Category Archives: Animal rescue stories

Here you will find articles about animals, birds and other little creatures

It’s the cats that choose

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This story is about a girl cat who was abandoned by her first owner when they moved away. Just 2 years old she was very lucky to be adopted by an older couple and she ended up spending the next 9 years with them.
Sadly due to ill health, they were unable to continue to look after her.
After spending a bit of time with one of our fosterers we found her a forever home.

To say that it was love at first sight is an understatement – As soon as the lady walked in the cat walked over to her and didn’t leave her side. This was clearly who she wanted as her forever human!
Many rescues have very strict rules as to who, where and how they will adopt and this lady had been turned down by many others due to her address.
After chatting with her, getting the full picture, we realised that she would be more than suitable to adopt this cat.

We find that often you need to find out more and hear the full circumstances of a potential adopter before you make a decision. Someone might sound perfect on paper but turn out to be wrong for the cat in question – another time it is the total opposite.

They say that cats choose their owners and it is certainly true for the cats in our care.

From grrrr to purrrrr

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A beautiful young cat was surrendered to us after biting both the owner and her child.
We took her to a fosterer who started to work on taming this lovely girl. It turned out that she was really sweet but a strongminded girl and that the constant attention from a young child very likely was the source of the problem. Quickly she went from a growling cat to a relaxed girl loving a bit of fuss, as long as it was on her terms.

After advertising that we had a young cat up for adoption we received a message from an older lady who recently lost her cat. We did a home-check over video and she passed with flying colours! After a successful meeting between the lady and the cat adoption was agreed.

This is how we rehome. We match the animal with the right human. This is why we say we don’t rehome based on colour or looks, but rather personality and suitability. We believe that it is much more important that you get an animal that suits you and your reality. Limiting yourself to “a ginger fluffy kitten” might just mean that you are missing out on that perfect match.

This is the update we received when we asked how things are going.
“Just beautifully! She is so funny – she’s very fussy and playful and pretty much ruling the roost – she strongly disagreed with staying in one room and rumour has it that she has very much taken to an afternoon read in bed with the new owner”

This match has not only transformed the life of this supposed aggressive cat but also this lovely lady.
It turned out that this cat was not aggressive at all, she just didn’t suit a busy household with children – no fault of neither the cat or the previous owner.

Snail – A rescue story

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This is one of my favorite stories from Hallswood and it took place when Keith was still with us.
His kindness and spirit are what defines Hallwood to this day.

The little girl was clearly upset as she walked up to Keith.
“I broke it,” she said. “Can you make him well again?”
With her eyes full of tears she looked at Keith.
Her mother shook her head and said “I am so sorry for bothering you like this but she insisted”.
“No worries at all. Give us here” he said. “I need to get it to surgery”
He walked over to a nearby building and disappeared inside.

The snail had a pretty damaged shell and between me and you, it didn’t look very good. Keith however realized just what an important moment this was for this little girl and was determined to make this moment right.
After a few minutes, he came back out with a little box in his hand.
“I have put the shell back together and he now needs time to heal,” he said and continued “put it back in the darkest and safest spot in your garden and I am sure that he will make a full recovery.”

Whether the little snail actually did make it the story does not tell but what did happen that day was nothing less than magic. A little girl was shown that feeling compassion for other living beings, be they great or small, loved by all or just a few, is an amazing thing.
As much as any gardener will swear over these little snails and dare I mention slugs they too have a very important part in the big picture. The balance of nature is a beautiful and magical thing and the loss of even the smallest group of creatures creates unbalance.

Photo by the very talented Matthew Jones; A welsh photographer with a passion for wildlife. https://www.dmjnature.co.uk/

Baby deer – A Rescue story

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This story really highlights the importance of always contacting a rescue center or a vet first when you find an animal you think might be in need of help. As much as you might mean very well; if you get it wrong it can lead to that animal never being able to be released back where they belong or even the death of the said animal.

It is a story about a very well-meaning lady that found what she thought was an abandoned baby row deer. As she was not sure what to do she went online to google it and was advised to observe till it got dark to see if the mother deer was around. The advice was, in theory, good but sadly she got it wrong and she kept walking right up to the baby every 30 minutes. Once it got dark she decided it was too dangerous for it to be left on its own so she brought it home. (If you see a baby deer KEEP YOUR DISTANCE and we mean to stay far away, not 10 meters away. If the parent sees or smells you it will not approach the baby, afraid to give its location up!)

Without the right knowledge the lady tried to hand rear it but ended up using the wrong equipment and the outcome was devastating;
dehydration, pneumonia, and malnutrition.
The baby deer also had injuries to his leg joints as the lady thought he might need exercise.

When you are a caring person it is so easy to think that you can do it all and with the internet being right there, with what seems to be the answers to all and everything, many will think “I can do this”.
Please don’t try based just on advice from google.
ALWAYS contact a local rescue for advice and make that your first call of action.
Even advice here or from other animal rescues can be wrong if they are interpreted differently from what was intended to, so call, ask! That is what we are here for!

Otter – A rescue story

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A young couple was driving through the fenlands when they saw a large mammal by the road.
They stopped the car and walked over to it to see if it was still alive and if it needed help.
They couldn’t figure out what it was but soon realized that it was still alive but hurt.
Quickly they wrapped it in a blanket and put it in the back of the car and started to drive towards their vets in Norwich.
About halfway there they started to hear noises from the back as the mammal started to wake up. It seemed as he did not approve of being in a car at all!

They made it all the way to the vets without too much problem but by then the mammal, now identified as an otter by the vets, was fully awake!

