This year the rescue has been totally bombarded with injured wildlife and unwanted small mammals. There doesn’t seem to be any respite, for as fast as animals are released or re-homed double the number take their place.
Of late there has been a shocking increase in cruelty cases. Last week two guinea-pigs were brought in, their owner had moved out and simply left them in the flat. They were discovered by the landlord a week later which proved too late for one of them as despite vet care and food and water, the starvation had gone too far. What gets me, is that all the owners had to do was place a call to the RSPCA or any animal charity and the poor creatures would have been picked up. At times I despair!!!!
Last week we also admitted a cat with horrific injuries that had been savaged by dogs for sport, and puppies that had chemicals poured in their eyes blinding them. WHY????? Who seriously enjoys this kind of torture? Makes my blood boil it does!
Anyway…..before I go off on a rant and drive you all mad, I’ll get back to the main story.
For some reason wildlife is always horribly short of volunteers. Many start but few stay. I think it may be due to the diversity of wildlife, and the fact that wild animals and birds are stroppy and often difficult to handle. So, when Donna, the new 24 year old volunteer started yesterday, it fell upon me to show her the ropes. Hopefully we would gain another much needed pair of hands.
I started the shift with the baby birds that still need hand feeds. I was about to show Donna how to handle a young bird when she cringed and pulled back. “That’s so gross” she said, “no way am I holding that!” Mmmmmmmm……she obviously doesn’t like wild birds I thought.
So, I finished all the birds while Donna text everyone she knew, then moved onto the rabbits. I mucked one out, then asked her to do one. “Errrrrrrr…..don’t think so, they look like they bite” was the response.
I was getting annoyed! Dear Donna moved on to face book on her phone, and perched herself on a table swinging her legs while I finished the rabbits, guinea-pigs, hamsters, chinchillas and rats. I won’t bother telling you what she said about the rats and chinchillas, but whatever she was doing on her phone while I mucked them out, she did from outside the unit.
Donna and the ducks didn’t go down very well either…….I think she thought she may get wet……
And the terrapins, or “scatty turtles” as Darling Donna called them were a definite no-no too!
I didn’t bother asking Donna to clean out the pheasant’s cage, I’d gathered by now that anything with a beak, claws or teeth was deemed “real dangerous” …….and hedgehogs were too spiky too hold. Seriously, I wished she’d just go home, she was driving me potty and holding me up. Everywhere I went she was in my way, her and her flaming phone.
Even the domestic birds were referred to as “minging” and dear darling Donna was NOT going to be pooped on by walking into their avairy. By this time I was beginning to pity her mother…….and I have to say, I had a strong urge to give her a good shaking…..and confiscate her phone by accidentally dropping it in the rat’s cage!
Finally…..time to do the ferrets….
I started with this youngster that was found starving a few months ago on a golf course. Dozy Donna perked up, put her phone away and showed a sudden interest in them. I was so pleased I took my eye off the ball. As I went to open the ferret’s crate, my finger got jammed in the mesh and the ferret promptly bit the aforesaid finger five or six times in rapid succession before I could get it out. As the blood was running down my throbbing hand, devilish Donna really came to life! “Wow, that is SOOOOOO cool” she exclaimed, “How manic are they?”
I was amazed. Do you want to clean some out? I asked.
“As if!” she replied, “they bite, NO WAY!”
I finished my shift, she finished her phone session and we left together. I asked her why she had ….erm….volunteered. “I want to be a vet!” she said.
And, surprise surprise, she said she wouldn’t be coming back to volunteer in wildlife again as her back was now aching [???????] and instead she would work with the cats or sumfin!!!!!
Unfortunately it’s the bad attitude of the few that would make some agencies not want to take on young people as volunteers, if D was anything to go by.
Keep up the good work. You managed to be very kind to her but maybe she needs someone to question her attitude once in a while.
xx
Yes, it’s a shame as not all young people are like Donna. To be honest, I don’t think I had a chance of getting through to her, she was so anti all things animal.xxxxx
Wow, I always admire people like you who share so much love for those unlucky animals. As much as I want to do something like this, unfortunately I don’t have a place yet to keep and save the animal. What I can do is only feed the street dogs here 🙂
Ahhhh, thanks Debb, it’s lovely that you feed the street dogs, they urgently need people like you to help them survive. That’s so lovely of you.xxxxx
Wow. I was not prepared for the end of your post! So I guess Donna thought that vets sit around facebooking and turning up their noses at messy animals and recoiling from the ones that look like they might bite? I’m sorry the ferret bit you — it looked so sweet in that first photo.
