TREVOR WEEKS: Glad tears as fox cub makes difficult but successful recovery

Rescuers were called just after 11pm after she was knocked down by a car. When rescuers arrived mum was dragging the lifeless body away. The cub was quickly picked up and taken back to WRAS’s veterinary hospital.

On admission our care team and vets gave emergency treatment, fluid, medication and placed her in our intensive care unit and went home with everything crossed.

The following day she was still alive but very concussed. She was monitored closely all day until sadly she took a massive turn for the worse that afternoon and began having seizures.

Our vet was contacted and she was sedated. Our vets were concerned that once sedation wore off she would start again so our care team set up a bed at the hospital and watched her all night.

The next day she remained sedated, giving her brain time to heal. By the afternoon, she was eating and moved into a bigger cage. The following day medication was stopped and she gradually perked up and was moved into a pen.

Everything was going well until Wednesday when during a ward round another seizure and more sedation. The care team had a difficult time. A lot of work had gone in to her. She was given a week to see if she would improve. CCTV was in place and our team watched her.

By Sunday she was back to how a cub should be, bitey and a pain! Sunday night rescuers took her home. As they arrived a shadow of a fox was spotted and soon realised it was mum.

Her carrier door was opened quickly and with a little nudge in the right direction, she ran off and reunited with mum and they disappeared together.

There were tears! Well done everyone involved especially Chris for all the hours of care and attention which made this all possible.

Our phone lines are exceptionally busy at this time of year and we are admitting up to 50 casualties a day. Whilst answering one call we can find we have five more answerphone messages to call back. Please be patient and leave a message on the answerphone and we will get back to as many people as we can as quickly as we can.

We are limited on what we can take in due being so busy but as we free spaces we can take more in, but it does mean every few days the situation changes.

Common advice on fledglings, gull chicks and young mammals are available from our website www.wildlifeambulance.org.

WRAS has dealt with a dog attacked badger in Bexhill. One of WRAS’s volunteers who lives next to where the incident occurred called WRAS’s rescue line and then helped rush the badger into the local vets, due to how busy they were they were not able to help so rescuer Katie attended as quickly as she could and then delivered the badger to WRAS’s casualty centre.

I met Katie and examined the badger which had a number of puncture wounds around its neck and body. It was given emergency medication and cleaned up and seen by our vet in the morning.

Unfortunately due to an old jaw injury the badger was underweight. As a result of this jaw injury the badger had to be put to sleep and not because of the dog attack wounds. It is likely the badger was caught by the dog due to its ill state and general weakness. A very sad outcome.

A young deer has been transported to deer experts Chris and Sylvia on Ashdown Forest after being found in a field in Buxted.

Mum had only recently given birth when essential work scared mum off. The callers tried to reunite the baby with mum and monitored to the point where further assistance was needed.

Rescuers attended on site and assessed the youngster whose gums were very pale and clearly becoming dehydrated. They called Chris and Sylvia and the youngster was immediately transported to them.

The Jevington Village Fete takes place on Saturday and the organisers will be donating 10 per cent of the profit to our charity this summer.

So please support them and come along on Saturday June 16 down near the church. The following weekend, Saturday June 23, is the East Dean Village Fete which WRAS will be present at too.

Every summer we find ourselves very busy and need extra volunteers to help in the orphan room and helping with feed and clean shifts.

If you are able to help and commit to volunteering once a week please check out the volunteering section on our website at http://wildlifeambulance.org/ for more information.