STAPELEY
Spring has Sprung / Vet Nursing at Stapeley / Virtual education
NEWS
Spring 2021
In this issue...
GRANGE
Photo by Freddy Jones
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Inside this Spring issue...
PLUS - Field news 7 /Vets corner 9 / Vet Nursing at Stapeley 13 / Tweet Tweet 17 /
Cattery News 19 / Running for Wildlife 29
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Page 5
Clawd
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Education News
It costs Stapeley Grange £50,000 to feed the 6,000+ animals which are admitted every year. The food bill for seals alone costs £500 a week. Anyone who would like to support the vital work of Stapeley Grange can now donate online at
Fundraising News
WELCOME!
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Just one more thing...
As the country tentatively travels along the Covid 19 lockdown road map, back to a new normal, wildlife centres across the country are attempting to cope with the influx of Spring babies. Every wildlife centre seems to be saying the same thing 'We are full full full, never had a year like it'. Stapeley Grange wildlife hospital is no different and the team are now busy with hourly and 2 hourly feeds for many hungry orphaned birds. The team are also caring for the usual injured or sick avian admissions that are picked by caring members of the pubic and our officers in the field. On the mammal front we have bats, wood mice, leverets, fox cubs (lots of them), otters and seal pups currently in care. Whilst our bats, wood mice and leverets are reared and released fairly quickly, our fox cubs and otters will be with us for many months, until they are old enough to look after themselves back in the wild. Our 9 remaining seal pups are waiting for space to free up at two other UK seal facilities, where they will have access to larger, deeper pools. It's in these deeper pools that they will compete for their food, socialise with other seals and sharpen their swimming and diving skills before they are returned to the wild. Our Cattery team have worked hard during lockdown to continue rehoming our cats and kittens. It has been really challenging at times but virtual rehoming has worked and enabled us to find many loving forever homes over the last we months. We are now open to appointments for some of our cats, those more behaviourly challenged, like our sweet oddball Clawd (pictured left) who is still looking for a new family. Our Virtual School children are back on site, which is fantastic news, albeit in limited numbers. They are busy with Charlie building mouse and hedgehog boxes, for some of our animals, using wood from recycled pallets. Find out what else our education team are up to on pages 24-26. We are not sure yet whether we will be in a 'Covid friendly' position to hold our yearly Summer Open Day so we are looking at alternative ways to raise money. To start with we have six charity places in three North West events. For more information on how to get involved with Stapeley's 'Team Animal', check out page 28. Lee Stewart, Centre Manager
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One cub at a time
Spring has Sprung
Mr BLackbird
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The RSPCA were called to rescue a young otter cub which was found at the side of a road in Pateley Bridge in April, after a member of the public had spotted the otter which appeared to be stunned on Pie Gill in Heathfield, close to the River Nidd. The member of public took the otter to a nearby vet who called it into the RSPCA's national call centre 0300 123 4999. Inspector David Holgate was tasked with the job of transferring the otter across to Stapeley where our vets and the wildlife team have being caring for him ever since. He is now outside and doing really well and should be released in the this year. Otters weren’t safe from being hunted until 1978, but over time their numbers have steadily started to rise and they have made a comeback in most counties in the UK. As a result we are seeing more being brought into Stapeley Grange. Otter rehabilitation is very specialised and you need to have suitable facilities to care for them. Young otter cubs can be in care at Stapeley for over 12 months before they can be returned to the wild, so their care is not only time consuming but pretty expensive too. An estimated cost of returning a pair of otter cubs is now £2500 and we currently have 8 in care, so that's £10,000!! 

