Happy Christmas to all our supporters

I would like to wish all our supporters and readers a very Happy Christmas, and I hope that 2009 will be a prosperous year for you all and for Vale Wildlife.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us to continue our work for almost 25 years - without public support we would not be here today.

A huge than you also to the staff and all our volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past year looking after all the casualties that have come through our doors, raising vital funds to keep us going, helping in our charity shop and spreading the word about our work.

Have a great time and please help us to make 2009, our 25th anniversary year, the most successful yet.

Sad muntjac story

Today we had a very young muntjac deer brought in, we estimate only about 3 weeks old. He had been caught by a dog. He had probably been left, hidden away by his mum while she went off to feed. Unfortunately the dog discovered him and he sustained a bite to his side causing some ribs to be fractured.

Deer of any age are very difficult to deal with as they are so susceptible to stress when in close contact with people. This little one was in deep shock when he arrived and obviously had breathing problems due to his injuries.

He was given pain relief and steroids and was put in a heated, oxygenated incubator in a quiet room. Sadly he died a couple of hours later.

We still have lots of underweight hedgehogs coming in and we are looking after over 100, despite the fact that some people have been taking them to look after until they reach the important 600 gram mark needed to survive the winter.

We hope you all have a great Christmas - please spare a thought for our staff who will be working throughout the Christmas and New Year period in the Hospital, caring for the 170 casualties in our care at the moment, plus any others that arrive over this time.

The end of a difficult year.

As we come to the end of 2008, with a hospital full of hedgehogs, we can reflect on what has been a difficult and challenging year for Vale Wildlife in several ways.

Our biggest challenge, and the one which causes us most concern is the current financial crisis facing all of us. Obviously, the global credit crunch is having a massive affect on all charities but I do believe that the smaller charities are going to suffer more than many of the larger ones.

In the scheme of things we are a tiny charity and we live on the edge financially all the time so when times are harder for our supporters, the very people who keep the hospital going from day to day, we understandably receive less in the way of donations.

With only about 4 months running costs in the bank at any one time, things will go downhill very fast without continued public support.

Please remember sick and injured wildlife this Christmas and help Vale Wildlife to get through these difficult times.

In June 2009 we hope to be celebrating our 25th Anniversary - it would be very sad if we were unable to reach this important milestone.