The post Intensive Care Kennels Appeal appeared first on Secret World Wildlife Rescue.
We need multi-use intensive care kennels for our Badger Room.
Can you help?
Aster, one of this year’s orphaned badger cubs
It’s been another tough year for wildlife. While the weather has been much better for them, animals are facing more threats than ever before: more housing developments, more vehicles on the road, and the ongoing threat of avian influenza. It really does feel like everything is against our precious wildlife at the moment.
So, it’s a lovely ray of sunshine to be able to tell you that this year we have had 64 callouts to badgers and have taken in 29 adult badgers, 20 juveniles and 15 badger cubs for care. I was beginning to think that there are no more badgers here in Somerset because so many have been lost to the cull.
Aster soon settled in to her new temporary home
The multi-use kennels will be suitable for groups of small birds
We need to get the badger room in our Wildlife Treatment Centre ready for the spring next year and plan to build in some kennels that will allow us to barrier nurse (keep separate) badger cubs until they have been tested for Bovine TB. The kennels also need to be strong enough to take a sick or injured adult badger as well; as well as being expert diggers, they are great escape artists, even when weak.
To make all the kennels multi-use, we will have special doors made with three sections. The bottom section will be solid so when used for badger cubs, they won’t be able to see people in the room. The middle section can be changed to wire so that once the cubs have become family groups and moved to larger facilities, a large branch can be put in and it can be a temporary home for a group of birds. With small sections in the door, food and water can be put in without letting all the birds out.
A concussed fox requiring intensive care
Moving to the winter, these kennels can then be used for adult badgers, foxes or even swans once we can care for them again. It will be a safe and comfortable space for these adult animals needing intensive care. The heavy-duty plastic construction will provide some sound-deadening, with moulded floors for easy cleaning and wire ceiling for good ventilation.
These bespoke kennels will be £15,383 altogether, or just over £5,000 for each unit.
We hope they will remain in good condition for at least 20 years – probably lasting longer than me! I’ve included a rough sketch of the plans which I hope will give you an idea of what we’re trying to achieve.
With an estimated half of our badger population lost in the last ten years, it’s vital that we give every animal the best possible second chance at life in the wild. These new kennels will improve the care we can provide for badgers, but we need your help to get them built. Any help you can give towards this appeal will be greatly appreciated and bring us closer to the amount we need. If you’re in a position to leave a larger gift this time (please see below) I’d be delighted to discuss this with you.
With best wishes,
Pauline Kidner
Charity Founder and Advisor
Posy on arrival after such a difficult start to life
Our Badger Room provides a secure space for orphaned animals. Posy’s story is not uncommon. Found weak and emaciated in a garden, she could not use her back legs due to her poor condition.
After spending a few weeks in our Badger Room, she was well enough to be mixed with other orphans. She is almost ready for release, and will be back in the wild by early October.
For this appeal only, we are offering an opportunity to have a plaque added to the tribute board next to the room. If you are ready to make a special gift for badgers and donate £1,000 or more towards the new kennels, we will honour your gift on the tribute board and invite you to view it on a personal tour of our centre.
The tribute board outside our Badger Room. Will you join these badger helping heroes?
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