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Newsletters - Summer '05

The tiny orphaned babies

Five newborn baby rabbits were brought into the sanctuary in April with the odds stacked against them. Without a mother to care for them they would most certainly have died. Even with intervention the outlook was grim and only time would tell whether we could save their lives.

Rabbits are notoriously difficult to hand rear and the success rate is very low and heartbreaking as a task. To hold a newborn baby in the palm of your hand and have it reject your very best efforts is a harrowing experience. But we were compelled to give it our best shot. Their mother was gone, believed stolen, we were told, and the babies had nobody to care for them. Having them accept cat replacer milk from a teat on a small syringe took ages but, finally, they did take to the ‘bottle’ and soon began to thrive. In fact, so well did they enjoy their new feeding routine they’d sometime try to nudge the teat out of each others mouth to get at the milk!

The babies are now weaned and very bonny, indeed. Sadly, one was lost but the other 4 spend their days charging around and playing.
We will be looking to find very special homes for these very special little bunnies who are very humanised. They love people and show no fear at all - why should they when their mum’s a person? It’d be lovely to home this special family as a group where they can be house rabbits or have the run of a garden. Hutches need not apply!
We will consider all offers of homes that fit the criteria but won’t home them separately. So if you’d like to know more please contact us.

Naughty puppy goes bonkers!

I wish that we could show you picture of the adorable 7mnth old Labrador pup that came in recently. He was sleek and black and a very cute, failed gundog. It would definitely have been great to have shown you his picture but, you see, he ate the computer! He also ate, amongst other things, the telephone wires, twice, and the lead that lets us download from our camera.
All was not lost and we found the most fantastic, tolerant home for Dexter with a family that adore him. He now lives in a detached house with 10 acres to play in with their 2 golden retrievers. Sounds a lot better than living in a stable where his only human contact was with a man carrying a gun, don’t you think?

Hospital Paddock Appeal - Summer 2005

It is with great sadness that we have to report that we are turning animals away. The old and sick, babies and pregnant females all require special facilities. They deserve a safe environment so they may give birth in peace and, in those vulnerable first weeks, their little newborns may learn the value of play. Sometimes the elderly and sick are brought to us, hopefully, to recover or, if it is their time, to die. These animals deserve to spend that period of transition in peace.
Turning animals away isn’t a decision we have taken lightly but we feel it is the responsible reaction to the situation.
It isn’t an easy admission but we simply do not have the facilities to help them without building a secure paddock with housing. However, this is a solvable problem with the help of our supporters. Together, we can make the lives of the most vulnerable as comfortable and happy as possible.
Would you consider doing some kind of fundraiser for our hospital paddock appeal?

And then there were two!!!?

I’m sure that many of you will be only too aware of Gurt, our wonderful St. Bernard and top fundraiser. Few, however, will have encountered Harvey, the new arrival. Incredibly, Harvey is still a big puppy, not yet 2yrs old and already considerably larger than Gurt. St. Bernard’s are notoriously late developers so heaven only knows what size he’ll end up!!
Sadly, Harvey’s story is all too familiar. What was funny in a cute little puppy suddenly becomes annoying in a huge dog. What was once a cheeky bit of back chat turns into a challenging standoff between the owner and a dog the size of an adult man.
Harvey came to us as a dog described as being impossible to keep with other animals and dominant.
In fact, Harvey proved to be none of the above. He was, quite simply, a young, boisterous, un-neutered male that had never been taught any manners. By their own admission they couldn’t control him so exercise was out of the question and, based on his condition, feeding him was beginning to prove too expensive.
We’re pleased to say that Harvey is a pleasure to live with, plays all the time with the other dogs (probably for the first time in his life) and is wonderful with every animal we have.
But he eats like a horse!!!!! Would anyone consider sponsoring Harvey or arranging a food bin at a local shop?

East Peckham traffic chaos!

Rescuing animals can be dangerous, getting kicked, bitten and scratched is all part of the job description and you just put up with it. Getting run over, however, can be a little more serious. So, when we received a call that a hen was living on a roundabout in the middle of a duel carriageway we all, including the reluctant hen, took our lives in our hands.
As cars sped by, unaware of us darting about, we tried all the usual methods to no avail. She’d been free for some while, it would appear, and wasn’t about to be trapped.
It wasn’t until she took off the wrong way down the duel carriageway that we brought the whole area to a standstill!
Finally, for some bizarre reason, she tried to get into a stationary car and a with a bit of acrobatics and a blanket she was caught.
Never a dull moment and we all lived to tell the tale!!

Abandoned to Die.

Bruno, a long coated German shepherd dog, was taken to an inner London vet with the request that they put him down. The owners abandoned him to die. It was just pure good luck that pity was taken upon him and we received a call.
Bruno’s ears were so badly infected that a mixture of pus and blood was running down the sides of his face. His coat was matted and his toenails were overgrown. He was overweight, very slow and totally neglected. Clearly he hadn’t been exercised and he looked as if he hadn’t very long left to live. His age was given to be 14yrs.
Bruno’s ears were so painful his head couldn’t be touched and a general anaesthetic was required for a full examination.
Under anaesthetic his age was estimated at not 14yrs but 7-8yrs.
As you will see from the photo Bruno has made a great recovery. His weight has normalised, his coat shines and he charges around like a puppy. Sadly, his ear problem will probably be ongoing but controllable. He has proven to be a wonderful friend and will stay with us, hopefully, for many years to come.
These type of dogs can’t be re-homed. After such horrific neglect and a close call with death we owe it to Bruno to give him a the life that he never had. Please help us to help them.

Come on in, the water's just fine!

Summertime and the livin’ is easy - well, it is for Elvira, seen relaxing in the pool having sent her sister, Kitten, off for the pina-coladas.
Sadly, not all pigs have the opportunity to live the life that nature intended. Many are kept in stinking pens without bedding where overcrowding and stress leads to aggression.
Pigs are social animals but, like us, they need space to move. They love to root about, will walk miles, love to have fun and keep themselves busy. Our pigs can often be seen doing what can only be described as ‘the housework‘, going off and collecting up straw and other suitable materials and making intricate beds. They are clean and don’t smell and are highly intelligent - much more so than a dog.

PLEASE, THINK BEFORE YOU EAT ANIMALS.
THEY AREN’T OURS TO USE AND ABUSE.

A hell of a home

Have you ever sat down and considered what the life of a wild fish must be like? They move about in the flowing water and, in the course of a day, must travel miles. They’re on the go all of the time. They’re free. Can you imagine what fish must go through being trapped in a goldfish bowl or even a tank?

We’d love our supporters to fund us to build a pond for the goldfish that we can help. Somewhere they can move about in relative freedom. It’s not a perfect solution to a massive problem but it’s a move in the right direction. Please think about helping us to create an environment that will not only help the fish but the local wildlife.
Isn’t it better to experience freedom for one day than an eternity in prison for a crime you didn’t commit?

We would like to send our thanks and best wishes to everyone that has supported us. We have encountered some wonderful people who have become true friends of the sanctuary. A massive, huge, enormously giant, great big, fantastic and eternally grateful THANK YOU to each and every one of you.

We may be here every day but that is entirely down to you.
You’re the best!!

P.S. Do try to support the events that our wonderful supporters have arranged. One of which is a plan for a festival along the riverbank in Maidstone. It’s going to be great so do try to be there. Details available soon.