TREVOR WEEKS: Two grass snakes found entangled in netting

Unfortunately they were both entangled in green garden netting.

The finders had cut around the snakes and placed them into bins to keep them contained but needed our help to remove the tightly attached netting.

Once on site I checked them over and found the line was going through the mouth of one snake and quite tightly entangled on the other.

I decided to bring the snakes back to our casualty centre where casualty manager Katie gave me a hand with them.

Using a hooked scalpel I was able to slowly cut away at the strands of plastic netting wrapped round the snakes.

The one with the netting in its mouth was a bit more tricky and it was not easy trying to get the snake to open its mouth for us.

Eventually they were both disentangled.

Both snakes were given medication and placed in special tanks to hold them where we could monitor their injuries for a couple of days before getting them out for release.

We have some limited edition 1,000 piece jigsaws available to buy.

They are available to buy from our charity shop at 192 Terminus Road, Eastbourne, as well as our casualty centre at Whitesmith.

They are just £15 each to help us care for yet more wildlife this exceptionally busy summer.

There are three designs - a squirrel, a gull and a deer.

We have had several calls this week about swans out at sea.

Although people are used to seeing them on park ponds and rivers, its not often people get to see them out at sea, so when they do they questions whether this is normal.

Luckily, this is perfectly alright for them and nothing to worry about.

I’ve just come to the end of two weeks on-call with the rescue line at nights.

Its been really hard work and only twice have I returned home before 1am.

A big thank you to our evening rescuers and to Katie, Chris and Kathy for their hard work helping to admit casualties, and especially for the long hours they are working.

They regularly reach 110 hours a week at the moment.

We do have a few vacancies for our feed and clean shifts if anyone is interested in joining our amazing volunteers.

Just check out our website http://wildlifeambulance.org/how-you-can-help/volunteering/ for more information and e-mail [email protected]

I rushed down to our casualty centre to meet one of our volunteers whose son had found a road casualty fox near Pevensey level crossing.

The fox was one of this year’s youngsters and very concussed.

In our first aid room I checked over the fox and noticed quite a bit of blood in its mouth, but this seemed to be coming from a couple of broken teeth.

There was a wound under the chin as well as a wound on one of the rear legs.

Fluids and emergency medication were given and the fox gently warmed up.

We wrapped him up and bedded him down for the night.

I didn’t like the look of his condition so I stayed at the centre for another hour or so to keep an eye on him.

Eventually once the medication kicked in he seemed more comfortable, so I left him for the night but wasn’t sure whether he would still be alive in the morning.

To my amazement he was up and standing and looking round by morning.

We sent the fox for an x-ray under sedation at Henley House Vets and as we had suspected the fox had a fractured jaw.

Luckily for the fox the fracture was stable and in place.

So the poor creature is now on a liquid diet to keep pressure off the jaw.

So next week we will redo the x-ray and see how well it is healing.

The fox has its young age on its side so we hope he will make a good recovery.

Thank you again to the everyone at Uckfield Fire Station for helping to rescue yet another pigeon entangled in netting in the High Street.

Also thank you to New Priory Vets Brighton for taking on a road casualty duck found outside Paradise Park last week, too.