No updates for a couple of weeks

This will be the last post for a couple of weeks but I will be back then to update everyone on what has been going on at Vale.

Things will start to get busier in a few weeks and I am hoping to be able to update the site at least a couple of times a week.

Please carry our number with you when you are out and about (01386 882288) - you never know when you will need us, even just to ask our advice.

Don't forget to spread the word about our 25th Anniversary Open Day on Sunday 7th June!!

And make sure you find us on Facebook and join the growing membership on there.

Back in a couple of weeks.

2009 so far...

We have now taken in over 70 casualties this year, which is a considerable number for the winter months, which is our quietest time of the year.

We have treated several foxes, mostly as a result of road accidents. We have also dealt with a few deer, again after collisions with cars.

A sparrowhawk was brought in after colliding with a window, suffering from concussion. After treatment and a couple of days recuperation, she was released back where she was found.

More underweight hedgehogs have been brought in and these are now tucking into regular supplies of cat and dog food, putting on weight, and will be released when the weather improves.

We are also busy organising our 25th Anniversary Open Day, to be held on Sunday 07 June 2009. It's hard to believe that it was so many years ago that I took in that very first tawny owl, the beginnings of Vale Wildlife.

Please tell all your friends about the Open Day and help us to make it a day to remember!

If you haven't already joined us on our Facebook page, please support us today and join by clicking on the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=38936858194

Busy start & worrying future....

We have already dealt with quite a few mammals and birds in 2009 so it looks like being a busy year, particularly if we get the good summer (at last) which is being forecast.

Vale's name also seems to be reaching further afield as we are getting an ever-increasing number of calls from people all over the country as well as from vets and other rescue centres and wildlife hospitals seeking advice.

We have had quite a big mention in writer Hugh Warwick's new book 'A Prickly Affair, My Life With Hedgehogs' and have already received calls for advice from people who have read about us in it.

We are always happy to help whenever we can.

My biggest worry at the present time is the credit crunch. Although the takings in our local charity shop are up by about 20% as people are tending to buy more second-hand clothes and other goods, financial donations made to Vale have gone down quite considerably and if the current trend continues it will not take very long for us to start struggling. Although we are grateful to everyone who continues to support us financially, including the anonymous donor who has now sent us 3 donations totalling £720 (thank-you, whoever you are!!), we need all of you to remember our wildlife through these difficult times.

Casualty No. 1 of 2009

The very first casualty of 2009 was a fox, brought in by the RSPCA after it was found tangled in netting.

Wildlife often gets itself into trouble around netting of all kinds, garden netting, football and tennis nets, netting covering ponds, they all make good traps for unsuspecting animals going about their business.

It is a good idea to try to make sure nets are kept away from where they can cause problems - games nets should be taken down or tied up out of the way when not in use and other types should be regularly checked to make sure nothing is trapped in them.

This fox was lucky and lives to see at least a bit more of this New Year. He was carefully untangled from the net at the Hospital and as there were no injuries, he was taken straight back to where he came from and released back into the wild.