These last two weeks have been extreme here in Cornwall; some beautiful long sunny days mixed with, well, last Friday for instance……a wet day but not too bad until about 3 o’clock when the rain became torrential. Two hours later we were two feet under water. I had to dig out the full waterproofs and wellingtons that I’d just stored away for the summer and get to work clearing and unclogging and generally keeping the water damage to a minimum. By 7pm the water had receded enough for me to decide it was safe to go home without much damage to property but lots of problems for the ground nesting birds and their youngsters. Several nests had been flooded, including our Snowy Owls who were nesting on the ground in a scrape. A number of ducklings also just seemed to disappear, presumably victims of the cold, wet weather. Hopefully the ducks and other birds will try again, our Snowy Owl hasn’t wasted any time at all and has already made a new (higher) scrape and laid two eggs; she doesn’t usually sit very well so it will be interesting to see how this affects her.
Our Chinese Fawn Gosling are three weeks old today and making good progress. I want to let them out of their hatching shed and pen area and into the grounds so that they can graze at will and have access to the ponds but the problem is that without a goose to look after them their chances of surviving are low. So we’ve hatched a plan (no pun intended) and it goes like this……
We have a Greylag Gander who loves babies. He loves them so much that he attaches himself to any duck or goose that has ducklings or goslings and tries to steal the babies. Don’t worry, he won’t harm them, in fact he usually does a great job of taking care of them. If we can link the gander up to our goslings they will stand a good chance of survival. This afternoon I managed to catch him and tonight he is in the shed with the goslings. Tomorrow morning we’ll try and decide whether they have bonded and if they have we’ll let them all out together, so fingers crossed for a good result. If they don’t bond them we haven’t lost anything and we’ll let the gander free.
Nigel (our Fallow buck) is less bashful now that his antlers are growing back; they are now about four inches long and covered in velvet. Soon they will start growing very fast and he will cheer up even more. His does are looking very rotund and we are expecting some fawns in the next couple of weeks or so- let’s hope it stays fairly dry.
To other matters…the otters are all fine, and the cubs in particular are still doing well.
Some of you may have seen Wednesday’s Western Morning News and Friday’s Times with our new national star Biggy having his tummy tickled (very cute).
Staying with the paper theme I’d like to thank Class 1 of Egloskerry Primary School for their excellent book and information sheets. Its really nice to see the children so interested in nature after their visit here a couple of weeks ago. All of their work is on display and they have even had time to give our young buck a name; he’s to be called Hansel because he’s handsome and lives in the woods. I don’t think any of us can argue with that!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Biggy to the Rescue (well almost)!
Smalley is doing quite well now. We had to move all of the otter cubs from their new sunny pen back to the old one a few weeks ago as Smalley had a little accident and fell in one of the ponds in the pen and was unable to get himself out. Biggy tried to be a hero and tried pulling him out of the pond with his mouth, just the way their older siblings would have done had they still been in the pen with the family. However Biggy was not yet strong enough or big enough to achieve this feat and one of the keepers came to the rescue. He was a bit shivery but once he was dried off he was absolutely fine. We then moved them all back to the pen they had been in originally and even though Smalley was ok we still all kept a close eye on him. Now they are all doing well and Smalley’s trip into the pond hasn’t seemed to scare him off the water and although he’s been a bit slower than the others he’s just this week started to swim. Even though Biggy and Smalley can swim perfectly well and started at quite a young age in the bath at home, they seemed to be a bit put off by the coldness here, but now the sun is shining and it’s starting to warm up they’ve taken to it really well. The other cubs are all doing ok as well, Cinnamon and Biggy continue to be the best of friends and love playing together and generally trying to cause as much mayhem as possible. Leap is still a bit shy but as she is so much younger than the others this is understandable. She likes the company of the others and doesn’t like being left on her own. But we think she is getting a bit braver as she will come out of her box of her own accord first thing in the morning and in the evening when no members of the public are around. It looks like the toad incident may be one of many attempts at trying to catch their own food as they recently caught a newt and Biggy in particular is quite adept at fishing for insects and grubs in the water. However whilst little squirmy things interest them they have shown that there are not quite so brave when it comes to slightly bigger animals with feathers. One of the ducklings managed to get into their pen the other day, bear in mind it was small enough it would fit quite comfortably into the palm of your hand and they all ran away from it! This is obviously one of the learning processes they have missed out on from not being in with their family and it is up to us to teach them that these things are ok.
All of the otters are doing well and have taken to sleeping a lot more as the weather gets warmer. However they will occasionally exert a bit of pressure on themselves and in two days Tino and Tamarisk caught themselves three moorhens, needless to say they weren’t interested in their lunch at all after that.
We have had a few ducklings hatch, several Mallards and some Muscovy ducklings, however these have gradually dwindled in numbers, probably due to the crows coming down and picking them off and we have also noticed several Moorhen chicks running around. The Barnacle geese appear to be sitting on eggs on the island. Last year they had five goslings so hopefully we will have some more this year. They are very protective parents and look after their young very well. We have also had an Indian runner duckling hatch from the incubator and to keep him company we caught up one of the mallard ducklings and both seem to get on very well. Today we have four Chinese goose eggs in the process of hatching and one that has already hatched, also out of the incubator. So, all in all things seem to be successful on the young bird front.
