Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue encouraging through knowledge a natural balance

remember the bear hug code

If as a human you were captured by a bear and taken to his cave and told in bear language that he was going to make you better you would not relax and many of us would die of shock. Animals are not cuddled in the wild and the only time another species touches them is when they are going to eat them.

Wildlife Rescue for mammals

All our wildlife is scared of us and shock kills. If you find an injured animal place it in a warm strong box so it canot escape and maybe covered in a towel so it can hide and get it to your nearest rescue. Looking at the animals and talking to them will not help.

In the rescue of larger mamanls such as foxes and badgers great care must be taken as they can both give serious bites. If oyyou have no experince with either of these please phone your local rescue. It is important you make a note of where you have collected your patient from. All adults are returned to their own territory becuse if they have survived to adulthood they will now where to hunt and where to hide. In he case of deer contact your nearest rescue. Deer can seem drowsey but may wake in your car and be less than happy. Only if you are sure an animal is is danger or injured remove and take him to your nearest vet or bring him to us or your nearest wildlife rescue center

N.B. Do not put yourself or your family in danger when rescuing an animal. Call a rescue who will have experinced volunteers in this area and can give advice

Wildlife Rescue Care for Birds

Many baby birds that sound in distress are perfectly health and very strong. Once temporarily abandoned by their parents in a bid to encourage their independence, the struggling youngster can become very distressed.
Usually protective parent stay very nearby to feed in an emergency and see them safely on their way. At this point a well-meaning human mistakes their cry and decides to rescue the chirpy fledgling. They suffer stress, shock and sometimes die at the hands of the well meaning human. Wildlife is fearful of us. If a bear picked us up you would be scared and fear for your life.
Please do not remove a fledgling unless it is in obvious danger or injured
If you are sure he is in danger or injured take him to your nearest vet or bring him to us or your nearest wildlife rescue center
Please be careful when you prune not to expose any nests and disturb any fledglings please prune early and late to avoid this, we get many orphans who have lost their home to pruning gardeners.
If you find a bird you believe to be abandoned or injured and wish to help him, place him in a box with ventilation and keep him warm, dark and quiet and seek help
Don't be tempted to keep peering at him. Your face will not help him relax. In fact it will have the opposite effect.

N.B. Do not put yourself or your family in danger when rescuing an animal. Call a rescue who will have experinced volunteers in this area and can give advice

Wildlife Rescue for fledglings & baby Birds

What to do if you find a baby bird.

If you find a baby bird on the ground or otherwise away frrom its nest, you must first determine whether it is, infact, in need of assistance. Many songbird fledglings leave the nest several days before they can fly, and the parent birds are still caring for them and watching their safety, so do not need help. It may take up to half an hour for a parent to return to its offspring, so patience is essential. If it is in immediate danger of becoming lunch for a cat or dog then scoop it up and place in a nearby bush or shrub out of harm's way. Since most birds have no significant sense of smell, moving a baby bird to safety or returning it to its nest should not cause the parents to abandon it.

If you find a baby bird with little or no feathers then it is going to need a bit more help. If you know where the nest is then return the bird to its nest. If the baby is cold to the touch then take it inside to warm it for 30 minutes before placing back in the nest. Use a hot water bottle or latex glove filled with warm water with a towel between the bird and the heat. Put the bird in a warm dark place where it is quiet, away from children and pets, until it is warm enough to be returned to the nest.

If you are unable to find the nest or if it is unreachable or destroyed, line a small basket or plastic container with material from the old nest (if available) or dry grass or leaves. Wire your nest to a branch about 5 or 6 feet from the ground (out of reach of predators or children) or fix it securely as close as possible to the old nest.