In 2015 we set up an aviary at a nearby Scout camp. This aviary was to be used for 'soft releasing' which is when we build an aviary or pen in the area the animal is going to be released and when it comes to release day we simply open a hatch or door for them to leave on their own account. In 2015 we released 60 birds through our aviary at the scout camp and 19 of them were blackbirds. All the birds released through this aviary had small metal rings on their legs, that were issued to us by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). On 1 February 2021 we had a report of a blackbird with one of our rings. When we looked up the ring number on our database we were shocked (and pleased) to see it was an individual that we had soft released in June 2015. Not only had our blackbird been seen and the ring number identified, the keen bird enthusiast also managed to take a couple of photos of the bird. Our blackbird is now over 5 years old and had been surviving in the wild for 2044 days post release to be exact! He was seen 14km away from where he was released. According to the BTO the average life expectancy of a blackbird is 3 years, meaning this blackbird is nearly double the average age!! The oldest recorded ringed blackbird is 15 years!! If you spot a bird with a ring on and you are able to read it, either with binoculars or zooming in on a photo then please go to this website and send in your sighting: www.bto.org/how-you-can-help/report-something Rob Whitehouse, Wildlife Assistant
Bumble Oil Geese finally returned
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Back in December 2020, a team of officers and some fantastic local volunteers at Bumble Hole, Dudley, went to task saving 26 birds,:12 Canada geese, 7 Mallard ducks, 2 Mute swans, 2 Tufted ducks and 3 coots. The lake had tragically been polluted with oil. Whilst many were returned to the wild, 11 geese had to remain at Stapeley until we were issued with a license for release. Canada geese are on the Schedule 9 species list under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In April we were given the green light to finally return them home to Bumble Hole which was fantastic news for all involved.
After months in care 11 oiled geese were returned to Bumble Hole
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Otter recovery, one cub at a time
BTO ring on long lived Mr Blackbird
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Spring has Sprung at the hospital
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During the annual baby bird boom at this time of year, the RSPCA’s four wildlife centres care for over a thousand 'orphaned' fledglings each year, picked up by well-meaning people. But many of these birds are not actually orphans and would have been better off if they had been left in the wild. So the animal charity has produced a useful printable step-by-step guide explaining the types of situations where the babies of common garden birds might genuinely need helping, and when the young bird is purely exhibiting natural behaviour as part of its development, in which case it is usually better to leave them well alone. It’s wonderful that people want to do the best for wildlife, but sometimes it’s difficult to know when to intervene and when to hold back. The first step is to identify whether the young bird is a nestling or fledgling. Nestlings are baby birds that have no feathers, or very few. Because they will not survive long outside the protection of the nest, these very young birds should be taken to a vet, or a local wildlife rehabilitator. If neither are available, the RSPCA’s emergency line can be reached on 0300 1234 999. We also provide advice on how to safely catch, handle and care for the nestling until it can be taken to an expert. Fledglings on the other hand have all or most of their feathers and leave the nest just before they can fly. Unlike nestlings, they are able to perch, hop and walk. If one is seen away from the nest, it should be left alone and watched from a distance for up to two hours to ensure the parents are returning. It is likely the parents are nearby and will still be feeding the bird. We advise never to try to return a bird to the nest as this may disturb the other young birds and may be illegal. If a fledgling is in immediate danger, it should be placed in a sheltered spot a short distance away. The RSPCA advises that there are exceptions to these rules. For example, Tawny owlets can climb back up into the nest, so if one is found under a possible nest site, the little bird should be monitored from a distance to see if the parents are nearby. If their call is heard, the young bird should be left alone. If, after monitoring, the fledgling is genuinely orphaned, it should be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator. Other species, like gulls, ducks, swans, geese, swifts, swallows, house martins and birds of prey need to be dealt with on a case-by-case and we would advise anyone who has encountered young birds of these species in need of help, to call the RSPCA’s emergency line.
News from our RSPCA Officers
Roe Deer Rescue - Inspector Joynes - On 22nd April 2021, Inspector Joynes attended Prescot High School following a call about a Roe deer stuck in school railings. The deer was assessed and had only superficial flank injuries. Using a car jack, the officers were able to release the deer in situ, much to the delight of the teachers.

