Hot weather causing problems for our wildlife

I'm pleased to say Chris is recovering from his 100km race and back into the wing of things again, giving me a much needed break from the out of hours on call.
The Cormorant from NewhavenThe Cormorant from Newhaven
The Cormorant from Newhaven

This heat is really starting to cause problems for some of our wildlife at the moment. We are getting hedgehogs coming into care dehydrated and hot after their hedgehog houses are getting too hot or youngsters are coming out of their nests because they are too hot during the day. Their nests which are normally cool enough are just not coping in the intense and prolonged heat. Its not just the hedgehogs either but birds too. The quality of food available at the moment in the wild is not brilliant either. Putting out fresh frust like blackberries, strawberries, raspberries as well as apples are good for wildlife too as they are loaded with vitamins and contain plenty of moisture too. Please avoid putting out large quantities of dried food especially mealworms.

We don’t generally cover Brighton. We do if we have the resources available to and no one else more local is available. On Monday night we were called to a young gull which had to be rescued from a few feet up a chimney above a fireplace. The gull had possibly been stuck for three days. After a bit of a struggle the gull was freed. He is very under weight as a result and in now recovering at our hospital.

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A young gannet has been rescued from Newhaven Port. Found on the arm of the east harbour wall. He is underweight and covered in lice and also dehydrated. Our care team has been tube feeding him and trying to rehydrate him. Once stable he will be transferred to RSPCA Mallydams Wood near Hastings. Whilse on way to this Gannet rescuers went to the wrong side of the port. Lucky they did as sitting on the beach was a Cormorant, most likely the one which was spotted at Peacehaven and reported the previous night. The poor bird was covered in fishing line with a hook in its foot and one in its throat. There is a very guarded prognosis.

We have had another incident of plastic at Princes Park Eastbourne causing problems for wildlife. Rescuers attended a possible pollution incident came across a large swan with plastic wrapped around it's wing. Rescuers Tony and Karen secured the swan and our Care Team removed the plastic and he was taken back and released home.

We had a Canada goose that had to be rescued after it caught its leg on an island on the pond in Gleneagles Drive Hailsham. It was swiftly rescued and rescuers Andrew and Charlotte transported it to the swan sanctuary.

Our phones have been exceptionally busy and sadly we have not been able to help everyone and return every call. We received more than 27 calls alone between 6am and 9am on Friday morning and struggled to prioritise the calls. There were nearly 30 new admissions in that 24 hours and it has been difficult keeping on top of everything.

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One of the calls was to a hedgehog in Stone Cross that had its leg caught in wooden fence. Vets at Henley House in Uckfield examined the hog and found a nasty break. He was put on strong pain relief and booked in for an amputation. Henley House also kindly sutured a woodpigeon back together for us with a nasty crop tear.

Rescuers Ellie and Victoria had a busy day involving freeing a gull chick from reeds upstream from Princes Park, a mouse in Heathfield, a hedgehog in Burgess Hill, plenty more young gulls across the county and a garden bird or two.

Late night calls have included a hedgehog that had fallen into a pond in Boreham Street. The hog had possibly been stuck a while so was admitted for observation.

Rescuer Stacey attended a mum and four hoglets that were disturbed in Eastbourne. Sadly there was nowhere safe to leave them so they have been kept together and admitted.