Lol….I wasn’t prepared for her parting comment either!
I don’t think she has the slightest chance of being a vet, everything about animals seems to disgust her.
The ferret is a sweetie really, he just bites anything that pops through the bars in his cage, I think it’s just instinct. It was my fault for being distracted by Donna. He’s really doing well now and has plumped up beautifully, he was a skinny little thing when he first came in. Hopefully a lovely new home will be found for him soon.xxxxx
I’d have felt so tempted to stick her head in the cage of ferrets 😉 I think Shimon might have hit the nail on the head … a vet my a**s!! She was doing community service …. I bet you! Daughter did some ‘volunteering’ at the RSPCA as part of her Community Service first time round (ahem…) but of course she loved it!
Next time… just accidently shove her into the ferrets…. am so sorry they got your finger……!!!xxxx
Hahahahaha….YES!!!! We have six crazy ferrets that are quite wild and LOVE to bite, maybe throw her in with them!
You know, I agree with you and Shimon, there was no way she wanted to be a vet, every single creature physically repulsed her.
Now if only your daughter was up here, we’d have ourselves a right gem, she clearly loves animals and they her, she’d have a ball with the sheer diversity of animals here……..
My finger is on the mend……that particular ferret is friendly but will bite anything coming through his cage, as ferrets are inclined to do.xxxxx
Daughter was bitten on the neck when little by a friend’s ferret – it was all coiled nicely and furrily and affectionately around her neck and then suddenly BIT….8| She didn’t hold it against the ferret…… she has been bitten by several dogs… not badly…. and it has not frightened her off dogs… Also been bitten by a horse and luckily she was wearing a cycle helmet with a peak or her face or at least her nose would have been bitten off…..88|
Yes she’d LOVE to be a volunteer at your rescue place!!
xxxx
Wow…..I’m SO impressed with your daughter…..a real animal lover!!!!!
I really really wish she lived closer to us!!!!!! She seems to be a natural with animals….I hope she ends up working with them, it would be a win win all round! xxxxx
I despair of what people do to animals, and people like Donna who clearly have no conception of the real world. Using her phone like that was just plain rude. I dread to think what she’d be like with children.
I have much admiration for yourself, and all volunteers, who do so much with so little. xx
Thanks Flighty, cruelty for cruelty’s sake makes no sense to me, I really don’t know how someone could harm a defenceless creature for fun…..
Donna was a nightmare, I’m so glad she won’t be back! Gosh yes, she’d be HOPELESS with children too.xxxxx
Oh god, Donna sounds like a nightmare – looks like she need to rethink what she wants to do for a living if she can’t handle wildlife!! I love the picture of the woodpecker chick… it looks so disgruntled and adorable xx
Lol, yes Donna certainly needs to evaluate her chosen field! She just cringed and pulled the most awful faces and constantly screwed up her nose!
The chicks are so wonderful to work with, one of my favourite things is feeding them.xxxxx
Such horrible stories about cruelty, it’s good there are good people trying to help out there too. Oh dear, Donna doesn’t sound much help at all!!
Yes, it’s so upsetting to see animals abused for the sheer hell of it. Donna….lol, useless I’m afriad!xxxxx
Lol….I think she’s in DIRE need of rescuing…..I’d put her in a hard labourious job for a few months!!! She is 24, but acted more like a spoilt 16yr old.
I remember that awful story about the cat, dog and those poor kids, people who are cruel towards animals usually inflict pain on people too, it’s a mentality. The poor dog died didn’t it? You do get sick to the back teeth of these cases, and there seems to be no end to it……Yes, a shame the kids stayed, even the care system is better than an abusive childhood.xxxxx
It almost seems that you were put on community service, supporting Donna! A vet or sumfin….hmm. How old was she?
Sudden flash of inspiration; you don’t think she needed rescuing do you?
You have a great set of animal pix there, most of the animals looking quite perky. You did so well. 🙂
I think I have mentioned how I was involved in rescuing a cat from some neighbours who kicked their kids around as much as their animals. A friend and me, also did our best for their maltreated dog, who, underlying all the defensive behaviour, had a lovely nature. We had to get the RSPCA involved; their actions took time. Eventually they were banned by the Court from having the care of any animals for six years.
It’s a pity the kids weren’t part of the RSPCA’s assessment.
