Stress is an issue taken very seriously by WRAS
I am in little doubt that Mr Keightley in last week's Herald was refering to the work of WRAS with his comments about the stress of animal rescue.
I would be interested to find out how many animals he has actually attempted to rescue and transport.
We have actually had more than 80 per cent success rate with the rescue and transportation of injured deer which we decide to treat, and even higher for most other wildlife. It's about a 70 per cent release rate too for deer. Very few deer casualties actually die in transit and I am not aware of any having died of stress. So I would like to see the study and documented figures Mr Keightley has to back up his misguided and libellous comments about animal rescue.
Stress has been used as an excuse for a long time by people who can't be bothered to help wildlife, but it is an issue we take seriously. It is the reason we set up our casualty care facilities at Horsebridge to move casualties out of the noisy vet's practice into a quieter environment which is more stress-free, plus prey and predator can be kept in different rooms too.
No casualty is transported unless fit for travel, however most road casualties are in shock or concussed and can sometimes be transported with less stress as they are mentally blinded by the trauma of the
inccident, you can normally tell by the animal's behaviour. It is actually harder and more stressful to transport a casualty which is fit and well.
He is right that most road casualty deer do not survive and he is also right that the best option for killing a deer on the road side is normally for them to be shot. It may not look nice but if done correctly by an experienced professional it is less stressful than having to catch a deer and have a vet inject it. WRAS works with
several vets and deer stalkers who WRAS knows will as humanely as possible destroy a deer on the road side if we cannot do
anything to save it.
I have respect for pest control companies which work with consideration for wildlife and do not kill for the sake of killing or just to make money. Killing is sometimes the easiest option but not necessarily the best option for the animal. We rescue animals because we care about them and we would not want to cause any unnecessary suffering to any animal. We never stop learning and evaluating what we do and how it affects the casualties we deal with. We are currently working with St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire to evaluate the way in which we deal with deer and other
animals to ensure we are doing so as humanely as possible.
Trevor Weeks, Rescue Co-ordinator & Founder of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service, Hailsham.
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