Not quite sure what to do they called Lyz and she started to make her way to them.
By the time Lyz arrived the otter had made the car his new home and had marked his new kingdom in more ways than one....

It took about 45 minutes and 5 people to get him out without injuring them or him!
Try to restrain an “all muscle and no shoulders” being who does not understand that we only wanted to help him.
I can tell you one thing: That car will never smell the same again!

Moorhen – A rescue story

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Lyz received a phone call from a lady who needed help rescuing some Moorhen chicks.
Told that they were left to fend for themselves after their parents got killed, Lyz brought her welly boots and took off.
At her arrival, she soon realized that what was described to her as a “pond” was more of a lake to us common people and the chicks were stuck in a nest on the island in the middle!
Lyz asked if there was a boat she could borrow but the lady assured her that her husband walked out to that island all the time and that the “pond” was not that deep at all. After testing the depth with a stick Lyz started to wade. The first few steps were ok but then it suddenly went from shallow to very deep and guess who fell in! Now swimming she reached the island, secured the babies, and started to make her way back, and let's just leave it to our imagination what she was muttering to herself.

It turned out that you could walk out to the island if you knew where the hidden walkway was and this was how the husband managed to get back and forth keeping dry wearing wellies!
Now you know why Lyz always keeps a spare set of clothes in the back of her van! 😀

Jackdaw – A rescue story

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It was just another rescue Lyz thought as she jumped in to her car and made her way to the Victorian house situated in the idyllic Norfolk country side. She had received the call a few minutes earlier and had been told there was a bird stuck inside a chimney. The owner of the house had first contacted a large animal rescue only to be told to leave the baby bird for 36 hours to see if it would make its own way out!
Not happy with that answer, she called Hallswood.

Arriving at the property Lyz found not only a very long chimney but it was also bricked up and was told by the lady of the house to simply break part of it down; she would not have a baby die in her house.

Doing as she was told (that’s a first 😀 ) she started to chisel away and what happened then was just like a cartoon...
First nothing, then nothing and then BOOOOOOM; an avalanche of black soot, sticks and two beautiful little baby jackdaws. Suddenly the all white bedroom with white carpet was no longer white!

We know that there are a lot of different views when it comes to corvids but what is important to remember is that for the balance of nature to work, we need them all.

It is the balance that make nature wonderful and beautiful.

Pig – A rescue story

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Holly used to enjoy a cuddle with the staff 🙂

Holly was found cold and injured at the side of a road. Where she came from is a bit of a mystery but she is lucky to be alive!
She was brought to us by a member of the public and over the weeks that followed it was touch and go. Her tiny tummy was upset and wouldn't allow her to keep all the food down. She suffered from pneumonia and she had some cuts and bruises.
I will never forget when I got the "all clear" text from Lyz. "I think she will be alright. Just look at her!" she said. The picture she sent showed a piglet with what I can only describe as a cheeky smile on her face!

Today? Well, today she is no longer that little girl. Instead, she is the same size as a little pony 🙂

When Holly first came to us we created an appeal to help us with the costs of her treatments and special food. Without the help, we received we would have struggled. Always try to keep an eye on the emergency appeals we put up as they do save lives!

 

Hedgehog – a rescue story

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HEDGEHOGS

Hedgehogs are funny little creatures and truly wild at heart.
Every year we rescue many 100s of them to then release them back into the wild as soon as possible. You can often tell what season it is just by looking at the reasons they come to us: more strimmer and tool injuries in the spring and early summer, burn injuries from bonfires in late summer, and hoglets too small to hibernate in late autumn and at the start of winter.

Most years we will have between 100 and 250 overwintering with us at the Sanctuary and with foster carers. To successfully survive a long winter’s sleep they need to weigh around 600 grams or be the size of a grapefruit when curled up. This is because they won't have enough fat reserves to see them through the winter if not.

Hedgehogs often have a second litter late in the season and as these usually don’t have enough time to build up those important fat reserves, they end up in rescue centers to be released in the spring. If you find a hedgehog out during daytime or a baby hedgehog late in autumn, it usually needs to be picked up, secured in a box with a hot water bottle or similar, and brought to your nearest rescue center. If you are in doubt, just call and ask for advice! You will find more information under "I found an animal...."

One of the many rescue stories we want to share with you started with a phone call from a lady. She found a hedgehog stuck inside a watering can she had left outside in her garden. As it was tipped on its side, this hedgehog squeezed in only to find himself stuck. The lady found him a few days later and he then had hypothermia as he was sitting in about 1 inch of water. Luckily for this little hog, after being released from his watery prison and warmed up a bit he made a full recovery and was released a few weeks later.

The lesson here is to always look at your garden through an animal’s point of view; a watering-can might look tempting for a curious little hog!

Hare – A rescue story

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It was a beautiful, warm spring day when the two ladies phoned us from Reepham. They had found a tiny little hare by the side of a field. Luckily Lyz was close by and she rushed over just to find a 12 – 14-day old leveret (baby hare). Apart from a few small injuries he seemed ok but very cold.

Lyz went back to her van and put the heating on full. Sitting there sweating like mad the baby was slowly warming up.

It is a common mistake to think that just because the weather is warm nothing can be cold, instead it is common for baby animals and birds to die due to hypothermia even in the summer. In general, babies need their mothers and just because it is warm for us it doesn’t mean that it is warm for them.

This story ended well and the little leveret survived and was later released close to our horse field. A sunny day he was seen teamed up with a local hare girl and we are sure that they went on to live happily ever after. 🙂