Don't make animals suffer (From Witney Gazette)

Don't make animals suffer

9:00am Wednesday 25th October 2006 in Witney

WITH Guy Fawkes Night approaching, people with a concern for the dangers and fears it can bring for wildlife and for domestic animals are reminding us of the care that should be taken to prevent suffering, writes SUZANNE KELSEY.

Gillian Haley, who as a former hedgehog carer, has taken into her home in Witney many sick and injured animals, can recall far too many that suffered their injuries as a result of bonfires. As a heap of leaves and garden material may seem such an attractive opportunity for a hedgehog looking for a safe place to hibernate, bonfires should be built as close as possible to the time it is to be lit. If it has been built up beforehand, it should be thoroughly checked, avoiding the use of sharp tools, to make sure that no creatures have crept inside. Ideally, the bonfire should be completely dismantled and moved to another area of clear ground just before lighting.

Any hedgehogs found should be moved, with the immediate surrounding material, to a safe place, well away from the noise and disturbance.

Mrs Haley points out that this potential danger from garden bonfires is a risk at any time of the year, and care should always be taken. She remembers an occasion when her Border Collie attracted her attention to an injured animal, and this she found to be a hedgehog, which had suffered burns.

Although Mrs Haley no longer takes in injured hedgehogs herself, Cogges Veterinary Surgery can help by assessing their condition, and, if appropriate, arranging for them to be transferred to a wildlife centre. Household pets, who are sensitive to loud noise, can also suffer considerably from the sound of fireworks.

Advice for owners is that when firework displays are expected, animals should be kept in a room with the curtains drawn, so that they cannot see the flashes of light, and should have somewhere where they can retreat.

Toys to occupy them will help, as will a background of radio or TV to help cover outside noise.

All pets should be kept safely indoors when there is a possibility of fireworks being set off.

Animals such as rabbits, which are kept outdoors, should be taken into a shed or other outbuilding.

Anybody planning a firework event should ensure that neighbours are told, so that they can keep their own animals indoors.

Fireworks should not be set off in areas where horses or farm livestock are close by, or where wildlife in neighbouring countryside could be frightened.