Katy's Wildlife Rescues

23/07/2024

23/07/2024

Thanks to Lucy for rescuing little Arlo, the gorgeous juvenile Long-eared bat🦇🥰
He's young and had found himself trapped, dehydrated and hungry.
Thankfully with a few days care, he should be just fine. He's uninjured and has a great appetite.
And is the most adorable little patient you could meet, those ears..and the feet!🥺❤️

19/07/2024

Busy day for the vets yesterday.
Mary's little hedgehog. The little one has crossed every hurdle except for breathing issues. So he was in for xrays. We were looking for a diaphragmatic hernia (potential for surgery) but the problem appears to be lungs, a strong course of antibiotics will hopefully see this one bounce back.
He's the most adorable little thing🥹 Really rooting for him.
Thank you Mary, for caring for him, you're amazing for helping with the vet bill🙏❤️

Along the way I collected a poor young fox and she saw the vet too.
Unfortunately she was much too injured to recover, despite our wishes to do so🦊💔
It appeared that she'd been beaten up by some bulls, trapped in a yard. Leaving her unable to walk, fractures, concussion, open wounds, fly strike and deep seated infection. Her finders meant the best and kept her several days while looking for someone safe to give her to. Unfortunately time gives infection and fly strike a chance to take hold.
Picture withheld.
She was given all the love, care and respect of any animal that comes this way❤️‍🩹

Thank you All Creatures Vet Centre for always being willing to care for the wildlife🥰

19/07/2024

Babies are doing well❤️
Pipin the bat pup and Aurora the baby swift both came in on the same day, a week ago.
Both need frequent feeds, 2 hourly, all day for Aurora and Pipin nearly as frequently but needing slightly less now😊

Aurora has put on 13g in the week. A great result, (still a bit to go.) And Pipin had a comparable gain.

It's a true labour of love, so happy they're thriving🥰

17/07/2024

The beautiful pair of Anns House Martins have fledged!
Once allowed out, they stayed close, testing the water and back in to sleep inside.
Yesterday they took off with the local House Martins and Swallows that they'd been chatting to for days.
They flew around for the day, passing over several times a group.
The pair went off to roost with their kind and will fly overseas with them too🥰
Very happy, two more in the sky❤️

16/07/2024

Taylor (Swift) away! ❤️😄
There was no stopping this one.
She was more than ready after a bit of practice.
She made sure I knew with constant climbing, flapping and giving every cue that it was time.
After checking the weather, it was a now or never situation to make sure she got off ahead of rainy weather that's coming.
We went to a meadow, so there was a soft landing if anything went wrong.
But she was off like a bolt and no looking back. I watched until she disappeared.
I took a clip but isn't great, as I just put my phone in my top pocket to try and get some footage😅
(That's a few seconds clip in comments)

Thanks again, Aisling and Paul and Lynda of Swift Conservation Ireland
And special mention to Mike Murphy who teaches people about swifts locally.

Thanks everyone who supports what I do, I'm grateful for you everyday🥰❤️

16/07/2024

Getting close to release for the 2 older owlets🥰

Long eared owls are independent of their parents at approximately 2 months old.
I'm giving them the full 2 months with me for the best chances. The last 1 - 2weeks of which is in the soft release enclosure in the woods.
I have my dates in calendar- they'll all be released through the end of July up to the end of August🌲🌳🦉🌳🌲

We have a huge expanse of wilderness for these beauties in my area.
As long as people don't use rodenticides and leave the critters as dinner for owls, and protect patches of forest, they'll have a great life here🥰
( same goes for every area.)
Bat Rehabilitation Ireland
The Barn Owl Project

14/07/2024

2 Endangered Swifts🥰 the worlds fastest bird in level flight

I was called on Friday evening for a young swift, I named Aurora, that was handed in to a vet in Tralee. The vet didn't seem bothered and put some seeds (!) in the box.
Luckily a worker there was concerned and brought the swift home to Siobhán who has a small self-run farm animal sanctuary.
They got my number through the good people of Animal Magic Wildlife Displays 🥰
Aurora was only 23.2g, just half sized, much too you to fly, dehydrated and feeling quite poorly.