Lone duckling on the Leeds Liverpool canal - Inspector Goodman-James An orphaned duckling was rescued from the canal near Stanley Docks, Liverpool after being alone for at least 5 days. The duckling was found standing on the carcass of a dead bird and was unable to get out of the water. Merseyside Fire and Rescue attended, along with a Canal and River Trust team, and the duckling was moved onto a smaller area near a lock gate where the officer could reach him with a net. The duckling was then safely transferred to Stapeley for ongoing care. The duckling now has a new family and will be returned home in the Autumn
Red tailed hawk rescue - Inspector Pengilly - A hawk missing since 31st March 2021, was found on 24th April, hanging by her jesses on a 60ft tree. The fire service attended with their rope teams and got her down. It was a great team effort but the icing on the cake was the fact that we could return her back to her owner.

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Velvet Scoter rescue - Inspector Dingle "On Monday 22nd March I was called to a job; a member of the public had rung through to our national call centre. There was a duck in his back garden that seemed to be breathing quite heavily and not moving. I arrived and quickly realised he wasn’t your average duck and after a quick look and 'google check' I discovered he was actually a Velvet Scoter. I’ve never seen one in my whole career and so was very excited! I couldn’t see any injuries but the bird appeared very lethargic so I contacted Stapeley for advice. They advised me to bring him in. I dropped him off at the centre where he was assessed. Thankfully there were no major issues so he was observed in care and built up his strength. The Scoter was released a week later."
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Spot the owl - Inspector Lupson & ARO Bradshaw - On Tuesday 27th April 2021, Inspector Lupson attended an address in Liverpool after the occupants woke to find a barn owl in their lounge. The bird had managed to come down the chimney and had caused some damage inside. The officer was able to open a window and encourage the bird back outside. Astonishingly, we received another call the following day as the owl had repeated the visit & was perched in the same spot on the fireplace. ARO Bradshaw attended and was able to assist the homeowners in releasing the healthy bird.
Tangled buzzard rescue in Chester - Inspector Anthony Joynes - On Wednesday 21st April 2021, a dog walker spotted a Buzzard tangled in discarded fishing line. The bird was dangling from a bush on the island in a lake at Mollington golf course, Chester. Inspector Joynes attended and swam out to the bird which had the line around his feathers. The bird was tired but uninjured and after a few hours rest was able to be released back into the wild. 

Vet's corner
https://ticketlab.co.uk/series/id/140
After
https://ticketlab.co.uk/series/id/172
Badger - territorial fighting
https://ticketlab.co.uk/series/id/122
In March a badger arrived from Burton on Trent via an Animal Rescue Officer. The badger was resented to us with significant territorial wounds around the rump (pictured below left). An x-ray and full examination under sedation revealed no fractures or underlying concerns, and so we decided to further clean and assess the wound. After some debridement (removal of dead tissue), the wound looked extremely large, but clean. Knowing how quickly badgers heal, we were hopeful for a good recovery and embarked upon wound management. Several weeks later, following another two sedations to clean, suture and apply protective gel to the wound, it progressed very well and we were able to sign him off for release, (pictured below right). The badger was returned by one of our Officers close to where he was rescued; fingers crossed he found a new territory of his own! Dr Sophie Common (Vet Surgeon)
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Before
VET'S
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We admit between 500 and 800 mallard ducks each year; they are always one of our top three wildlife admissions. The majority are orphaned ducklings but we also receive a fair number of injuted adults. They can arrive from anywhere in the North West so they come far and wide. This duck actually came in from Nantwich Lake so one of our local residents. This duck arrived to the Centre with a dry wound to the head, most likely attacked by another animal. After first aid treatment and stabilisation, we performed a general anaesthetic to debride and suture the wound. We prescribed pain relief and antibiotics for a week to prevent and treat any infection. After a few days in an indoor cubicle, the wound was looking good, but she was quite stressed from being in captivity and wasn't eating well, so we moved her to the big pool outside with the swans and geese. This meant she was able to be kept under our supervision, but with reduced handling and stress. She was doing great outside and a week later we were able to remove the stitches and sign her off for release. It is so rewarding for the team when we are able to treat and return wildlife casualties back to the wild. Dr Judit Artero (Vet Surgeon)
Sainsbury's shoppers have been supporting our wild and domestic animals, through food donations, for four years now. Whether it be a tin of dog or cat food (Pedigree dog or Whiskas cat food), cat litter, toys or Fairy liquid (which is used on oiled animals) every donation has helped and made a difference. With Spring comes an influx of small birds that require hourly feeds, which always keeps the team busy at this time of year. Many species seem to thrive on Sainsbury's own, meaty loaf dog food so at this time of year we tend to appeal for customers to donate these tins. Your ongoing support is very much appreciated.
