Mickey the mini chipmunk makes himself at home

Hi everyone!

Today I want to tell you about the smallest resident at Animal Tracks. His name is Mickey and he's a small chipmunk rescued by our team when he was found on the ground unable to find his way back to where he was meant to be. He is only young and getting used to being handled by humans has been a big challenge for him. Generally rodents are shy, timid animals and they are easily stressed and even traumatised when they are taken away from their familiar environment.

Mickey was brought in about one month ago and, with no injuries, the main task at hand was to keep him fit and healthy so he could be released when he was a bit older and able to look after himself. He currently lives in an enclosure in the vets' office and he's doing great. He's become such a lively and friendly character and has learned to trust the staff at the centre. He actually loves the attention and is not even the slightest bit fazed when we centre dogs pop our heads in to say hello.

Mickey's favourite person in the whole world is Abby who tends to his every need. It is unusual for animals like Mickey to adapt to an environment so different to their own but with Abby's love and reassurance he has got used to his caged existence. I imagine it's a bit like staying in a fancy hotel. Food is served and pampering sessions are given and no work is required to get this.

Hopefully it won't take too long before Mickey can be released. The vets will have to assess if he's capable of surviving in the wild and if not he needn't fear for anything. We'll look after him for as long as it takes and make sure that he stays happy and healthy.

Love from me,
Olive x

Rescued kites will soon be flying high

Dear friends,

It always makes me so happy to tell stories when I know they have a happy ending. With some of our patients it is hard to tell how they’ll fare because some are very sick or badly injured, hence occasionally we end up saying goodbye to friends because they could not be saved. I hate that!

You must forgive me but these two magnificent creatures have not got names so I shall leave it to you to decide upon your own names for them. They are kites and were brought in very young because they appeared to have been separated from their mother and lost their nest. Their chances were not good because when young these birds rely heavily on their mother to teach them the ways of the world like flying, hunting etc.

Initially they were put in a smaller cage to reduce the stress of being in our big outdoor aviary. They were examined by our vets who found no physical problems with either of them and the staff then proceeded to do all they could to make sure that these birds would grow and become fit to be released. Later on they were shifted to a large cage in the centre's back compound and gradually the kites became bigger and stronger. I am so happy to know that they'll be released soon. Would be nice if they would come back now and again to tell us stories of the big world outside. I don't think that's likely to happen but you never know...

Love from me, Olive!