Following morning, I was on the way to get some live insects for Aurora and the House Martins, from Tralee, when I got a call from Aisling and Paul in Tralee, with another young swift, Taylor! The wonderful Lynda Huxley connected us. Taylor is older, very nearly ready to fly but couldn't quite take off. A little dehydrated but overall both are looking positive.
Aurora is putting on weight, Taylor is weight regulating, already at the right size 41.3g, doing her press-ups in preparation for living in the sky for the next 10 months😊

Swifts don't eat seeds, they have a diet of specific insects.
They're extremely resilient birds but human care can put them in detriment.
They are a specialist species with many requirements and need experienced rehabilitators when in need of care.
Swifts are also a protected species and need all the help we can give.

Thanks to everyone involved and for the support🌟 Especially Swift Conservation Ireland for the training and help towards feed. The work you do is so important for this incredible bird.
My favourites too❤️

14/07/2024

Pipin, a 2.5g Soprano Pipistrelle pup came in from Michele, who has a colony of Sopranos at her house.
We had a guided bat walk nearby her place this summer with bat detectors and got to see and hear them all exiting their roost.
One baby has made its way into her house, covered in webs, possibly by cat.
Pipin is overall unharmed, but all precautions taken when cats are involved.
Tiniest bat of the year so far, with biggest appetite.
With frequent feeding he's put on 1.1g in 2 days😅🥰
3.6g today🦇
Thanks for your care for nature and the bats, Michele, you're a star❤️

12/07/2024

They grow up fast🥰 with constant feeding throughout the day and variety of fresh insects.
Will be going into flight practice soon.

(Ann's endangered House Martins💕)

11/07/2024

Mary's little hedgehog, Blondie is the fairest hedgehog I've had for a while, though he's not as pale as they get.
A real dote🥰
He was suffering with digestive issues, laying out in the sun, dehydrated and honestly he wouldn't have survived much longer without intervention.
I've been working on getting his tummy right and there's slow progress🙂
He has an issue with back legs too. Can be seen more now that he's feeling better - kicking them high, and there's sores on feet. All somewhat connected to his digestive issues. Having chatted with Bev The Hogsprickle Wildlife Carers - Wildlife advice and rehabilitation , my mentor and true hedgehog hero, about his issues and care, I'm confident he'll come good.
He needs a good bit more of same care and time❤️

10/07/2024

A happy story to follow a sad 🦔 one.
Not the usual rescue but a good one.

Pidge!🥰 She was a racing pigeon lost in a race in Skibbereen early June. She made her way into a shed in Kenmare and got herself closed in.
When discovered, she wasn't able to fly and very poorly, sat around all day, not moving.

I found her owner after a few days and made contact. (There's a site you can input leg tags and locate owners.)

He was very happy that someone was caring enough to make contact and to care for his bird. He asked if I thought she'd fly back to Dublin, her home.
At that point, she was still unwell (puffed ball, green p**p = sick pidgeon).
I had a trip to Dublin 2 weeks from then ( last weekend) so I brought Pidge along. The owner was sick with covid and couldn't meet me, he asked that I release her at the ferry port.
I was apprehensive but my 89 yr old gran said that he knew what he was talking about. So I let her release Pidge😊
She was incredibly fast and did an aerial display. They can fly at 97km/h. And 160km/h has been observed in short bursts in top racers!

The next day I got news that she made it home to Dun Laoghaire, the owner was delighted and so was I!! 🥳


What I've heard, for some lost racing pigeons, if you feed them bird seed and give them a drink of water, they will often recover after a break and fly off. But sometimes they need help, are too exhausted.
Also heard that pigeon owners don't want their bird back if they get lost, and I think that's a misconception too. Pidge was 3 yrs old by her tag and clearly cared about.
Had the owner been any way pessimistic or nonchalant I'd have found her a new home❤️

It was a nice change to have a tame bird and I got to have a cuddle, which is missed with all the wild ones!🥰

10/07/2024

Truman crossed some big hurdles in recovery but sadly didn't make it😞💔

He recovered from being inflated from gases from crush injury. And his nose with injury and fluids blocking breathing, that cleared up too.
His left eye opened, which had seemed too damaged, too.