Tawny Owl - Fishing litter
Mallard head injury
"This tawny owl arrived early April having been found caught in a fishing net. If any material (fishing line, barbed wire, football nets) gets tightly entangled around a limb/wing, it will compromise its blood supply. The severity of pressure necrosis can not be fully assessed until a week - ten days later and the injuries may vary from superficial damage to complete loss of tissue blood supply and death of the affected tissue. In this case, it took a whole week to appreciate the full extent of the damage. The picture above shows the state of the leg on arrival. Initially, we kept the owl on antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain relief, and hydrogel ointment to keep the damaged tissue hydrated. But it wasn't until a week later that we were confident we could see exactly which tissue was healthy and what was dead. The wounds were then debrided and cleaned every few days under anaesthesia. In addition, after each time we worked on the wound, creams like manuka honey, and eventually hydrogel alone were applied to promote and speed the natural healing. After several interventions, the tissue had started to heal and create a good granulation tissue and a healthy scab, and so the intensity of wound management was reduced. The picture below shows the superficial scab that is now left, and we are confident enough that the injury will complete the last stages of healing by itself in the wild. This case was very challenging, the tissue damage was very extensive, tendons were partly exposed and the process required a lot of intensive care. Fortunately, this owl was well otherwise, kept perching well, eating and flying. Sometimes the damage is too bad, or the animal can’t cope with such long captivity and intensive care, that we are faced with no alternative but having to put to sleep. Thankfully we were lucky on this occasion and we were able to save the leg and return the owl back to the wild. Dr Teresa Prohens (Vet Surgeon)
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Vet Nursing at Stapeley Grange
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Having always aspired to work with wildlife, but evolving a love for vet nursing whilst qualifying as an registered veterinary nurse (RVN) in referral practice, I jumped at the opportunity to work as an RVN at a wildlife hospital in Cheshire. For those VNs that share a similar passion for wildlife, I hope this article can offer some insight and advice on how to get into the role. I hope too, it may inspire anyone reading who has not previously considered a role in wildlife, how rewarding it can be to get involved. In truth there are not many opportunities out there for paid positions in wildlife nursing. However, when they do arise the more practical experience you have, the more successful you will be at gaining a position. I owe securing my role as a wildlife RVN down to the experience I gained on the way. This included several years working at wildlife rescues and hospitals, along with the knowledge I acquired from rehabilitators when taking an active role in wildlife care in practice. In addition, the rarity in paid positions should not deter you from wildlife nursing now. VNs in practice can play a crucial part in wildlife care, you are in a unique position to be able to influence an establishment where wildlife admissions happen frequently. Although not appropriate longer term facilities for wildlife, veterinary practices are often the first line response for wildlife casualties. They can also play a vital role in public education of wildlife. So if you have your heart set on a wildlife job don’t wait for the perfect opportunity, start applying your passion now and begin making changes to improve wildlife welfare. For those looking to get into wildlife care I would strongly suggest three things; Seek practical experience and make contacts Read as much as you can about wild animals and their natural behaviour Become actively involved within your practice. As mentioned, when getting involved with wildlife in practice it’s very important to remember that veterinary practices are not appropriate facilities for wildlife. Therefore your aim as a good wildlife nurse is to care for patients as best you can, until release or transfer to an appropriate facility