If the baby bird is visibly injured or ill, place it in a small box lined with tissues, paper towel or similar material and cover the top of the box, making sure there is enough ventilation for the bird to breathe, and contact your local wildlife rescue. Avoid excessive handling or loud noises, and do not be tempted to keep peering at the baby. It is very important that the baby is kept warm, especially as, even if not injured, it will be in shock. Place the box either somewhere like a warm an airing cupboard or on a hot water bottle covered in a towel

DO NOT attempt to give baby birds food or water as it is all too easy to get it into their lungs.

Please be careful when pruning hedges or bushes that you do not disturb or destroy nests or injure babies. Prune either early or late to avoid this.

Wildlife Rescue for Birds of Prey

We rescue many raptors or birds of prey each year some who have damaged their wings, been poisoned, damaged a leg, been hit by a car or are just too tiny to fend for themselves. We hand rear buzzards, kestrels, owls and other raptors to release back where they belong. The feeding regime is complex and rehabilitation is detailed and complicated but successful. If you find an orphaned buzzard or sparrow hawk or other bird of prey please contact us for help. Keep him quiet and dark. Human contact will not help.
Different birds eat different food. Do not attempt to put water in their beak as this can enter the lungs. Food is specialist and many food that some birds eat are harmful to others. It is much better to bring the feather creature to us or to your nearest wildlife rescue for expert help. Be very careful of their tallons, these are the tools they use to defend and attack. We do not recommend you handling these birds unless you are experinced.

N.B. Do not put yourself or your family in danger when rescuing an animal. Call a rescue who will have experinced volunteers in this area and can give advice

wildlife rescue for orphan

Most orphans play and learn life skills under the watchful eye of their parents. Just because you cannot see them doesnt mean they are not there. Wildlife lives in a secret world and adults know that humnas are dangerous and will stay hidden. Observe from a distance and interfer only if essential. Fledgling birds are fed away from the nest and parents dissappear for peroids of time. This method may seem harsh to us but if parents continued to feed their babies they would never learn to hunt. Animals feed when they are hungry and hunger is a good motivation.

If you are concerned about an orphan phone your nearest rescue for advice before you remove it.

N.B. Do not put yourself or your family in danger when rescuing an animal. Call a rescue who will have experinced volunteers in this area and can give advice

Encouraging Birds into your garden

The best way to encourage feathered visitors is the natural way, by growing food they like and encouraging the insects and bugs they feed on. A compost heap attracts worms and where there are worms there are birds. Read More

Emergency Care in the Snow

Most of our wildlife can cope with the cold but will not survive without food and water. Food gives energy and energy is heat. Extreme weather can prevent our wildlife from finding its natural food.

Birds and wildlife will need feeding as in many cases their food supply will be unavailable. Read More

what have you done today to make you feel proud

Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue is small rescue run by by volunteers who all give their time to care, treat and rehabilitate wildlife. We work on privately owned land. We are constatly improving our facilities and programes through shared knowledge with other centers and facilites. Read More

How we started

Whilst out walking with my dog in the early 1980's I found a small hedgehog stuck in a fence. He was too fat to go through and his prickles wouldn't let him go back.

He had been pushing so long in an attempt to free himself that the wire had cut into his body and his leg was bleeding where he had pushed and pushed against the ground. I had in my handbag a pair of pliers (no surprise to anyone who knows me) I cut the wire and removed the hedgehog READ MORE

shop with amazon and raise funds for us

If you buy from Amazon through our web site some money will go to supporting us and it wont cost you a penny more. You can also buy Amazon gift vouchers too. A great way to give a gift and support wildlife.

Click below on the Amazon logo to get directly to their site and shop or read More

why we do it

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. READ MORE

To find out a little about the people that run our rescue Click here Our Team

How we started

Whilst out walking with my dog in the early 1980's I found a small hedgehog stuck in a fence. He was too fat to go through and his prickles wouldn't let him go back.

He had been pushing so long in an attempt to free himself that the wire had cut into his body and his leg was bleeding where he had pushed and pushed against the ground. I had in my handbag a pair of pliers (no surprise to anyone who knows me) I cut the wire and removed the hedgehog READ MORE