The young buck has improved in confidence a great deal and from just starting to take food out of the keepers hands it took him a couple of days and he is now taking food out of the publics hands and is not at all shy about coming forwards for it. He has also just started getting his first white spots on his coat, so he’s starting to blend in with the others a bit more. All of the deer are quite relaxed at the moment and many of them have been coming down to feed from peoples hands. Nigel is looking a little less sorry for himself and has two bumps rather like plant bulbs on his head where his antlers will start to grow back.
The tawny owlet hasn’t been seen in a while now so we are assuming it is fully fledged and has now left the nest.
Several people have now seen the young joeys in their pouches and a few people have even seen them coming out of the pouch for a few minutes and then getting back in.
We have also seen some very young muntjac fawns, definitely one and possibly two. One of them is very small and has been seen wandering around with its mum and was also seen suckling a few weeks ago.
What with all the young birds, deer and wallabies it is quite an exciting time at the moment!
Composed by Sonia (one of the keepers).
All of the otters are doing well and have taken to sleeping a lot more as the weather gets warmer. However they will occasionally exert a bit of pressure on themselves and in two days Tino and Tamarisk caught themselves three moorhens, needless to say they weren’t interested in their lunch at all after that.
We have had a few ducklings hatch, several Mallards and some Muscovy ducklings, however these have gradually dwindled in numbers, probably due to the crows coming down and picking them off and we have also noticed several Moorhen chicks running around. The Barnacle geese appear to be sitting on eggs on the island. Last year they had five goslings so hopefully we will have some more this year. They are very protective parents and look after their young very well. We have also had an Indian runner duckling hatch from the incubator and to keep him company we caught up one of the mallard ducklings and both seem to get on very well. Today we have four Chinese goose eggs in the process of hatching and one that has already hatched, also out of the incubator. So, all in all things seem to be successful on the young bird front.
The young buck has improved in confidence a great deal and from just starting to take food out of the keepers hands it took him a couple of days and he is now taking food out of the publics hands and is not at all shy about coming forwards for it. He has also just started getting his first white spots on his coat, so he’s starting to blend in with the others a bit more. All of the deer are quite relaxed at the moment and many of them have been coming down to feed from peoples hands. Nigel is looking a little less sorry for himself and has two bumps rather like plant bulbs on his head where his antlers will start to grow back.
The tawny owlet hasn’t been seen in a while now so we are assuming it is fully fledged and has now left the nest.
Several people have now seen the young joeys in their pouches and a few people have even seen them coming out of the pouch for a few minutes and then getting back in.
We have also seen some very young muntjac fawns, definitely one and possibly two. One of them is very small and has been seen wandering around with its mum and was also seen suckling a few weeks ago.
What with all the young birds, deer and wallabies it is quite an exciting time at the moment!
Composed by Sonia (one of the keepers).
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Toads rule ok!
Spring is trying hard to make itself known and although it is still very wet underfoot the sun certainly has a bit more heat in it than it has had of late and some of the ground is even drying up in places. Not good for those dabbling ducks but much better for the rest of us.
Our splendid Fallow Deer buck Nigel (we think he’ll be 15 later this year- a great age for this breed of animal) is looking a little sorry for himself in the last couple of days because both of his antlers have fallen off. This is completely natural and happens every spring. His scars will have healed up in the next ten days or so and after that the antlers will begin to grow again, but until then I think he’ll be a bit miserable. In complete contrast our young buck is very proud of the inch long pricks on the top of his head. He’s just nine months old and supremely confident. Until today he’s been coming down for a feed but avoiding actual contact with the keepers but this afternoon he took several handfuls of food directly from Mandy’s hand. A very cocky young buck indeed.
We have our first ducklings on the pond- two seen yesterday (but so far not today) -and lots of birds on eggs. Also, and even more exciting, a Tawny Owlet has been seen several times on a tree branch by the waterfall. He’s been seen at various times of the day by a number of visitors. The common factor seems to be that he likes to come out in the sun but isn’t straying far from his nest. He looks to be about four to six weeks old so he won’t be there for very much longer. Tawny Owls are fairly common down here but wage a constant battle for nest sites with jackdaws and crows. Two years ago we even had a pair of Tawny’s build their nest and fledge three chicks from a nest they built actually inside the Bengal Eagle Owl aviary.
The peacocks and guinea fowl are all looking great with their new plumage and they are spending a lot of time and effort on looking good and attracting partners.
The otters are all well and spring is getting under their skin too. They are spending a lot of time playing (and then sleeping) other than Hilda, who rather typically is keeping a low profile and is only glimpsed occasionally.
The cubs are all well. Smalley has made a slight but noticeable improvement in his movement. He can now get up one stair. Not much you might think, but considering what he was like a short while ago we are pleased as punch. He is still a bit of a worry to all of us but we are optimistic. Biggy is fine, pushy and very energetic. He can often be seen playing with Cinnamon and they continue to get on very well.
