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This blog reflects my personal experiences and opinions and does not represent or reflect those of DierenAmbulance Nederrijn.
Finding the Bull and Grabbing his Horns
It’s been a messy path through my study agenda, but I finally found a clear spot to fill in for this shift! 🙂
I felt a little apprehensive the evening before because my last shift was nearly 6 weeks ago, and whilst I’m confident I’ll slide back in again easily, I’m aware that my first shift with just me and Sally after several shifts with a Paddy took some time to getting used to. Would it be the same now?
Today I wasn’t with Sally, but with a driver who I tagged along with once before after a miserable shift beforehand.
It wasn’t long after I arrived on sit that I learned we were the only active team. This was because a 2nd team isn’t necessary any more now that it’s becoming quieter. And there was more – or less – there was no centralist. This meant that I was the centralist! Whereas I’d know that Sally would have my back in this kind of situation, I was a little apprehensive about how it would work out today. That said, I was ready to take the bull by the horns – and hang fairy lights on them if necessary!
Shift Handover: A Kerfuffle with Cats
I must admit I found the shift handover unnecessarily over-complicated. I’d think handing over the tablet with outstanding rescues and explanations of the on-running ones would suffice. And in this case it was easy.
There were 2 cats at the base. Because they were picked up with no chip and no owner, they were to be brought to animal shelters. In fact, 2 different shelters because each cat was rescued from a different district. We were to bring one of them to the shelter, and the other – plus one currently in a local vet with a broken leg – was to be brought to the other shelter with thanks to an external driver. The cat at the vet was the only thing showing on the tablet, in addition to a sickly hare who needed to be picked up.
Not a complicated situation, but explained to us – and later just to the driver – by 2 elderly gentleman who represent for me, the word-slurring section of the Dutch community whose Dutch I struggle to understand. It took twenty minutes, during which time we had a visitor to the base.
Walk‘Fly’ in
A gentleman walked in with a small, clear plastic tub with a bird inside. I missed the story behind this little fellow because I grabbed a box from the ambulance parked outside; by the time I’d returned the driver was already busy entering the details required to create a rescue entry in the admin. I moved the bird into the rescue box and completed the admin.
Baby Hedgehog
Another rescue was phoned in quickly; a baby hedgehog who was in trouble. The finder was keen on hedgehogs and had many visiting her garden who she enjoyed watching thanks to a camera. This one fell over and trembled so she called for help. When we arrived we saw she’d looked after him well by making food and drink available and keeping him warm. He’d eaten a little; I can’t remember whether he’d drunk anything.
The driver noted that he didn’t curl into a ball when he picked him up. This indicated he was too young to have any sense of danger and hence didn’t act to defend himself. For now, there were no other hedgehogs in the garden, so we were to bring him to the wildlife rescue centre. Since he’d already eaten a bit we knew this was OK; the centre is not manned 24/7 so patients need to be able to feed themselves independently.
Wildlife Rescue Centre
We dropped off the bird and the hedgehog to the wildlife rescue centre. I realised it was about this time last year I started volunteering there as an animal carer because it was becoming quite at the animal ambulance. Indeed, here we were with no back-up team! Ah yes, I remember my first shift and getting pulled over by the police for driving on a 4 m shortcut instead of a 3 km detour. But I don’t want to relive that nonsense now.
We were going to head back to the base to pick up the cat and bring her to the shelter, but we received another call:
(From hereon, calls were coming in and our planning changed accordingly, the following isn’t necessarily in chronological order but happenings are grouped by animal…)
Song Thrush
“We’re at your base with an injured bird but there’s no-one here!”
True! We were on our own so there was no-one else around. I told him we were on our way and we’d be with him in a few minutes.
In a few minutes’ time we pulled up and met the finders carrying a huge picnic basket with a tiny bird inside. She’d been found in their garden with her right wing hanging limply. Against protestations (“But she can’t fly!”) we moved into the building in case the bird would somehow find a way to escape whilst we moved her into a rescue box. As the driver pulled her out of the basket she tweeted melodically. He recognised her straightaway as a thrush. I made up the rescue entry on the tablet, and when asked about what kind of thrush she was I entered “Song Thrush”.
The couple were familiar with the work we do and thankful that we did it. They’d tried in the past to bring animals themselves directly to the wildlife rescue centre, but that’s not allowed. I’m guessing it’s connected with payments, but who knows?
We loaded the thrush into the ambulance, the couple left, and the driver took to the phone to sort a few things out.
Impressive Co-ordination
We were still waiting for a call from the vet for news about when we could collect the cat with a broken leg and bring her to the shelter. So the driver took control and called them. It turned out they’d been able to find and contact the owner and arrangements had been made to put her to sleep 🙁 Although I didn’t have the facts, this saddened me. I hope this wasn’t a financial decision.
On a practical side, it meant that we had no more to do with this poor cat. The driver called an external driver and arranged for him to pick up one of the 2 cats we had here at the base and bring her to a shelter. He then phoned up the shelter to where we were going to bring the remaining cat. They were closed.
