticks. We always recommend gloves when handling hedgehogs as ticks are nasty things and a bite from one could lead to serious problems like Lyme disease. Ticks should never just be pulled off as it can leave the head attached to the body of the animal. A tick removal tool is the best option and a skilled hand.

Can you see the little tick embedded between the spines.

Success. One less tick.

Feeling a lot better without all those ticks.

A magpie was brought in and our first thought was hide any valuables.

They are very intelligent creatues and this one is no exception. We needn’t have worried though. A new study by the University of Exeter has shown magpies are not attracted to shiny objects, undermining the age old belief of centuries of folklore. Researchers placed shiny objects such as tin foil, metal screws and foil rings and non-shiny painted items around areas where the birds fed and monitored their reactions. Dr Toni Shepherd, who led the research, said: “We did not find evidence of an unconditional attraction to shiny objects in magpies. The birds either ignored or avoided both shiny and blue objects, often exhibiting nervous behaviour and feeding less in the presence of the items. So there you have it. Magpies are not thieves after all! We hope to be able to release him soon.

A giant and lovable Rhode Island Red Cockeral has joined the ranks. We’ve decided to call him Pavarotti due to his fantastic cock-a-doodle. The Rhode Island Red is possibly the best-known chicken breed in the world today. They were developed in the US state of Rhode Island in the 1890s. Crossing a large variety of other breeds including the Buff Cochin, Black Red Malay, Hamburgh and Rose combed Leghorns together created the Rhode Island Red. When crossed with a Light Sussex they form the basis of most of our present day hybrids and allow easy sexing of chicks.

Pavarotti is a giant and very tame. You can pick him up and give him a cuddle. We think he might be a bit lonely though as he keeps trying to round the ducks up and take them out to scratch for worms. Perhaps you have some ladies that might enjoy his company? Give us a call as we would love to find him a great home.

Finally in our wildlife roundup for the week, Lucio the Peacock has started to spread his feathers. He has settled down really well with us and made friends with all the animals around the sanctuary.