Once he was upright, though, he began going in circles.
Indicator of a major brain injury.

Circling is a challenge because they exhaust themselves and walk through food and water bowls unaware of them, round and round. At that stage, a smaller hutch and careful observation, calming sessions and hand feeding, and fluids needed.
He had a day of medication left after this began so pushed through.

Yesterday, on his last day of medication. After care, he fell asleep on my lap (pic3). He was very peaceful.
I hoped he'd sleep off the final damage.
But he didn't wake again. Gently passed a few hours into that sleep.

Bless him. Hedgehogs are so resilient, they can come back from some horrific situations.

I'll never forget how he'd been suffering. He impressed me with how much he recovered.
I'm so glad he had comfort for the end❤️‍🩹

If you think you hit an animal while driving, please check. If it didn't die immediately, it could be in a world of suffering.
It also may be saved in the right hands🙏

09/07/2024

Release video of next 4 young bats🦇✨️

4 more bats (pips) now reared and gracing our skies🥰🦇
They came to me along with the young owls Bat Rehabilitation Ireland
Weaned and exercised in flight and each one healthy, maintaining adult weight, perfect flight patterns.
They were more than excited to go catching midge and other insects!

* Post with pics of their cute faces posted separately🦇✨️

09/07/2024

4 more juvenile bats (pips) now reared and gracing our skies🥰🦇
They came to me along with the young owls from Bat Rehabilitation Ireland . In their young stage pic 1 & 2.
They have been weaned and exercised in flight and each one healthy, maintaining adult weight, perfect flight patterns.
They were more than excited to go catching midge and other insects!

*Release video posted separately as can't post pics and video at the same time on this page🦇✨️

08/07/2024

Ann's young House Martins🥰

These 2 precious endangered birds should be ok with some tlc. Their nest fell.
They were correctly re-placed and under observation, the parents were feeding them but today they've ended up grounded again.
So they've had a health check and they'll be with me til they're ready to fly and migrate.
Thank you Ann for your care and support❤️

*We should start referring to wildlife with it's status -
Endangered house martins - the Endangered swift - the Endangered barn owl. It might help folk to understand their plight.

06/07/2024

Little titch, is the smallest long-eared owlet from this year. He came to me the same time as the last owlet who needed treatment through the wonderful The Barn Owl Project and Bat Rehabilitation Ireland who are doing amazing work.
First two pics are today, he's big enough to be outdoors and in a wilder space, but isn't with the bigger owls just yet. Starting to get some adult feathers but still incredibly fluffy.
Love seeing him grow in leaps and bounds🥰
None of the 4 owls are related. The 3 that are together get along as family though. Long eared owls are "unusually social for an owl"🦉❤️

06/07/2024

Mary's little hedgehog🦔
This little fella was seen a few weeks ago, out in daylight, and had disappeared after eating and drinking the food and water Mary set out.
He seemed to return to normal but she found him twice more out in the sun in her garden, though later in the day.
She contacted me yesterday as he was out in the day yet again.
He'd moved off but I decided to go and check anyway. And he was there, hiding beside the feeding station Mary has set up.

Luckily nothing external wrong besides a lot of mites, a slight rattle to breathing.
So he needs observation, treatment for parasites and to gain some weight.
I've yet to see a tweak in his walking which Mary observed, hinting at a possible neurological issue or nerve issue.
He's in the right place and safe now🥰 Such a cutey. He's just 437g

05/07/2024

Shout out to all Veterinary staff in Ireland

Vet Clinics have a lawful obligation to treat any injured or sick wildlife, so if you would like to prepare staff for any wild casualties you may see, we can present this workshop in your Practice or in a suitable venue for a few Practices.
The workshop includes a wetlab and unlimited post workshop support and advice as well as protocols and sample forms, SOPs etc.

Please get in touch via email to [email protected] for more details.
4.5 CVE points to registered veterinary professionals.

03/07/2024

June,July and August are the months when bats are raising their young and this is the period when home owners will become more aware of bat activity if they have a bat roost on their property.

Noise from the roost, dropping on window cells, grounded bats outside the property or even on occasion a bat within the house are all common during this time.