Leap has improved too; she has put on a lot of weight and is looking very healthy. She still has a nervous (or evil) temperament but can be quite bold at times. Cinnamon is more and more likeable and beautiful every day. She is in superb condition and her coat shines like it has just been polished.
Last week we decided to leave the British cubs at work in a pen overnight for the first time because they were getting to be a bit of a handful; moving furniture whenever they felt like it and completely taking over the vegetable rack and some of their favourite kitchen chairs. They were easy to move from home to work every day but it is in their interests to move them away from us as soon as practical. They coped very well and seem to be adapting to their new, cooler environment without much trouble.
They were joined on Monday night by Biggy and Smalley. We worried about Smalley being cold but when I went in and checked them yesterday morning he was at the centre of a lovely fluffy otter heap and was warm as toast so as long as he burrows his way into the centre of the group he should be fine.
Biggy and Smalley are rather older than the others (19 weeks compared to Cinnamon at 13 weeks and Leap at 10 weeks) but look quite small compared to their British cousins.
We have moved the cubs into a sunnier pen with an electric water pump and they can obviously hear it humming because they have been put off swimming in the ponds. Once they get used to it I’m sure they will enjoy their new home. However, they haven’t been put off exploring and this morning I was in with them when they discovered a toad. They caught it, chomped on it a bit, realised their mistake and spent the next ten minutes with expressions that reminded me of our kids eating limes. They couldn’t get rid of the taste quickly enough but after a good drink three of them went back to it and started licking it again! The toad had been still all along and I thought it was dead and it just lay there as the three otters licked and spat and licked and spat. After a while the otters decided that the toad wasn’t good to eat and left it alone and went to try to find something else to annoy. A few minutes later I saw the toad rapidly heading for cover; I think I could hear him laughing….
Our splendid Fallow Deer buck Nigel (we think he’ll be 15 later this year- a great age for this breed of animal) is looking a little sorry for himself in the last couple of days because both of his antlers have fallen off. This is completely natural and happens every spring. His scars will have healed up in the next ten days or so and after that the antlers will begin to grow again, but until then I think he’ll be a bit miserable. In complete contrast our young buck is very proud of the inch long pricks on the top of his head. He’s just nine months old and supremely confident. Until today he’s been coming down for a feed but avoiding actual contact with the keepers but this afternoon he took several handfuls of food directly from Mandy’s hand. A very cocky young buck indeed.
We have our first ducklings on the pond- two seen yesterday (but so far not today) -and lots of birds on eggs. Also, and even more exciting, a Tawny Owlet has been seen several times on a tree branch by the waterfall. He’s been seen at various times of the day by a number of visitors. The common factor seems to be that he likes to come out in the sun but isn’t straying far from his nest. He looks to be about four to six weeks old so he won’t be there for very much longer. Tawny Owls are fairly common down here but wage a constant battle for nest sites with jackdaws and crows. Two years ago we even had a pair of Tawny’s build their nest and fledge three chicks from a nest they built actually inside the Bengal Eagle Owl aviary.
The peacocks and guinea fowl are all looking great with their new plumage and they are spending a lot of time and effort on looking good and attracting partners.
The otters are all well and spring is getting under their skin too. They are spending a lot of time playing (and then sleeping) other than Hilda, who rather typically is keeping a low profile and is only glimpsed occasionally.
The cubs are all well. Smalley has made a slight but noticeable improvement in his movement. He can now get up one stair. Not much you might think, but considering what he was like a short while ago we are pleased as punch. He is still a bit of a worry to all of us but we are optimistic. Biggy is fine, pushy and very energetic. He can often be seen playing with Cinnamon and they continue to get on very well.
Leap has improved too; she has put on a lot of weight and is looking very healthy. She still has a nervous (or evil) temperament but can be quite bold at times. Cinnamon is more and more likeable and beautiful every day. She is in superb condition and her coat shines like it has just been polished.
Last week we decided to leave the British cubs at work in a pen overnight for the first time because they were getting to be a bit of a handful; moving furniture whenever they felt like it and completely taking over the vegetable rack and some of their favourite kitchen chairs. They were easy to move from home to work every day but it is in their interests to move them away from us as soon as practical. They coped very well and seem to be adapting to their new, cooler environment without much trouble.
They were joined on Monday night by Biggy and Smalley. We worried about Smalley being cold but when I went in and checked them yesterday morning he was at the centre of a lovely fluffy otter heap and was warm as toast so as long as he burrows his way into the centre of the group he should be fine.
Biggy and Smalley are rather older than the others (19 weeks compared to Cinnamon at 13 weeks and Leap at 10 weeks) but look quite small compared to their British cousins.
We have moved the cubs into a sunnier pen with an electric water pump and they can obviously hear it humming because they have been put off swimming in the ponds. Once they get used to it I’m sure they will enjoy their new home. However, they haven’t been put off exploring and this morning I was in with them when they discovered a toad. They caught it, chomped on it a bit, realised their mistake and spent the next ten minutes with expressions that reminded me of our kids eating limes. They couldn’t get rid of the taste quickly enough but after a good drink three of them went back to it and started licking it again! The toad had been still all along and I thought it was dead and it just lay there as the three otters licked and spat and licked and spat. After a while the otters decided that the toad wasn’t good to eat and left it alone and went to try to find something else to annoy. A few minutes later I saw the toad rapidly heading for cover; I think I could hear him laughing….
