(Header image created with microsoft co-pilot)
Shift Start
This morning I finally got my pass! I’ve no idea what it’s for; it just dangles uncomfortably on my over-sized trousers so people know who I am if they look near my belt. I can just as easily extend a hand and tell them…
My shift partners were pre-warned about me; an email explaining I was new and needed guidance. The co-driver, by a double quirk of fate, was the same as I’d had on my very first shift so I was keen to show her how much I’d picked up, and whether she had any tips for me. She was happy for me to hold the reins with the admin under her careful eye.
Messy pigeon
Our first call was collecting an injured pigeon. The house owner found the thing mangled in the garden with blood and droppings all over the place. Quite a shocking site, especially for the very young children who lived there.
It wasn’t clear what had happened, but the resident had managed to place a basket over the bird so that it couldn’t move around anymore. I struggled a lot to grab the pigeon because I couldn’t easily see what I was doing, and it was difficult to get both my arms under the basket to grab his wings – a key tip for catching and holding a bird. After a lot of flapping, noise and feathers, the pigeon was in the rescue centre bird box ready for transporting to the rescue centre.
But the garden was now a dirty, unhygienic mess – definitely not safe for little children. Naturally the finder wanted to know the best way to clean everything up; pigeons are known for being dirty and diseased. The co-driver explained that household cleaner / alcohol would do the trick, and to be careful to go over all surfaces.
As we left I felt sorry for the finder. Sorry that they’d found not only the mangled pigeon, but also the messy garden with young children, and as well as looking after the children, there was extra cleaning to do. And the often over-looked dirty, diseased pigeon…I felt sorry for him too.
Goose: Another fishing victim
Next up was another call about a goose with a fishing line caught around his neck. As I’ve ranted before, this kind of things riles me up because it’s avoidable…and yet so far I’ve not been able to help any fishing tackle victims.
Sadly it was the same here – the goose had moved by the time we got to the last reported location. I don’t understand why, but we didn’t look for him for long. Maybe it was because the chances of finding and catching him were low, but if I’m honest, I didn’t get that feeling. I left again with a saddened heart, and wondered how things will be if I’m one of 2 animal rescuers.
Rescue centre for cats and dogs
Until now I’d only been to 1 rescue centre – one which looked after birds and other small animals. So many animals are brought there that there’s a special system in place to deal with the high volume of incoming creatures.
We bring larger animals such as cats and dogs to a different rescue centre. Since we had no further rescues scheduled, the driver and co-driver took me to this rescue centre so I could see how things worked.
The centre is set in a beautiful area in the forest. As we approached I heard dogs barking excitedly – and it got louder as we walked into the courtyard. Some of the staff were outside and I was introduced to them before going around the back to where the cats are held.
This time of year sees many people bringing in nests of unwanted kittens. This brings a charge because the kittens need to be checked by a vet, sterilised / castrated (I’m yet to learn why), socialised and fed. Despicable cretins who want to avoid the fee cruelly dump kittens in bins, cardboard boxes and leave them stranded. If found, these kittens are brought to the rescue centre. And nests of wild kittens, if found are also brought in.
The rescue centre therefore has a system of bringing in cats and kittens, including during out of hours, and my colleagues showed and explained to me how this works.
After meeting the cats and kittens there, seeing and feeling them come towards us in their cages and rubbing their faces against my finger, I hold even more contempt for the monsters that dump them with no thought for their well-being.
Swallow
Our trip was called short for good reason – to rescue a swallow who’d been knocked out of his nest by a high building worker. When we got there we moved him from a shoe box and into the rescue centre box. We heard from the finder that there are still more swallows in that nest and likely to fall out. Sadly there was nothing further we could do onsite, so we brought the swallow straight away to the rescue centre.
Road to the future?
Today’s shift gave me the confidence I can manage the administrative side of things, and that the role of co-driver would suit me well. This is in contrast to driving which seems (at first glance) to be a little dull in comparison; I’m not convinced it’s worth going through the rigmarole of tests and assessments to drive the larger of the ambulances just to sit behind the wheel. Maybe I’ll change my mind; many colleagues carry out both tasks.