Whilst this was handy because it meant we didn’t need to travel tens of kilometers away, it was of course much less handy for the cat who needed to stay with us for longer until the shelter reopened. The driver made sure there was adequate heating in the room she was in and that she had food and water available to her.
Hare in a poor way.
Just as we were leaving to collect the hare we were called by the finder. He let us know that the hare had now passed away and there was no need to come. He added that he suspected the hare had myxomatosis, and when I asked him why he thought this, he explained me had a lot of knowledge and experience with rabbits and hares.
I was sad of course to learn about the death, but there was also guilt – should we have prioritised this rescue? Would it have made a difference if we’d got to him earlier? Indeed, up until now I’d felt we’d been reacting to calls and looking at locations rather than thinking about the condition of the individual animals.
The following day I was asked what advice I gave to the finder about disposing of the body. I didn’t give any; I didn’t even think about it, so there’s a lesson for me. Then again, I don’t know what should be done (so there’s another lesson to be learned there…). The saving grace is the hope that the knowledgeable finder knew what to do.
Cat Attack(?): Pigeon
A pigeon was found on a grass verge at the base of a tree. She couldn’t fly and had trouble breathing. It wasn’t clear to the finder whether she’d fallen from the tree or been attacked by a cat. Recalling things in this post are hideously out of order, I let the finder know we were miles from the area so it would be a while until we got there. In the meantime, she’d put a crate over him. It turned out she was currently babysitting in the area and would keep an eye out for us when we pulled up.
Indeed, some children waved us down and directed us to the crate.
There were feathers all over the ground. One leg seemed horribly loose, and the large bird itself felt horribly cold and stiff – yet alive! 🙂 On closer inspection I thought I saw some wounds on her neck but it was difficult for me to tell if this really was the case or just that the feathers were extra ruffled. In any case, I suspected a cat attack, and indeed the children confirmed that a cat lived in a nearby house. The driver didn’t the pigeon much of a chance given her condition but hopefully the wildlife rescue centre would prove him wrong.
The children were happy to receive the magazine, and seeing how they fought playfully over it, I handed out a couple of extras.
Starling
An interesting rescue about an animal stuck in an extractor fan!
I’ve written “an animal” which of course you know turns out to be a starling, but the poor finder who was advised to take off the fat filter was petrified to do so because she didn’t know what animal was behind causing loud and frustrated noises! Completely understandable – who’d want a rat jumping out at them from a foot above their head?!
So reluctant to do this herself, she was advised to contact the animal ambulance “…who had experience in these kinds of things”(!) The (inexperienced) driver looked at his (inexperienced) co-driver who looked back and together we thought this would be worth a try! Again, this rescue was way off our route at the time, so we informed the finder we’d give her a call once we were closer by.
Which we did, and once we were lead inside by the grateful finder, we were even closer! 😉
But getting close to the creature was difficult. Removing the fat filter revealed the fan motor which completely blocked the flue where the animal was stuck. And whilst unscrewing the flue above was possible, I didn’t think it would be of much use thanks to its telescopic construction; the metal would be loose but have nowhere to go.
For locational context, we were in an upstairs kitchen and the flue extended through the ceiling and into the attic cavity before going through the roof into the heady heights of the sky. The driver went into the attic and saw he was able to disconnect the flexible hosing and reach inside to save the animal – which as you know was a swallow!
The finder was ecstatic and very thankful! She took a picture of the swallow to accompany the story she was bound to tell her friends and family!
I was impressed with the driver but upset with myself. I wanted to take a photo too, but as you can see from the above, it was rushed. This is because the driver was keen to set the bird free as quickly as possible, minimising stress. He let her go, and she soared upwards and arced gracefully above us before disappearing in the distance. I’d love to think this was her way of saying thanks!
Telephone Advice
A couple of phone calls which didn’t lead to rescues but where advice was given instead.
Hedgehog
A 500 g hedgehog was found in a garden (albeit with plastic grass). He reacted to noises but that was about it. The finder asked us whether the hedgehog needed saving.
Recently we’ve received many messages from the co-ordinator explaining that there’s a common misconception that hedgehogs seen during the daytime is usually indicative of a problem. Especially at this time of year, this isn’t always the case because many hedgehogs are actively foraging for food in preparation for their hibernation. I was reminded of this when I handed the phone to the driver and heard this, and also heard him asking whether the hedgehog rolled up when approached (yes). We advised the finder to leave the hedgehog as is, but to contact us again if anything changes.
Mother and 2 kittens
2 kittens, estimated to be about around 6 weeks old (“…and very, very sweet!”) had no mother around to look after them. They were completely dependent kittens on their absent mother, so helpful intervention was needed. The finder mentioned that the kittens were not approachable, but suggested that all the same, some of the residents at her establishment might find it rewarding to try to catch them so that we could bring them to a shelter.
I must admit this felt a little stand-offish to me and that we could try to catch the kittens (too). That said, I also admit that we were busy, and turning up and leaving with no kittens might have meant time would have been better spent picking up animals we could actually pick up and bring to a place where help could be administered.
However, things changed – someone called out on the phone to the finder and let her know that the mother had just been spotted! This was a great piece of news because it meant the kittens were being looked after 🙂
TNR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return).