Friday, March 28, 2008
We're open!
Considering we had 19 weeks to prepare and so many people to help why did opening day come round so quickly and surprise us all so much? I’m not sure either but that’s what happened. However, we opened on Good Friday without any major hitches or glitches and only a few wet patches of paint. Most of us were quietly confident that we hadn’t forgotten anything too important and we were right.
It was a pretty quiet day though; the rest of the week has been too, the weather hasn’t been great and it is very early in the year so things will pick up soon.
The Wallabies have surprised us over the last few days, at first there was one joey, then Denis saw two and then this morning Sonia and I saw three! All still in there mothers pouches but all looking healthy (their faces did anyway) and one of them has quite peculiar large blond eyebrows; very becoming.
The Fallow Deer have been testing our patience by creating holes in their fencing that you’d think they couldn’t get through but they do because they end up in the wrong enclosures and can be awkward to put back. After a short while and some minor repairs all the deer were back where they should be but I am anticipating further escapes; I’m not sure why though because the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence.
The otters are all doing fine. Hilda has moved back in with William and has him under her thumb again, a position which seems to suit him just fine. The little Asian Short Clawed female is getting on very well and comes out with the Family all the time now and demands to be fed just like everyone else, she is very cute.
The four cubs (Biggy, Smalley, Cinnamon and Leap (we decided that the name Spotty wasn’t very becoming)) are still at home at night but go to work every day and if it isn’t too wet or cold they go into their own pen for a few hours. They have two ponds and a stream to explore and seem to like it if it’s not too cold. We have been encouraging them to search for shrimps and daphnia which mainly entails the keepers getting wet and muddy and the otters looking on waiting for the goodies. However, as a reward for our efforts Biggy has decided that the fresh food is so nice it’s worth him making the effort to catch his own and he joined me in the stream this morning. He was very enthusiastic as he sploshed and splashed around my hands and feet and at last caught one of his own. He had a very satisfied expression on his face as he chewed it up but then thought his work was done and started whining because he was wet and the day was cold. Into my jacket he went and settled down in there very quickly, nice and warm see and he knew it. He was very unwilling to come out too.
Cinnamon is doing fine; although she does have the occasional try at biting a keeper she is settling down well and is showing us her nicer side at times. She has romps with Biggy and is a bit of a thug in a sisterly way. She has allowed me to touch her once or twice in play but I am very wary of her temper and her speed.
Leap is still giving us some concern as she is small and doesn’t always eat as much or as often as the rest of the gang. She is becoming very slightly bolder though and sometimes forgets herself and tries to play with a person instead of an otter. She has lost her instant temper and is enjoying life a little more I think. Her wounds are healed. I was looking at pictures of her with a friend of mine the other day and he pointed out that a number of her white patches appear to be in pairs, as though they were scars from bites in earlier attacks. Who or what might have inflicted this damage will never be known for certain but we speculated that a bigger sibling or even her mother may have been responsible. Or of course she might just be an unlucky little otter and have been attacked by some other predator.
Smalley is the cute one of the bunch. He is playful, cuddly and always pleasant and good tempered. His walking is much the same and that is worrying but he is such a bright little thing that I can’t help but be optimistic for him. He has been being picked on by the others but is now sticking up for himself a bit and I even heard him growl at Cinnamon for rolling him over the other day and she left him alone for a while after that. Good boy Smalley!
It was a pretty quiet day though; the rest of the week has been too, the weather hasn’t been great and it is very early in the year so things will pick up soon.
The Wallabies have surprised us over the last few days, at first there was one joey, then Denis saw two and then this morning Sonia and I saw three! All still in there mothers pouches but all looking healthy (their faces did anyway) and one of them has quite peculiar large blond eyebrows; very becoming.
The Fallow Deer have been testing our patience by creating holes in their fencing that you’d think they couldn’t get through but they do because they end up in the wrong enclosures and can be awkward to put back. After a short while and some minor repairs all the deer were back where they should be but I am anticipating further escapes; I’m not sure why though because the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence.
The otters are all doing fine. Hilda has moved back in with William and has him under her thumb again, a position which seems to suit him just fine. The little Asian Short Clawed female is getting on very well and comes out with the Family all the time now and demands to be fed just like everyone else, she is very cute.
The four cubs (Biggy, Smalley, Cinnamon and Leap (we decided that the name Spotty wasn’t very becoming)) are still at home at night but go to work every day and if it isn’t too wet or cold they go into their own pen for a few hours. They have two ponds and a stream to explore and seem to like it if it’s not too cold. We have been encouraging them to search for shrimps and daphnia which mainly entails the keepers getting wet and muddy and the otters looking on waiting for the goodies. However, as a reward for our efforts Biggy has decided that the fresh food is so nice it’s worth him making the effort to catch his own and he joined me in the stream this morning. He was very enthusiastic as he sploshed and splashed around my hands and feet and at last caught one of his own. He had a very satisfied expression on his face as he chewed it up but then thought his work was done and started whining because he was wet and the day was cold. Into my jacket he went and settled down in there very quickly, nice and warm see and he knew it. He was very unwilling to come out too.
