Woodlands Animal Sanctuary – Hedgehogathon

Woodlands –  Hedgehogathon

If you are a follower of Woodlands Animal Sanctuary on social media you will be aware of the large amounts of animals they have taken in over the last few weeks, not least our prickly hedgehog friends.  Woodlands have broken their own records for the number of hogs taken in during one day, with many posts (on social media) beginning with statements such as: “well today has been a tough one” and “this week has been the busiest of the year so far”.  Working under these pressures can, as you can imagine be very tiring – both emotionally and physically.  Woodlands are extremely grateful for the guidance and support they receive from their vets, Rufford Veterinary Group, who they work very closely with.  The team from the sanctuary are a regular sight at the surgery where the vets provide vital and often lifesaving care for domestic and wild animals.  This can be anything from baby hedgehogs who aren’t even old enough to have proper spines, to old cats, looking to live out their final days in comfort, to young cats who haven’t yet grown up themselves, trying to look after their litter of babies in any ‘safe’ place they can.  The most recent of these cases was a mum and her kittens found under decking in someone’s garden!  When we are settling back to put our feet up and watch our favourite tv programme, often the team are still working, whether that is doing night checks to make sure they animals are set up for the night, or taking some newcomers home with them to provide further round the clock care to give them the best hope of life.

Vickie Maude, one of the founding trustees at Woodlands described last week as “completely bonkers” after admitting 16 hedgehogs, eight kittens, two mother cats, an abandoned abused cat and a rabbit! Weeks like this cost the charity in the region of an extra £1000 which means their fundraising needs to keep pace with this to ensure they can keep up this wonderful work.

The latest prickly guest at Woodlands was a young hedgehog rushed in by a member of the public after they discovered it tangled up in football netting. The finders had managed to get most of the netting off however there was a piece that was wrapped tightly around the poor hog’s neck and foot. Thankfully (after being spiked a number of times!) Woodlands staff were able to free the hog and he will now be monitored closely to ensure he recovers fully.  Sam from the charity reminds us “to put any sports netting away after use to prevent wildlife from getting hurt, many hedgehogs are not as lucky as this little one was! Netting used in gardens can also pose a risk, so be sure to tidy it away when it isn’t being used, and if you can, leave a CD case sized gap underneath so that hedgehogs can pass safely underneath when it is in use. This way you can be sure that you are doing your bit to protect our wild spikey friends!”

If you would like to find out more about Woodlands Animal Sanctuary please visit their website: www.animalsanctuary.org.uk