Most people are happy to see the bats return each year and many people send us the most incredible videos of bats emerging and returning to their roosts at dusk and dawn.

We also receive hundreds of calls each month from home owners looking for information on how to remove bats from their property. This is NOT an option in Ireland and is totally illegal.

Bats are a protected species in Ireland and it is a crime to intentionally cause harm to a bat or to their roost site.
It is also illegal to carry out works to a property that has a known roost without a license from the National parks and Wildlife Service.

Although bats do have legal protection, the law does not expect people to co-exist with bats in the living area (i.e. bedrooms, sitting room, etc.). On the rare occasions where bats from a roost in the roof are consistently finding their way into the living area of the house please contact your local conservation officer.

I would advice anyone that has a bat roost and needs to have works carried out to contact the conservation officer in their area asap to have a survey of the property and to apply for a derogation license as this can often take time to arrange.

You will find a list of conservation officers at https://www.npws.ie/

If you do not have an officer in your area please contact NPWS to speak to a regional manager.
❤️❤️❤️🦇🦇🦇

Bats are gentle creatures that provide us with a vital ecological service. The are a key species in the control of pest insects. Please be kind.❤️❤️❤️🦇🦇🦇

03/07/2024

I have more stories from last week but this poor hedgehog, Truman, from yesterday has taken the priority.
I was shook seeing him the first time. He was in so much pain and discomfort. Poor thing!🥺 Bloated like a balloon, thanks to an impact, (likely a car) internal damage and a bacteria causing the gas to blow out his skin.

Once home, I immediately removed air which was trapped beneath his skin and gave medication-pain relief and antibiotics, he slept, more comfortable.
Today I deflated some more and took him to the vet for an assessment and got strong injectable medication. He's not strong enough for anaesthetic just yet.

So he'll have a few days of same treatment to just get him more stable and keeping him warm and comfortable.
He's got a small chance, there's some hope for him. Thanks to the 2 girls who saved him in Caherdaniel. Please keep him in your prayers🦔❤️🙏

03/07/2024

Tiggy from Di**le went back home on Friday🥰🥳
I don't have a picture that shows how bad her condition really was but she recovered fully after 2 weeks in care.
I carefully progressed her from intensive hutch to fully wild space to test her behaviours and instincts.
Very happy with her condition, though she was still a pregnant weight, there was no reason to further keep her.
It's always best if they can give birth in the wild.
The rescuers, Niamh and Emily of Kingdom Falconry - Di**le. who did a great job with her, had expressed a little concern about hoglets being born so close the birds of prey. So I selected a site for release, bordering on hedgehog friendly habitats within a near but safe proximity to the falconry.
I use maps and satellite images for many of my releases to ensure the best chances for returning wildlife.
Good luck with the hoglets Tiggy!!❤️🥰

02/07/2024

This lovely long eared owlet came to me last week through Bat Rehabilitation Ireland and The Barn Owl Project .
She had an impact which cause air leakage from her air sac (Subcutaneous emphysema). Either from a big fall or something else. Thankfully no broken bones!
After a few days treatment shes now perfect🥰
And has joined the 2 older long eared owls in the big enclosure today.
In the final pic there are 3 owls, might take a moment to see the 3rd.
All owls are doing great❤️🦉

29/06/2024

It's been one of those weeks, very busy, lots of stories. I'll make some catch up updates next week🥰
For today I'll just share a bat pup taking it's milk. It is a specialist milk from vet, puppy or kitten milk formula. Dairy is big a NO-NO.
This pup is being weaned so he gets some milk, and then some mealworms/morioworms, and gets weighed too.

This is one of 4 bat pups I have in care. My second lot of what I'd call 'teenagers' from Susan Bat Rehabilitation Ireland .
She said in a post that she has bats of all ages. She left out the effort that goes in to rearing them! So much patience and dedication is required.