I meant wouldn’t hestitate to help out. I am hoping to practice my reiki skills on animals soon!
As usual, the work you do is amazing and its great to see that some of them recover from abuse, although we will never really know what trauma remains with them in their lives having been subjected to such cruelty. If I lived closer, I would hesitate to help out. Shame on the ‘volunteer’…no empathy there, I doubt she will become a vet, besides no animal would want to work with her! They would sense she is an idiot straight away!!!!!! 🙂
Thanks Karen, I wish you were closer, you would be a great help as you have such respect and empathy for animals. This girl had nothing, not an ounce of compassion, it all bored her. Shame as we need help, but not that kind.
Yes, some animals never forget abuse and do remain fearful for such a long time. It takes ages to re-build trust.
Reiki sounds really interesting. You must let me know how that works out with animals. These days all sorts of therapies are tried and lots are successful. Often standard treatments fail……times are certainly changing and all sorts of new treatments are now being embraced. xxxxx
Oh, dear, did she have any clue what a vet is supposed to do and what creatures animals are? You must be frustrated.
Would be great if animals could use contraceptives!!! haha, or I think they’re all pro-life 😉 LOL… Take care D :)xxxxxxxxxxx
Lol……I don’t think dear dozy Donna has a clue what a vet does, she wouldn’t touch a single animal….not one! All she did was add a few hours to what is a long shift anyway, a menace she is! xxxxxxxxxx
Fantastic story, Dina. In the beginning, I was getting a little down, thinking about those who torture animals… I know that they can’t help themselves… that they themselves are victims… primarily of a lack of education… But it is terrible to think about. But once Donna came onto the scene, I started smiling. I was sure that she had committed some sort of minor transgression, and the judge had sentenced her to community service, to straighten her out. Of course, when I read the reason she had decided to volunteer, I had a good laugh. Maybe she should go to India and be a telephone operator. It seems that she has a god-given talent in that direction. I loved the picture of the rabbit, by the way. If only I was nearer, I would volunteer myself… you know, I like cats and things myself…
Hahahahahaha….YES!!!! Let’s send her to India!!!!
Now that comment has me thinking, maybe she was on some community order or something. I couldn’t imagine her really wanting to be a vet, she actually seemed to loathe the animals and constantly complained about the smell and the mess…..she’d never had a pet either. Most odd!
I wish you did live nearer Shimon, you seem to be a born wildlife whisperer!xxxxx
Donna does not really sound like the sort of help you need.
She CERTAINLY isn’t. I don’t think the cattery or the kennels will want her either!xxxxx
Interesting array of creatures there. Pleased to see so many being rescued.
I would have thrown her phone into that duckpond.
Thanks Dessie. Now that is one splendid idea re the duckpond, why didn’t I think of that????xxxxx
Animal Rescue will always be a ‘labour of love’…. Not surprised your ‘new’ volunteer suffers backache…already…:roll: Just the thought of being dedcated to this sort of ‘labour of love’ brought on a ‘backache’… 🙄 Take Care! Hugs! xx
Lol….thanks Ell….she’s lucky I didn’t whallop her one with the brush! I didn’t bother taking her around the farm, I doubt if she would have set foot on it anyway.xxxxx
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! unbeflippinglievable!! Good riddance to her, SB … I don’t give much for her chances in her chosen profession – what a very stupid, ignorant, selfish and astonishingly lazy child :no:
Photos are fab!!
I’m so glad you feel as I do Gilly, and I’m SOOOOOOOO pleased she won’t be back to get in my way!!!! I was getting more and more frustrated with her yesterday, every time I turned around I almost fell over or into her. She wouldn’t even brush up, said she was no goos at brushing! Would you Adam and Eve it???? You wonder how these types cope with life! Oh dear….I’m off on one!xxxxx
Glad you’re there doing such great and loving good for these beloved animals. I also become desolate when I hear of cruelty towards them, but those wretched feelings are overwhelmed by the gratitude I feel when I read of your good works! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ahhhh, thanks Catherine. There are so many dedicated staff at the rescue who give up so much to care for the animals. In wildlife alone we have over four hundred animals, they sure do take some looking after. People are so kind with donations of food and money though, the entire charity runs on goodwill. It’s the minority who are cruel but unfortunately the damage they do to animals is considerable. The staffy puppies are only ten weeks old, but even though they are blind now they will have the best care and a good life.xxxxx