Cinnamon is doing fine; although she does have the occasional try at biting a keeper she is settling down well and is showing us her nicer side at times. She has romps with Biggy and is a bit of a thug in a sisterly way. She has allowed me to touch her once or twice in play but I am very wary of her temper and her speed.
Leap is still giving us some concern as she is small and doesn’t always eat as much or as often as the rest of the gang. She is becoming very slightly bolder though and sometimes forgets herself and tries to play with a person instead of an otter. She has lost her instant temper and is enjoying life a little more I think. Her wounds are healed. I was looking at pictures of her with a friend of mine the other day and he pointed out that a number of her white patches appear to be in pairs, as though they were scars from bites in earlier attacks. Who or what might have inflicted this damage will never be known for certain but we speculated that a bigger sibling or even her mother may have been responsible. Or of course she might just be an unlucky little otter and have been attacked by some other predator.
Smalley is the cute one of the bunch. He is playful, cuddly and always pleasant and good tempered. His walking is much the same and that is worrying but he is such a bright little thing that I can’t help but be optimistic for him. He has been being picked on by the others but is now sticking up for himself a bit and I even heard him growl at Cinnamon for rolling him over the other day and she left him alone for a while after that. Good boy Smalley!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Raining Otters
It never rains then it pours! So true here in Cornwall this week in more ways than one. Firstly, if you’ve seen the news or live nearby you’ll know it’s wet, wet, wet here at the moment and likely to stay that way for a few days. We’ve already lost one tree to the wind and with the worst of the weather still to come so its fingers crossed that we don’t suffer any further damage.
It’s also been raining otters; we haven’t had any wild otters brought to us for over a year and the last one was so ill that it unfortunately died after two days. However, late on Sunday 24th February we received a call that resulted in us collecting a small furry bundle from a town in Devon. The otter, about seven weeks old, was seen alone on a road earlier that evening by Cindy who had watched helplessly as the wheels of the car in front straddled the poor animal as it lay in the road. She stopped and picked up the frightened baby which, very unusually, offered no resistance at all. I’m sure that if Cindy hadn’t decided to help, the cub would have perished.
When we got the otter (who we have called Cinnamon) home it was obviously in shock and still very placid. I stayed up with it most of the first night and syringed milk into its mouth. It gradually seemed to take a little more interest in its surroundings and, by tea time the following day seemed to be a bit better but was still dehydrated and suffering from diarrhoea.
Cinnamon had noticed Biggy and Smalley across the kitchen but was too frightened to do anything about it so we decided to allow them to see each other but not have any contact with them for a while. Later that evening, after a good feed and play with the Asian cubs we introduced Cinnamon to them properly; Biggy was fine about it all, touching and sniffing the new arrival but not being aggressive at all. Smalley was another kettle of fish altogether, snorting, screaming and generally not happy but after a couple of hours they all settled down in a big bundle and went to sleep. When I checked them at 3am they hadn’t moved so I decided to leave them alone and let them bond rather than disturbing them for a feed.
Then it became easier to tell that Cinnamon was getting over things. How? Because it started to bite and bite very hard, very hard indeed! That’s why I wear thick gloves, I’ve decided I like my fingers and would like to keep them all; even with the gloves on the bites hurt and easily draw blood if it bites further up my arms where there isn’t such good protection.
So there we are, Cinnamon settling in nicely and we were just getting into a routine when on the following Friday we had another call which resulted in us looking after a very small, miserable and feisty otter cub. This one is not yet weaned and that, together with its size makes me think that this one is very young, probably five or six weeks old at most. It was a very bony otter cub with no spare flesh. Rather disturbingly it also had at least three bites on its back end and several large tics spread over its body. The bites were fresh so we cleaned them up but decided to let the tics alone and deal with them when they dropped off.
Do you remember I said that Cinnamon was placid at first? Well, no such luck with this one who makes up for in ferocity what it lacks in size. The cub, which has an unusual dappled pelt (which is why it’s called Spotty), is hard to feed. It’s very particular about its milk and rarely attempts to eat any solids. We have got the milk just about right now, but solids are a different thing. It will only take solids that are literally put under its nose, usually in my hand or if it gets near enough to one of the others it will steal theirs. The otters don’t seem to worry too much about the theft, after all there’s a good supply of food nearby, but I do because it won’t take food off the glove, it has to be my bare skin or nothing! Is it any wonder that I’m going grey?
So now we have otter opposites; in one corner Biggy and Smalley (cute, cuddly and love to play with you) and in the other Cinnamon and Spotty (Atilla the Hun/Boudicca personality traits, but not so forgiving). Ah well maybe they’ll calm down soon, if they don’t Ill have to learn to type with bandaged fingers. For now they all seem happy with each other and usually snuggle up together, very cute.