as soon as appropriate (based on advice from an experienced rehabilitator). By getting involved in practice you can gain knowledge through experience and liaison with rehabilitators, play an integral part in the successful rehabilitation of wildlife and play an active part in building staff confidence in dealing with species. Learning simple skills such a crop tubing can be lifesaving and these skills can be shared across the team. From my experience the more confidence a practice has with dealing with wildlife the more likely they are to develop a passion for it. Here are some ways you can help within practice: Create flow charts to guide staff on how to deal with wildlife triage phone calls Creation of wildlife folders are also beneficial to help guide staff on basic triage and care Create a contact list of trusted rehabilitation centres staff can call for advice or transfer – A great place to find a trusted rehabilitator in your area is www.bwrc.org.uk Challenges and rewards - Wildlife veterinary nursing can offer a completely new aspect to nursing. There is a vast mountain of knowledge to assimilate, a lot of which comes with experience and not from a textbook. There is very little literature out there on wildlife veterinary care and much of what is done has to be extrapolated from domestic and zoo nursing, with consideration of wildlife ethology. Resources are often limited in wildlife nursing and lack of funding can be frustrating. This is particularly so when coming from private practice where you are often applying gold standard care. It is really important to have this is mind when applying for a wildlife role so that you can be prepared and ready for the challenges ahead. Your nursing knowledge can be crucial in helping develop wildlife care, but you must level this with a practical mind and utilise the tools you have, fundraising can always help. Stress is a major factor in wildlife care and means our approach to wildlife nursing is very different to domestic patients. Our holistic care plan must apply a much more hands off approach which again can cause limitations on our medical interventions. As with domestic care, compassion fatigue is a major challenge of wildlife care. For wildlife to be caught it is often very ill, and sometimes despite our best efforts we do lose patients. It’s really important to remember that if you lose a patient it is not necessarily something you have done wrong, so please don’t let it deter you from helping in the future. Don’t be ashamed to ask for advice, learn and develop; there are always people on the end of the phone willing to help you.
Despite the many challenges, wildlife care is extremely rewarding. Nothing compares to releasing an animal back into the wild, especially one in which you have invested so much time, love, and energy into caring for. Working with such a variety of species can create new exciting challenges of how to approach anaesthetics, wound management, and other nursing interventions based on the individual species' unique physical adaptations and behaviour. In my current role, I have also had the opportunity to get involved in the training of vets, vns, and vet student during onsite courses, and more recently, webinars. This has been extremely rewarding, as passing on our knowledge and sharing our skills is integral to the continued success and development of wildlife care. This is why I would encourage you to keep seeking knowledge and experience and share this with your colleagues. It is a huge honour and privilege to work with wildlife so my advice for anyone is; don’t just wait for that role to appear in the jobs section, start now. Wildlife rehabilitation centres and veterinary practices should not work as separate entities, we must work together for wildlife, and we all have our part to play. Nicki Williams, BSc (Hons), RVN, C&G CERT VNES

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https://equilibrium.link/RSPCA-May-2021
Animal Welfare Officer Sonia Hulme
It's not only our bird patients who tweet - we do too! We now have over 3,900 followers on our two Twitter accounts and it is growing all the time. Here is a selection of our tweets. Don't forget to follow us @RSPCAStapeley or @StapeleyCats
@RSPCA _ OFFICIAL
@CARARSPCA
@RACHRSPCA
The official RSPCA Twitter
@SONIA _ RSPCA
TWEET tweet!
