Sponsor a hedgehog this winter

These hogs have never lived in the wild. Some of them came in before their eyes were open. They are still too small to be allowed to get cold and want to hibernate.

They will move to a cooler room once they have reached a safe weight to allow them to do so. They lose about 100 to 150 grams after hibernation and it is better that they have a shorter hibernation in our Hogwards shed and be released in the spring, fit and well.

The alternative is to release them to a space they have never known, when the weather is cold and food scarce, when they will lose too much weight and not survive hibernation.

It is costly to keep these hogs over winter and this is where sponsoring each hog helps us.

At a cost of £30, this covers some of the costs of laundry, heating and food through the winter months. It makes a lovely gift for the person who’s difficult to buy for and they will get an update on their hog in the spring so it makes a lasting gift too.

We currently have about 20 hogs with us, although there may be more arrive during November.

Last week at the Centre has seen things slow down. Jackie has been able to do cleaning that has had to be left as we had so many casualties to care for.

The three cygnets and a swan were successfully released with two mallard ducks. They will not be seen as a group as when let out onto the river, the two ducks went off in the opposite direction to the swan and cygnets.

The swans did form a nice group, but one of the cygnets was born with a malformed neck. He swims with his neck lying low over his back. He feeds and is able to hold his neck up when he wants to stretch for something, but he does look not quite right when gently moving on the water.

He was brought in with suspected lead poisoning, but it seems he has always been like this.

The group was all sticking together when releasers left them. They did not see the ducks again!

Our 15 other ducklings have also been returned to the lake on a camp site at Wooler. Thirteen came from one nest, where, sadly, the mother was injured so badly by a dog attack that she had to be put to sleep. The other two came from the same park.

They have, in the process of growing up, wrecked the grass in two aviaries and the Little Pond pen. Hopefully, the grass will recover during the winter with the help of some grass seed. These birds took up a considerable part of the cleaning and feeding routine at the Centre so some autumn cleaning and tidying can be done at last.

Two barn owls were also successfully released this week. One close to Longformacus and one near Kelso. Both were hand-reared at the Centre.

Two wood pigeons were sent on their way. We always have pigeons at the Centre. We have another six still with us.

We took in an injured tawny owl, that sadly died before we could treat it.

A pigeon and a buzzard also came in on Sunday, both badly injured, and had to go to the vet for euthanasia, so a sad end for the week.