That’s all for now, John.
It’s also been raining otters; we haven’t had any wild otters brought to us for over a year and the last one was so ill that it unfortunately died after two days. However, late on Sunday 24th February we received a call that resulted in us collecting a small furry bundle from a town in Devon. The otter, about seven weeks old, was seen alone on a road earlier that evening by Cindy who had watched helplessly as the wheels of the car in front straddled the poor animal as it lay in the road. She stopped and picked up the frightened baby which, very unusually, offered no resistance at all. I’m sure that if Cindy hadn’t decided to help, the cub would have perished.
When we got the otter (who we have called Cinnamon) home it was obviously in shock and still very placid. I stayed up with it most of the first night and syringed milk into its mouth. It gradually seemed to take a little more interest in its surroundings and, by tea time the following day seemed to be a bit better but was still dehydrated and suffering from diarrhoea.
Cinnamon had noticed Biggy and Smalley across the kitchen but was too frightened to do anything about it so we decided to allow them to see each other but not have any contact with them for a while. Later that evening, after a good feed and play with the Asian cubs we introduced Cinnamon to them properly; Biggy was fine about it all, touching and sniffing the new arrival but not being aggressive at all. Smalley was another kettle of fish altogether, snorting, screaming and generally not happy but after a couple of hours they all settled down in a big bundle and went to sleep. When I checked them at 3am they hadn’t moved so I decided to leave them alone and let them bond rather than disturbing them for a feed.
Then it became easier to tell that Cinnamon was getting over things. How? Because it started to bite and bite very hard, very hard indeed! That’s why I wear thick gloves, I’ve decided I like my fingers and would like to keep them all; even with the gloves on the bites hurt and easily draw blood if it bites further up my arms where there isn’t such good protection.
So there we are, Cinnamon settling in nicely and we were just getting into a routine when on the following Friday we had another call which resulted in us looking after a very small, miserable and feisty otter cub. This one is not yet weaned and that, together with its size makes me think that this one is very young, probably five or six weeks old at most. It was a very bony otter cub with no spare flesh. Rather disturbingly it also had at least three bites on its back end and several large tics spread over its body. The bites were fresh so we cleaned them up but decided to let the tics alone and deal with them when they dropped off.
Do you remember I said that Cinnamon was placid at first? Well, no such luck with this one who makes up for in ferocity what it lacks in size. The cub, which has an unusual dappled pelt (which is why it’s called Spotty), is hard to feed. It’s very particular about its milk and rarely attempts to eat any solids. We have got the milk just about right now, but solids are a different thing. It will only take solids that are literally put under its nose, usually in my hand or if it gets near enough to one of the others it will steal theirs. The otters don’t seem to worry too much about the theft, after all there’s a good supply of food nearby, but I do because it won’t take food off the glove, it has to be my bare skin or nothing! Is it any wonder that I’m going grey?
So now we have otter opposites; in one corner Biggy and Smalley (cute, cuddly and love to play with you) and in the other Cinnamon and Spotty (Atilla the Hun/Boudicca personality traits, but not so forgiving). Ah well maybe they’ll calm down soon, if they don’t Ill have to learn to type with bandaged fingers. For now they all seem happy with each other and usually snuggle up together, very cute.
That’s all for now, John.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Work, work, work . . .
Well time is getting on and most of those jobs that we were sure we'd have done by now are still unfinished and some not even started yet! So much for a carefully thought out winter maintenance plan.
One job that is largely completed is our woodland tidying; much of the woodland hasn't been touched for years so there's lots to do but most of this winters' work has been done thanks to a group of friends who came down for four days from the 15th February and sawed, clipped, pruned, felled, trimmed up, brushed down and polished (did they really polish??) an area of woods until it looked to be in fine fettle.
A special mention should be made to the boys (Rhys, Ed, Jamie, Jamesy and Andrew) who were very helpful between bouts of camp building, warring, camp destroying, rolling down hills on your side and frog catching - mind you there wasn't much time to work after doing all that!.
The girls (Frances and Lara) confined themselves to doing boyish things better than the boys, they were certainly dirtier and Frances' clothes are still being soaked 5 days later.
Very big thanks to the Reaveleys, Tresizes' and Browns.
Lots of other smaller jobs are nearing completion and if the weather stays goood we should get all of the important things done by the time we open on Good Friday. The last ten days or so of clear, dry weather has been good for all of the animals and it seems to have put some of them (especially the ducks) in the mood for love.
We've seen great interest in and around nest boxes as they are inspected by potential occupiers; the deer and wallabies seem to have an extra spring in their step too.
The otters are all fine; we still don't see very much of Hilda but from signs in the pen we know she is there. If she doesn't have any cubs she'll be going back in with William soon. The rest of the otters have all got smiles on their faces, they don't seem to mind the winter very much but I think they are detecting the slight rise in temperature and are enjoying it.
