"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures."
(His Holiness The Dalai Lama)
Below is a poem about a baby hedgehog on his first night out on his own, inspired by the many baby hedgehogs we take in every year at Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue.
I’M JUST A LITTLE HEDGEHOG
I’m just a little hedgehog, no one really cares,
Mum has to leave us tomorrow, but forever in her prayers,
She warned of all the dangers and told us all she knew,
But tomorrow came so quickly and mum has left us now.
I’m the smallest of the litter and last to leave the nest,
But I am going to show my mum, that I really was the best.
I’m going off exploring, to forage in the leaves.
I feel quite grown up now, to go where ever I please.
A sound I haven’t heard before makes me curl up in a ball.
I poke my nose out and sniff the air,
My spikes will protect me if anything is there.
I walk away slowly not making much sound,
Still looking for food and water but none can be found.
I come to a pond, I’ve found water at last.
But I slip and fall in, it all happened so fast.
I bob up and down and start swimming around,
Never felt so happy, than when my feet touched the ground.
Life for a little hedgehog is not easy like I thought,
Wish I had listened to mum more now, when we were being taught.
Got a busy night ahead, finding food and building a nest,
But all I really want right now is to get warm and have a rest.
I dream of a garden, a bit wild and overgrown,
I’d live there forever and make it my home.
Food would be plenty and easy to find,
The perfect garden for me and my kind.
The garden I am in is not at all wild,
But shingle and wood, the rest seems to be tiled
I find a small hole, just big enough for me,
And climb through the fence and set myself free.
I’m in a place, much worse than the last,
Bright lights and noisy and moving so fast.
I wait by the side, not sure what to do
Just look in amazement at this strange view.
It all goes quiet and the darkness comes back,
The time has now come to cross this wide track
On my way over, it starts getting lighter,
I glance over my shoulder and see two lights getting brighter.
I stand very still but my teeth start to chatter,
Do I go back or carry on, or does it really matter.
I crouch down low, and shiver with fright,
This all happened on my very first night.
Written by John Garner of Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue
FOXY LODGE WILDLIFE RESCUE May 2006 is when it all started, when John & Tonia first met. We would find and bring home injured wildlife and release back into the wild when fit and healthy again. Word started to get around and Foxy lodge wildlife rescue was officially opened during November 2008. We give a second chance for sick, injured, abandoned or orphaned wildlife. Our aim is to rehabilitate or rear and then release back into the wild with the help of our 20-25 dedicated volunteer's. We used to be "normal" and take holidays abroad and have a social life, but not any more! During busy times we fill up fast and are sometimes unable to take in everything that needs help. We will however offer advice on how to best help or where possible give you alternative rescue centres you can try.
We currently admit around 1100 wildlife casualties every year and give advice to a further 2000+ cases every year. We use around 5,500 tins of cat/dog food, 700kg of chicken, 3 tons of various bird seeds, 300kg of cat & hedgehog biscuits, 200kg of fish, 250kg dried mealworms with specialized foods used in hand rearing babies together with vets bills & medications. This does not come cheap and any new equipment we need is an extra expense. As you can imagine, finding enough money each year on top of running foxy lodge is a major challenge for us but fortunately we get a lot of support from local and not so local people.
We now have the licences from Natural England to legally keep/rear & release grey squirrels and Muntjac deer, which normally are illegal to release in this country because they are not indigenous to the UK.
We receive no wages or payments whatsoever for the work that we do, and rely solely on your donations. Our costs are kept to the minimum which ensures that all donations are used for the intended purpose of benefitting the wildlife in our care. Foxy Lodge Wildlife Rescue is in your hands.
For Hedgehog help and advice click "HEDGEHOG HELP AND ADVICE"
All the latest news at Foxy "LATEST"
Can you give a donation or fund raise? please click here "CONTACT US"
Alternative view of the Fox THE OTHER SIDE TO THE FOX
Lost and found pet birds click HERE
