Visiting Vale Wildlife

My interest in wildlife rehabilitation began as a child when I read The Spotted Sphinx by Joy Adamson and was captivated by the story of the cheetah she reared and rehabilitated back into the wild. I soon read my way through the entire section of autobiographical accounts of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in my local library, including Born Free and its sequels. Joy Adamson’s work with wildlife began as an effort to save one animal in trouble and grew into a lifetime’s work dedicated to wildlife.

From her work came the film Born Free with Virginia McKenna portraying Joy Adamson and, before long, Virginia and her co-star husband Bill Travers were drawn into the world of wildlife further and formed their own charity, Zoo Check. Many years later, this became part of the Born Free Foundation that includes various strands, all campaigning on behalf of wildlife.

A few weeks ago I was privileged to meet and glimpse the work of another woman who has dedicated her life to the care of wildlife, when Caroline Gould, the founder of Vale Wildlife Hospital, gave me a guided tour. The hospital, like so many, began as a back yard venture, but, unlike many that fall by the wayside or stay on a similar scale, Vale Wildlife has evolved into something of a giant among wildlife rescue centres.

Having become involved in an effort to help raise funds for the recent flood of hedgehogs, it was an extraordinary experience to see in person what facilities the hospital has, and to get a grasp of what two hundred or so hedgehogs in care looks like. Rows and rows of cages with charts pinned to the front efficiently detailing the care of each hedgehog and its progress; piles of newspapers and towels (always needed for bedding) and the curious musty whiff of hedgehog that stayed with me for hours afterwards; the state-of-the-art purpose-built hedgehog unit with gleaming white cages and glass-fronted doors came with the help of charitable trust funds. A spontaneous hush envelopes the treatment room as a small hedgehog is injected with life-saving fluids, the syringe almost as big as the hog - a reminder of the focused care each inmate receives.

Hedgehogs are the main inmates in winter but the hospital caters for all manner of species including a few that are long-term residents as, being non-native species, they cannot go back to the wild. Striking among these are the eagle owls and a pair of rheas, both giants among bird species. There are also some foxes that would not be safe in the wild, having become imprinted by  too much familiarity with humans. One stares me straight in the eye as it lies curled up and shivering on top of its shelter, waiting for the midday sun to hit it and bring some warmth.

Back inside the building and the veterinary facilities are impressive, the hospital itself is registered as a veterinary practice and has its own vet at work there. There is an X-ray machine and developing facilities and a laboratory with facilities for testing for parasites, which the hospital carries out for other rescue centres, to enable them to save money on vet lab costs and to speed up diagnosis as results are emailed out immediately. Once a diagnosis is made, there is little need to take animals elsewhere, with operating facilities, including full anaesthetic regalia, that are sufficient to enable most small operations to be handled on site. Important empirical research into best care practices, including drug dosages, has been compiled over many years and from records of thousands of animals.

Of course none of this happened overnight. It took three decades to evolve from its early beginnings. In 2010 Caroline Gould was awarded the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her 26 years dedicated wildlife care. During that time the hospital has persevered through all kinds of challenges including weathering more than one economic downturn. No easy feat given that currently it costs £20,000 per month to run. Yet somehow it continues and not only cares for animals under its own care but supports other rescue centres and educates carers by providing training courses.

This year has been incredibly tough for Vale Wildlife as not only is it feeling the effects of the current economic climate, as so many charities are, but it has had an exceptionally high intake of hedgehog casualties. Over the course of 2012, it helped 1200 hedgehogs, each of which costs £5 a week to feed. Many have high parasite burdens and need the added cost of medications to help them recover.

Now, in efforts to help, I am proud to have been a connecting link all the way back to my early interest in the work of Joy Adamson via Virginia McKenna and her work with the Born Free Foundation to Caroline and Vale Wildlife Hospital. In order to raise funds for Vale Wildlife and their hedgehog casualties, Virginia McKenna, who wrote the foreword to The Natural Hedgehog, has signed two copies and also donated a signed copy of her own autobiography, The Life in my Years.

The books were signed at the Christmas fundraising events for another animal rescue charity – Mane Chance Sanctuary, which was set up in 2011 by Jenny Seagrove in order to help abused and neglected horses. Jenny also signed a book, along with Martin Shaw, one of Mane Chance’s patrons. There is another copy of The Natural Hedgehog signed by Virginia McKenna and Jenny Seagrove and dedicated to Mane Chance Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, poet Benjamin Zephaniah has signed copies of his poem ‘Luv Song’, which tells of his love of a hedgehog. All copies are printed on A4 recycled card of differing colours and each is signed with different words, one cut to fit as an insert into an accompanying copy of The Natural Hedgehog.

Plans are in motion to auction these and other celebrity-signed items and it will be a fitting end to the current run of The Natural Hedgehog in its present format to have these copies used to help raise funds for hedgehogs at such a time of crisis for them and the rescue centres helping them. It is also gratifying to know that almost two decades after its publication it is still being put to use by many as guide for helping hedgehogs and forms part of the teaching material on hedgehog carer courses at Vale Wildlife.