An intense course organised by Stichting Dierenlot Academie on securing and transporting injured animals safely – and I left with a very different tool bag of information than I expected! The (Dutch) guy I drove up with felt the same too, so I’m not going to blame my Dutch skills (which I’m continually working on, by the way! 😉 )
The Course
Listening to the course-giver was like replacing a 10 year old phone with the latest model; he was razor sharp with instant access to an arsenal of personal experiences that covered many different animals in many different situations. He reeled off facts and figures without a moment’s hesitation, and responded to questions / interruptions just as quickly!
I found the lack of demonstrations or images on the slides* made it difficult to tease out practical skills that I can use on a rescue, but there were plenty of golden nuggets within his fast-paced dialogue!
* The only images were on the first slide, so it’s featured up top! 😉
The following points are more for myself than you, so the caveat is: don’t take them as Gospel because I may have misheard or misunderstood what was being said.
The Animal Ambulance
- By (Dutch) law, every animal in need must be helped. However, it’s our own safety first, so it’s not a case of “Ik moet hem pakken” but “Ik mag hem pakken (als ik veilig ben)“.
- We’re ambassadors for the animal ambulance.
We handle all animals, even deceased animals, with respect.
- Behind every animal there’s a person.
- We’re not vets with training so we can’t give diagnoses.
- When push comes to shove, we need to help humans before animals.
Handling Animals
- Pinching the back legs of a turtle / tortoise (it’s the same word in Dutch) makes his head come out of his shell which means he can be given medicine.
- Picking up a hedgehog: place 2 fingers under his belly and he’ll curl tightly around them – tight enough to be carried under his own strength (presumably upside-down).
This reminds me of my high school biology teacher who taught us that (human) babies grip so tightly they can be left hanging on washing lines. I’m not sure if I’m tempted or not to try this hedgehog-picking-up-technique at the wildlife shelter or not…
- A bat will open his mouth and spread his wings when he’s pinched at the back of the neck. This is handy when checking him for injuries. It also stops him from turning his head which is also handy because even a lick from a bat can communicate rabies to a human – and the symptoms can take up to 6 months to show!
- Hold a snake (vertically) just under his head so he can’t bite, and shake him gently so he doesn’t coil up. This makes it easier to put him into a transport tube.
- Approach water birds from a position between them and the water. This prevents them from retreating to the water where they have the advantage! 😉
- Sweat from human hands breaks down the fat on a bird’s body which keeps it warm and/waterproof. We should therefore always wear gloves when handling birds and never with bare hands.
- Birds of prey are often riddled with fleas and ticks, so always handle them with a catch-rod.
- Don’t peel fishing line ‘out’ of a (water)bird and then set him free because the wound may become infected. It’s best to leave this to the vet.
- Deceased animals should be treated with respect, hygiene and cover. The last is important to avoid disturbing passers by, or even to avoid pictures appearing online before an owner is informed.
Transporting Animals
- The calmer and dimmer the surroundings, the more restful it is for a sick or injured animal.
- It’s important to position animals in rescue boxes in the ambulance such that they don’t roll and suffer under braking, acceleration, taking corners etc..
- Positioning the injured part of an animal on the top side helps to reduce their pain.
A Difficult Decision Ahead…
- (Difficult to hear): sometimes it’s best to choose not to save an animal that is tricky to catch in favour of catching and saving several others in the same time.
End of Course
For the final part of the course we were shown a screen of interesting cases the course-giver had been involved in, and were were invited to ask him to tell us about one (each) of our choice.
It was like listening to a “man down the pub” with extraordinary tales and legends, except now we knew these were true! It was fascinating to listen to, but there was little general knowledge to take home from it.
In some ways it reminded me of studying for my MSc in Applied Marine Science after my BSc degree in Ocean Science. My degree was broad and scientific and gave me excellent tools to apply to many oceanographic situations around world. The Applied course was different; primarily it used case examples – brilliant for the ‘real’ world, but only in certain parts of that world with certain conditions.
Same with this course. I’d know what to do with a house full with 116 dogs, but what is the general approach when dealing with a huge number of animals?
In any case…it was a gripping listen! 🙂