Some pups are agreeable, sometimes they're picky, they always need time to warm up before even being in the mood to eat. Each one is a unique character.
I'm glad to be able to help Susan.
4 isn't a lot compared to the numbers she has in care, but as I sit with them, I can appreciate that even 4 can take a good half hour 3 times a day.
I'll always support that amazing lady any way I can. And the little bats too, they're so worth it🥰🦇

24/06/2024

24/06/2024

These moments are wonderful alone but here are 5x of them🥰❤️
When you're being eaten by midge and insects while releasing bats, it's a sure sign you've picked a good night for it😅

The 4 juvenile common pipistrelles from Bat Rehabilitation Ireland successfully weaned and put through flight school, together with the single juvenile common pip from Di**le, who'd had a run in with a cat, with the same needs as the others.
It was intensive yet fast paced to get to the final moments.

Once they were doing loops in the bat flight, over and around 5g, they were well ready.
4 went on one night, 1 was less keen (the last one) so took 2 extra days.
I had one more young bat (common pip) come in meanwhile who had an injury to hip/leg which was too severe unfortunately❤️‍🩹

But 5 out of 6 is great🥰🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇✨️

22/06/2024

We are seeing more birds each year with White Feather Syndrome and Metabolic Bone Disease, where the bones are deformed and often twisted.
The white in these feathers is often mistaken for, but is separate to, Leucistic.

These 2 young jackdaws are siblings from my village and unfortunately neither made it.
The 1st was found by a french tourist who then found me. The birds legs were very deformed and was going to have to be euthanized but he had a seizure and passed prior. The 2nd was extremely small, too, but the bone disease had not afflicted the legs yet. I was planning a rehabilitation for it. But sadly, it also passed overnight the following night.
Hopefully the parents next brood is successful, these little ones didn't make it far from the nest.

Most likely, there was a limitation of proper nutrients during breeding season and in early days of hatching.
Many of us don't see the effects in nature of what feeding cakes, processed foods and sugars do, or throwing pesticides and w**d killer on everything in our towns.
But the evidence is there😔

I'll include a longer text about the white feather syndrome in comments

22/06/2024

The female hedgehog from Di**le, let's call her Tiggy, is still a heavy girl.
She's feeling a lot more comfortable, even though she's put on 200g in weight.
On intake she was swollen and looking fit to burst. Unable to move and very flat, paws outwards and very dehydrated.
If she was having gastric issues, perhaps a poisoned slug, that has at least passed, though there was no evidence of such issues in s**t.

Thankfully she is not in need of medication, just a bit of extra care for the moment.
Though there's no way to put a date on it, going by her original condition and current condition, I'll easily give her another week observation❤️🦔

19/06/2024

It's amazing what a bit of care can do!
Pic 1&2 are the new bat pup from Di**le (from today and intake)
He's already 4.4g (up from 3g) and his eye is all better. He's still separate from the other pips while healing and catching up to their routine.

The 4 other pups are well on their way too. Adult weights and twice a day feeds now.
They are 4.8g and up.
All 5 of them are flying well!
They grow up so fast🥰🦇

18/06/2024

These two precious creatures are yesterday's intakes.
Bat pup, 3g, (common pip) from Di**le, brought in by a cat. Small cut but nothing too serious with the right care. He's doing great🥰 Thanks Lisa for the big trip and meeting me in Killarney.
It was my 2nd trip there after collecting the hedgehog in the am.

Her story started the day before. She was out in daylight and very lethargic, also in Di**le. It's always a concern of some kind to see a hedgehog out in daylight.
The girls at the Kingdom Falconry - Di**le. Emily and Niamh Wild Atlantic Wildlife Park were vigilant and did brilliant caring with remote instructions. They patiently fed and weighed and assessed she is indeed a female for me. Under advice from Bev we were going to just feed and rehydrate and release that night, if all appearing well. A hedgehog birthing in the wild is the best scenario.
But the hedgehog (who we've yet to name) went completely flat by late afternoon. Paws out and very uncomfortable, she wasn't going anywhere.
From there, more great care and observation from the girls. Then Niamh brought her all the way to meet me early yesterday morning in Killarney.
The hedgehog thankfully made it the whole way without giving birth.
She is in a lovely spacious nest box and being given a lot of space. She's done some nesting behaviour. I haven't intruded today, only to freshen food and a light clean. She's in the best secure place, and I'm keeping the quietest eye on her.
Well done Emily and Niamh🥰🦔