MAY 2011.
SONNY.4th May. St.Austell.
We received a call regarding a 'pet'fox which had been passed around as it
was "smelly,tried to bite and cried loudly for its mother"! We hurriedly
arranged to meet at Lanner with the present 'owner'and collected the fox.
Sonny was a male cub of approx.5-6weeks of age,luckily still young enough
to have a good chance of reverting to wild behaviour if cared for in the
appropiate manner.The little chap was very itchy and his coat looked a bit
patchy,especially along his tail.Suspecting mange,which may have been a
deciding factor in relinquishing the cub,Sonny was taken for immediate
treatment at the St.Ives Vets.He responded very well,his skin and fur soon
improved as did his appetite.Sonny was desperate for more freedom,showing
little interest in us humans,just wanting to escape his cage.It was arranged
to rendevous at Launceston with a Secret World driver and Sonny travelled
to Somerset to continue the efforts to rehabilitate him back to the wild.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WANDA.8th May.Penryn.
The RSPCA responded to a call at the Tremough Campus where three badgers
had been seen in some difficulty.Only one was still present,found hiding
under some shrubbery.We agreed to take it into care and the officer kindly
brought it over to us.On arrival,this casualty proved to be a cub,10-12
weeks old.She was in very poor condition,every inch of her full of fleas,
her skin dry and scaly,her face covered with scratches and a cut on one ear.
She was quickly sprayed to solve the parasite problem which made apparent
just how thin she was beneath her fur.We settled Wanda in a cosy bed made
up in a puppy crate and gave her the time to recouperate.
WINNIE.12th May. Penryn.
A second cub was found by gardening staff in the grounds of Tremough
Campus,also in a very bad way.In the interim,the staff had found the
mother badger who had sadly been killed after being struck by a car.
Again delivered by an RSPCA officer,the cub was treated for fleas then
reunited with her sister.Winnie developed an abscess in her paw from a
puncture wound into the pad which needed antibiotics,then suffered a tummy
upset which was also treated by the vets.Despite these setbacks,the cubs
did really well,gaining weight and improvement with the skin and coat.
They soon transformed into lively,naughty little badgers-just how we like
to see them!Then arrangements were made for the cubs to have blood and
faecal samples taken at the vets to be sent for lab.tests to check for
Bovine Tuberculosis and Coccidia.Both cubs tested NEGATIVE,for both tests
and were able to be transported to Secret World on the 11th June where
their rehabilitation could proceed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEMELZA.10th May. Illogan.
A call for help came from a lady concerned that her dogs would be harmed
by a badger which had taken up residence beneath her garden shed.We found
a female badger that had bite wounds on her rump was happily settled,very
pleased with her hidey-hole!It took the help of some of the neighbours to
persuade the badger to leave the shelter of the shed,by using a length of
timber to block her retreat while pushing her forward into the reach of
the grasper.Once safely in the carrier,we were able to transport her to
CVETS at Truro where she received the necessary treatment.A clean,comfy
pen was ready for her at the barn where she enjoyed regular meals and a
good rest while the wound healed.Demelza was returned to the area and
released on the 29th May.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DARCY.13th May.Mabe.
Discovered hiding under a workbench in a potting shed by a surprised
householder,this badger had taken advantage of the supply of bird food.
Closer inspection revealed a wound on the rump and we were given a call.
We attended on our return journey from Launceston,where we had handed
Sonny the fox cub into the care of a Secret World volunteer driver.The
badger was soon caught and on his way to the vets where under sedation
the wound was cleaned and antibiotics and pain relief were given.Darcy
spent three weeks in care until he had completely healed,then returned
and released on his home patch.