The Asian Otter cubs are 13 weeks old today (Sunday). The females (as yet unnamed but we are open to suggestions) are still very small, probably no larger than 400 to 500 grams. One of them is very active and surprised Denis at feeding time the other day by coming out and demanding her own food portion just like the others but the other one is rather retiring and scrawny looking. We took her out yesterday to check her for any obvious problems and she seemed strong and alert so maybe she is just a slow starter.
The boys, Biggy and Smalley, are still at home with us and generally doing well. Both weigh in at 1300 grams+ almost three times their sisters weight! They are getting quite bold and are very inquisitive. They still swim at least three times a day (in tepid water, if its too cold they just get out!) and we were taking them to work every day so that they could have some freedom in a secure pen however, Smalley has developed a worrying problem with at least one of his legs which means he is having some difficulty getting around unless he is swimming, when he appears fine. He's been to the vet and is on a course of treatment so we'll see how he gets on.
That's all for now, John.
One job that is largely completed is our woodland tidying; much of the woodland hasn't been touched for years so there's lots to do but most of this winters' work has been done thanks to a group of friends who came down for four days from the 15th February and sawed, clipped, pruned, felled, trimmed up, brushed down and polished (did they really polish??) an area of woods until it looked to be in fine fettle.
A special mention should be made to the boys (Rhys, Ed, Jamie, Jamesy and Andrew) who were very helpful between bouts of camp building, warring, camp destroying, rolling down hills on your side and frog catching - mind you there wasn't much time to work after doing all that!.
The girls (Frances and Lara) confined themselves to doing boyish things better than the boys, they were certainly dirtier and Frances' clothes are still being soaked 5 days later.
Very big thanks to the Reaveleys, Tresizes' and Browns.
Lots of other smaller jobs are nearing completion and if the weather stays goood we should get all of the important things done by the time we open on Good Friday. The last ten days or so of clear, dry weather has been good for all of the animals and it seems to have put some of them (especially the ducks) in the mood for love.
We've seen great interest in and around nest boxes as they are inspected by potential occupiers; the deer and wallabies seem to have an extra spring in their step too.
The otters are all fine; we still don't see very much of Hilda but from signs in the pen we know she is there. If she doesn't have any cubs she'll be going back in with William soon. The rest of the otters have all got smiles on their faces, they don't seem to mind the winter very much but I think they are detecting the slight rise in temperature and are enjoying it.
The Asian Otter cubs are 13 weeks old today (Sunday). The females (as yet unnamed but we are open to suggestions) are still very small, probably no larger than 400 to 500 grams. One of them is very active and surprised Denis at feeding time the other day by coming out and demanding her own food portion just like the others but the other one is rather retiring and scrawny looking. We took her out yesterday to check her for any obvious problems and she seemed strong and alert so maybe she is just a slow starter.
The boys, Biggy and Smalley, are still at home with us and generally doing well. Both weigh in at 1300 grams+ almost three times their sisters weight! They are getting quite bold and are very inquisitive. They still swim at least three times a day (in tepid water, if its too cold they just get out!) and we were taking them to work every day so that they could have some freedom in a secure pen however, Smalley has developed a worrying problem with at least one of his legs which means he is having some difficulty getting around unless he is swimming, when he appears fine. He's been to the vet and is on a course of treatment so we'll see how he gets on.
That's all for now, John.
Friday, February 8, 2008
The Return of the Fox
Well, from the title you've probably guessed that the fox has been back; on Tuesday morning we arrived at work and saw a bunch of peacock tail feathers on the path next to a fence. We did a brief search and about 20 metres away was the half eaten body of the peacock, a superb bird with his courting plumage almost completely grown. All of our peacocks can fly and generally roost high in the trees before coming to earth for their breakfast at around 8am. I wonder if the fox knew that too and was waiting for him when he landed.
He hadn't been dead for very long and I suspect that as we drove into the car park we had probably scared the fox away.
It was obviously time for a security review to find out where the fox was getting in but with well over a mile of ring fencing to check that was easier said than done. There are three parts to our ring fence, a 2 to 2.5 metre tall deer proof fence, inside that a 1.2 metre tall vermin fence and a three strand electric fence outside them both to deter climbers.
It took four people five days to check and repair! That's an awful lot of time to keep out just one fox and the worry is that he will find another way in sometime in the future.
The Golden Pheasant has been in the wars, he turned up this morning and was bleeding from his right foot. Because he's so friendly he was easy to catch and examine; he'd lost the tip of the claw on his middle toe somehow and it was bleeding freely. A quick bit of avian first aid was given and we'll keep him in the barn over the weekend to make sure he's recovering; as for how he'd done this we couldn't fathom but he does get himself into quite a few pickles because he's so nosey.
We have two Fallow Deer bucks here. The elder statesman, 15 years old in June, is Nigel, a splendid, friendly old boy who rules the roost and keeps the herd in order. He must also be one of the oldest Fallow on record and we have to keep an eye on him to make sure he eats properly because his teeth must be well worn by now. We also have a young pricket who is only 8 months old and starting to get quiet confident around the keepers. If two doe's are being hand fed he will often squeeze between them and pick up whatever they drop, not bold enough on his own but progressing nicely.