These were stray cats, so the driver suggested to the finder that she call the co-ordinator the following day during office hours to arrange the above. On a personal note I’m gonna look more closely at this. A quick internet search tells me that part of the procedure is “ear-tipping” where part of the cat’s ear is cut off as a visible marker to animal ambulance workers that the cat has already been neutered so there’s no need to cause the cat more stress by trapping it again. I’m not sure the end justifies the body mutilation but I’ll look into it, and suggest this info is distributed throughout us volunteers.
Wood Pigeon
A call came in from someone who’d found a wood pigeon in his garden by a hedge. The bird couldn’t fly thanks to an injured wing so the finder called us to bring him to the wildlife rescue centre for help. I asked him to put the pigeon into a box so that he wouldn’t move away by the time we got there. The finder told us this wasn’t necessary because the pigeon couldn’t move and definitely wasn’t going to go anywhere. Then he told us that to be honest, the pigeon wasn’t there any more! Call ended…
Pigeon with a broken Wing
Another call about a pigeon with a broken wing. This one had been attacked by a falcon who’d been chased away by the finder. As before, we asked him to cover the pigeon and we’d be on our way over.
About a minute’s drive away from his house, the finder phoned to tell us the pigeon had moved under the bush and towards the neighbour’s house. Perhaps we’d expect a call from them in due course? The rescue was closed, but looking back on it I think we should have called in at the neighbour because we knew a bird was in trouble there 🙁
In any case, this was a lesson to travel only when we know the bird is under a washing basket or in a box etc., though I’m not sure how we’d do this in practice.
The driver had an interesting insight on this rescue. The finder tried to help the pigeon but it meant a loss of food for the falcon who would likely fly on and find another pigeon / prey animal to feed on. This is, after all, nature. But when nature is actually in your hands it’s difficult to think of food chains and webs. He also reminded me that covering an animal waiting to be rescued, or placing them in a box, isn’t just to stop them moving away. It’s also for protection against cats or birds of prey, for warmth, and also helps to reduce the stress experienced by the animal in need.
Cat advice
Back at the base, I received a phone call from a lady who wanted some advise about her cat. It was less of an emergency and more of a general question and I helped her as much as I could. I must admit I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed doing this!
Reflections
Lifestyle Choice
It was good to be back in the ambulance again! And I think I lost a little sight of my ‘objective’ in the last few weeks. My career switch into animal welfare isn’t about getting into a new career; it’s about having a lifestyle where I can help animals. It can be through a veterinary practice (hence my para training) and until then there are other options such as ambulance work. My head has been stuck in books, PDFs, Dutch videos, Dutch language lessons, a few days trying things out at an animal hotel and most frustratingly – trying to find a place for my animal care internship. Which means I’ve spent less time with animal ambulance.
What sort of animal carer am I if I neglect the wild animals in need who need care?
That said, there’s a balance somewhere between my studies and my volunteer work. But 6 weeks seems unbalanced…
Different Driver
Back to the shift with another driver. He had different methods, different levels of helping with various tasks, knowledge, driving habits, engagement with animals and finders than my regular driver, and this made things interestingly crunchy! 🙂 So there were many learning points for me – and I’d like to think for him too!
Centralist
The biggest thing for me today though was ‘being’ the centralist! Actually this has happened before, but I was with Sally and she helped me enormously – as did my driver today, I should add, though not knowing him so well as Sally, it was a little less predictable! There were also many more calls this time round!
The Dutch language obviously made it a bit tricky; getting the correct addresses of the finders was really difficult. I can pick up unknown words from context, but road names can be anything! I resorted to using google maps to suggest names from the syllables I could make out – even when they were expressly being told to me slowly! But I’ll get better with that. The other difficulty I faced was cold hard knowledge to build my advice on. I lacked here, but the driver was awesome here, and I listened attentively! So I’ll get better at that too!
Being centralist for the shift made me appreciate the role of the centralists even more than I do already! (And Sally!)
Camaraderie
On one rescue we drove past one of my classmates from my para course walking her dog! I had to laugh at myself; I recognised their dog from a picture they’d posted before I recognised her!
The driver often drives with a bijridjer who’s thinking about following a para course. Coincidentally she was replacing me at the end of the shift (the driver was staying on!) so I had a brief chat with her. It turns out she also volunteered at the same animal care place I did a while back, and left for the same reasons. An incidentally, my classmate had an odd experience there too. Whilst these things aren’t positive, it was comforting to feel a certain level of camaraderie in that we all shared pretty much the same shit experience and that it wasn’t just be being oversensitive.
On the noticeboard in the common room was a sign-up sheet for the twice-yearly animal congress organised by DierenLot which will be in a couple of weeks. Yep, my name’s on there! 🙂 I’m curious how this will be. The first time I went (November 2025) I had little mental energy. Things were on the up by the time the next one came around (in March 2026) and I spoke several people I wanted to connect with and / or learn from. And now? I’ll find out! 🙂
Main Feeling
Anyway. The main feeling from today’s shift is that I really didn’t handle enough animals 🙁 but it was very, very good to be back on the force again! 🙂
