Hedgehog Rescue Wallasey Visit

Yesterday I took a trip over to meet Claire who runs Hedgehog Rescue Wallasey to hand over £ 100.00 from the fund raiser at Pets in the Park Marbury as well as a Zoozone 1, Pet Carrier, Fold Away Canvas Play Pen and lots of newspapers (thank you Nikki).

I was really impressed by her set up - I think a lot of us our guilty for not really knowing how a rescue operates, and to see it for yourself you have to take your hat off to our wonderful carers.

In the first shed we were shown, all of her everyday supplies were stored away immaculately, and it is surprising how much room this takes up on its own, paperwork, medication, microscope, cleaning supplies and lollipops!  We had to ask the question why the lollipops, do the hedgehogs get one for being good, but no, the local children in the area, collect elastic bands on their way to school and hand them over to Claire at the school gates - in return they get a lollipop or a bag of haribo - and she gets elastic bands handed in to her every day - just one of the ways in which she is trying to get the message across to the children - well done Claire.

Hutches were outside for residents that were fit and well enough to be kept in them, including one special hedgehog who lives in a totally enclosed garden due to her medical problems, her foster mum has gone away and this little one has come on holiday to Claire so that she will be properly looked after.

Another storage space for newspapers, bedding material and food - you see, it just isn't about having homes for the hogs, it is finding space for everything else that is needed to run a hoggie rescue.

Moving on to the inside cages -immaculate, you could eat your dinner out of them - releases have been made so at the moment, there are four babies that are currently being cared for - they were eating by themselves when found as they were not new born or very young hoglets that were still dependant on mum - at that point mops and buckets were needed as we were instantly reduced to mush!

I say we as a certain Mad Mel bunked off from work early to come over and meet Claire and the hoglets.

These babies were gorgeous, and they seemed to know that they were being helped - we were allowed quick cuddles and photos as at this age, it would not imprint on them too much - over the next few weeks the human contact will be withdrawn  so that when they are of weight they can be released to do what hoggies do best.

Where will you release them?  Claire has access to good release points - these have to be where hedgehogs have been sighted and are living - you just cannot ring up and ask for a hedgehog for your garden, they have to be free to come and go (apart from ones that would not survive in a totally free environment) and more importantly, there has to be other hedgehogs there.

Our wildie carers do such a wonderful job, the lucky ones make it and go on hopefully to enjoy their freedom with good health others are not so lucky and our carers are there to make the right decisions for them - sometimes hard decisions but always with the best interest of the hedgehog.

Claire is moving to a new house, work is already in progress, she will have a much larger garden and plans to have a hedgehog hospital until running across the width of the garden, her husband will be carrying out a lot of the work and fully supports Claire in her work and in fact, loves them as much as she does.

How can you help?  If you have a local carer near you, newspapers, cat biscuits, dog/cat food, dried mealworm, fleece for bedding, cotton buds, cotton wool, hand sterilizer, kitchen roll - just a few ideas of what you can take along for them - things we really don't bat an eyelid at but these items really do help our carers, do what they do best - care for our hedgehogs.  

Without these people caring for them, in another 10 years of so, we will not have any left to care for - they will be extinct - so, let us all make a difference and get helping our carers x

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And these photos are why we are more determined than ever to raise as much money as we can for our prickly friends x

wow what a great lady  and the hoggies are just lovely. 

I have to say that I was so overwhelmed by everything that I started crying! Although I thought I 'got why' we do what we do, until I actually saw with my own eyes these little creatures... the efforts and hard work that has gone into this project, I hadn't really 'got it' at all.  The hospital area, although a very small shed, it had everything and was so well organised - a place for everything and everything in its place, all the relevant medication and information to hand, microscope for poop testing etc. I was amazed,  knowing that the little heated incubator in Claire's living room is switched on 24-7 - just in case somebody comes through the door unexpectedly, the time, energy and effort of Claire to ensure that everything works and runs smoothly, the marking of the little babies so that they can be told apart to ensure they are monitored properly with regards to treatment, weight gain etc.

We are so very lucky to have dedicated people like Claire who obviously have such a strong desire to help out native hoggies. Claire's story of her 'why' is lovely, but that's for her to share...

I'm just really glad that I managed to make it along to meet Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue and in going so I'm now even more fired up to help as much as I can.

Two things I brought home with me was the importance of;
1. Raising awareness
To continue to get people to understand and provide for the needs for our native hoggies, without any of the above they have the same, maybe less survival chances than of other mammals such as tigers. Can you imagine no more hedgehogs? Show and tell talks in schools, at fund raisers, talking to and telling as many folks as possible, especially those with gardens as it doesn't cost anything to become aware! We can all do this

2. Raising funds
To continue attending various events to raise much needed money to support rescues such as Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue. Okay, it goes mean some early starts to what can be a precious day off work, as well as the planning and preparing that goes on beforehand. Getting tombola prizes wrapped and ready, information sheets printed and laminated, getting your bestest, loudest but friendliest voice at the ready to draw people in. Friendly hoggies if poss to show and tell. Thankfully we've had Helen to kickstarts everything here in the Nirth but as time has gone on we've finely tuned the way we do and organise things. This makes it much easier to replicate it anywhere else. So if anybody wants any advice on how to get things up and running them please just give us a shout and we'll be more than happy to give some direction as well as supplying some resources.

There was a 3rd thing I wanted to take away from my visit yesterday, but I wasn't allowed... The little furry faced, black bellied, black nosed, heart stealing prickly critter that I had amazing snuggles with. To know he began his life where he should and will be given the best care to ensure he'll be right back there snuffling about in some hedgerows, maybe visiting somebody's garden whose child has won something in our tombola... This is a little thought i had. This visit just blew me away!

So please, if there is anyway that you can do either of the above 2 things, then please do. It costs nothing to talk...

Xoxox

Fantastic .. pictures are lovely and I think you both make a valid point of really not knowing what is involved in helping our prickly friends and the dedication that goes into it .... glad you both had a great day .
I did what Helen suggested and spoke to the school got a appointment with the head to see if I can do a talk .. might see if I can rope Gill in to do one on the wildes ... fingers crossed if it pays off at Bos school then I will call other schools ... Helens said she can send me a few things and I can take one of my hogs in as well .... educating our little Mrs and Mr is the way to go x

Thanks Mel for adding your thoughts for me - to see Mel speechless is how much of an impact this visit had on her and me - we have been invited back - Claire is going to show us how to hand feed which will be an amazing experience - like Mel said, fund raisers are early starts and there is a lot that goes into making sure each one is run to our best ability - there is a whole section of posters in the wildie section that can be printed off to use by anybody - even if it is just putting one up in your window - everything really does help.

hand feeding wow that will be fantastic lots of pictures please it sounds like Claire is very organised x

Think she would come and do an assembly in my school if I could organise it? X

The pics are brilliant and they do a great job , I love the wild ones   I have been chatting to Claire on Facebook and she seems like a lovely lady and VERY busy xx

I don't see why not Pam x

aww i have got the hang of it now and what lovely comments thankyou all so very much , as for school talks i usualy start taking them mid september so please do talk to schools and we will be happy to arrange one plus we also bring our newest crowd pleaser with us now , our very own aph, billy ray loves nothing more than showing off for the school children xx

I have a girl guide booking for September and have sent across your list of needed things for them to hopefully donate one or two things as well xx