June Update: Tiny Things Matter

Written by Pauline Kidner

Charity Founder and Advisor

When I first started looking after wildlife, I always felt that, no matter how large or small, common or rare, every animal has the right to care and pain relief. People often ask, “Why bother?” The answer is that everything is connected and has its place in the order of life. We are only just realising how important insect life is to the survival of our small birds, and this importance continues throughout the predator-prey chain to our very own existence. One of the things the human race depends on is pollinating insects, and we should never underestimate the fragility of life.

It has always amazed me how tiny an animal can be and yet, given warmth and food, it can survive – you just have to find a small enough feeder! In the past, I have reared a baby harvest mouse, baby bats the size of your thumbnail, and the smallest badger cubs (see my thumb in the photo for an idea of their size). Badger cubs should weigh approximately 100 grammes at birth, but the cubs pictured weighed only 72 g, 76 g and 58 g, so they were premature. All three survived and were eventually released. With the equipment we have, we were able to visit their release site the following year and found that they were still there.

The fact that wild animals are capable of getting into the tiniest holes can sometimes make rescues quite difficult! A couple of years ago, a trip to Somerset led to the discovery of a nest of blue tits inside the wing mirror of a horsebox. The horsebox had travelled for over three hours before the owner was alerted by the hungry cheeping of the tiny birds inside. SWWR was contacted, and a Response Driver was sent out, only to find that it was almost impossible to get them out. The owners of the horsebox kindly removed the wing mirror, and it was transported, complete with the baby blue tits. Dan, one of our Wildlife Supervisors, very carefully coaxed them out by gently manipulating one chick at a time. Eventually, with a great deal of patience, all eight chicks were safely out and demanding to be fed. The wing mirror was returned to the owners, who were delighted to hear that all the chicks had been saved. The chicks coped remarkably well with the ordeal and were eventually released.

That belief that every creature is important is still at the heart of the work carried out at Secret World Wildlife Rescue. Many things have changed, as I no longer care for orphans in my kitchen (much to my husband’s relief!). Secret World is now a veterinary wildlife hospital and, with the support of many wonderful people, we have recently added an X-ray room to the treatment centre. This means assessments can be carried out more quickly, allowing us to provide the very best care to each and every patient.