The British Otters are all fine and Hilda has disappeared into her holt for the last few days. We know she's in there but she has become very secretive. The last time she did that we thought she was pregnant but in the event she wasn't. It is possible that she is pregnant or has given birth but we've decided not to disturb her for the time being and see what develops. It may be that she is just missing her partner William, who we moved out a few days ago.
The Asian Otters are all fine too but Zephyr does look tired. She has developed a squint and looks her age (12 Years) but that might be because of the pressures of motherhood. The two female cubs with the Family are doing fine. They are still quite small but taking part in Family activity several times a day. As we approach them we hear them squeak and one of the others, usually Tilly comes and comforts them and then drags them to somewhere they don't want to go to but she thinks they should be. They all forget about us as we look on and a battle of wills begins which Tilly always wins because she's much bigger and stronger than them. We have seen the cubs in the pond but I don't think they are swimming just yet - would you want to swim in a pond in February??
The male cubs (we can't think of suitable names for them but are calling them Biggy and Smalley for the moment) are getting big too. They've been moved out of their crate in the utility room to a large cage in the kitchen which they seem to like; they roam free whenever we're at home and can now climb the vegetable rack, raid unguarded cupboards and sneak from room to room like two little brown commando's. And don't leave any buckets, mops or bowls of water anywhere that they can find because that is a shortcut to an otter flood; at least the culprits are easy to find because they leave a water trail wherever they go.
Their routine is well established and they know when its bath time or cuddle time and make different noises if they want to let you know that they want something. They get very excited at bath time and its fair to say that they are "mad for it". Both are now accomplished swimmers and divers but you'd better make sure that water's warm enough because if it isn't they'll let you know by trying to jump straight out. They will come when called and are particularly responsive to Mandy, making a bee line for her and jumping into her arms for reassurance if something gives them a scare and sometimes just for a cuddle if they are tired, especially Biggy - the big softee!
He hadn't been dead for very long and I suspect that as we drove into the car park we had probably scared the fox away.
It was obviously time for a security review to find out where the fox was getting in but with well over a mile of ring fencing to check that was easier said than done. There are three parts to our ring fence, a 2 to 2.5 metre tall deer proof fence, inside that a 1.2 metre tall vermin fence and a three strand electric fence outside them both to deter climbers.
It took four people five days to check and repair! That's an awful lot of time to keep out just one fox and the worry is that he will find another way in sometime in the future.
The Golden Pheasant has been in the wars, he turned up this morning and was bleeding from his right foot. Because he's so friendly he was easy to catch and examine; he'd lost the tip of the claw on his middle toe somehow and it was bleeding freely. A quick bit of avian first aid was given and we'll keep him in the barn over the weekend to make sure he's recovering; as for how he'd done this we couldn't fathom but he does get himself into quite a few pickles because he's so nosey.
We have two Fallow Deer bucks here. The elder statesman, 15 years old in June, is Nigel, a splendid, friendly old boy who rules the roost and keeps the herd in order. He must also be one of the oldest Fallow on record and we have to keep an eye on him to make sure he eats properly because his teeth must be well worn by now. We also have a young pricket who is only 8 months old and starting to get quiet confident around the keepers. If two doe's are being hand fed he will often squeeze between them and pick up whatever they drop, not bold enough on his own but progressing nicely.
The British Otters are all fine and Hilda has disappeared into her holt for the last few days. We know she's in there but she has become very secretive. The last time she did that we thought she was pregnant but in the event she wasn't. It is possible that she is pregnant or has given birth but we've decided not to disturb her for the time being and see what develops. It may be that she is just missing her partner William, who we moved out a few days ago.
The Asian Otters are all fine too but Zephyr does look tired. She has developed a squint and looks her age (12 Years) but that might be because of the pressures of motherhood. The two female cubs with the Family are doing fine. They are still quite small but taking part in Family activity several times a day. As we approach them we hear them squeak and one of the others, usually Tilly comes and comforts them and then drags them to somewhere they don't want to go to but she thinks they should be. They all forget about us as we look on and a battle of wills begins which Tilly always wins because she's much bigger and stronger than them. We have seen the cubs in the pond but I don't think they are swimming just yet - would you want to swim in a pond in February??
The male cubs (we can't think of suitable names for them but are calling them Biggy and Smalley for the moment) are getting big too. They've been moved out of their crate in the utility room to a large cage in the kitchen which they seem to like; they roam free whenever we're at home and can now climb the vegetable rack, raid unguarded cupboards and sneak from room to room like two little brown commando's. And don't leave any buckets, mops or bowls of water anywhere that they can find because that is a shortcut to an otter flood; at least the culprits are easy to find because they leave a water trail wherever they go.
Their routine is well established and they know when its bath time or cuddle time and make different noises if they want to let you know that they want something. They get very excited at bath time and its fair to say that they are "mad for it". Both are now accomplished swimmers and divers but you'd better make sure that water's warm enough because if it isn't they'll let you know by trying to jump straight out. They will come when called and are particularly responsive to Mandy, making a bee line for her and jumping into her arms for reassurance if something gives them a scare and sometimes just for a cuddle if they are tired, especially Biggy - the big softee!
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