Inspector Anthony Joynes
More RSPCA twittering
Regional Media Manager Rachel Butler
@HERCHYBOAL
Inspector Herchy Boal
@JOYNES85
Stapeley's video collection
Otter time - Santon and Storm at play and Orphaned otter cubs Fox cub feeding time: and Fox cub kiss chase Great crested grebe, Gulls galore and Some hungry jackdaws Some cheeky little polecats and Weasel orphan Common buzzards chicks and Cygnets in need of TLC Hoglet feeding time, Leveret release and not forgetting our Orphaned storm seals and Daffi, our orphaned otter cub
Animal Collection Officer 
Cara Gibbon
RSPCA inspectors, staff and centres across the country use Twitter too - here are some more accounts to follow
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To support our cats why not check out our Amazon Wish List - https://amzn.to/3jnCpaj
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The last 12 months have all been about change and facing new challenges. The Society has had to adapt very quickly to Covid lockdowns and put in place new protocols and risk assessments to protect staff and volunteers whilst trying to operate as best we can. Tim Jones, one of our wildlife volunteer drivers, was involved in transferring virtually adopted cats during lockdown and this is what Tim had to say about his time during lockdown. "Well what a year this has been, where we were suddenly driving on our own with no-one to share 'putting the world to rights' with and having to think ahead and prepare individually for the best way to still collect and release without the support of our colleagues. I jumped at the chance to also help out with cat transfers. It was great to be involved and hearing about several cat tales from the new recipients. Despite all the horrible times and hardships, this year has brought me many 'picture paints a thousand words' moments that has shown me that love can really conquer all"
Stapeley Grange is appealing for a special home for a one-year-old cat who has sadly been overlooked by new owners - ‘Clawd’ was sadly abandoned by his previous owner and has become a little distrustful of people, but with some love and attention this may change. He’s been waiting patiently since January 17, almost 4 months, for someone to take a chance on him. Clawd is an extremely playful cat with lots of energy and he will need a home with someone who can commit to offering him plenty of playtime and stimulation. He can be a little unpredictable at times and needs an experienced cat owner who can interpret his behaviour and make allowances for when he doesn't want to be touched. Clawd can be affectionate at times but it is strictly on his terms!! Cattery staff describe him as very mischievous and full of personality but has a very short attention span. He really is a beautiful cat, he will be very challenging to start off with but with time and some love and patience we're sure he will settle.†Clawd is not suited to a home with children or other pets, and he will need a safe garden away from busy roads, to go out when he is ready. If you think you can offer Clawd a loving forever home please submit a Perfect Match form to stapeleycattery@rspca.org.uk
'Oddball' cat looking for new home
Rehoming our cats during lockdown
Looking for loving forever homes
Jasmin was rescued from a car engine in August 2020 but after an 8 month stay at the Cattery she was finally found a new home. Three-year-old black cat Jasmin had been cared for at the Cattery in Nantwich, Cheshire for eight months....our longest stayer by far. She was pregnant when she arrived and all her kittens have since found loving forever homes. She sadly saw her kittens leave one by one while she was left behind looking for a new home. Manager of the Cattery, Lee Stewart said: “We are so happy that Jasmin has finally found her loving forever home. She is a lovely cat but she was very shy and was not keen to be stroked or picked up, so she was really difficult to rehome, especially during lockdown, when the majority of adoptions were completed virtually. She needed an experienced owner who had time on their hands to give here what she needed, which was attention, patience and love. She needed an adult only home where she could be given as long as she needed in her own room. It took us a while, but as with every cat, we finally found her the puurfect home."
Ronnie
CATTERY NEWS
Long stayer Jasmin finds new home
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Little one
Porcia
Tiny
JJ was one of our long stayers in need of a new loving forever home. He is now rehomed!!
Phew....this one is microchipped!!
Compulsory dog micro-chipping came into effect in April 2016 allowing lost dogs to be reunited with their owners. Not only is this great from an animal welfare perspective it has and will continue to save animal charities millions of pounds each year. Charities are now pushing to have similar legislation for cats. On the 24th April the cattery team were sitting outside having lunch, when they spotted a black cat in our field. The team had never seen a cat outside of the cattery so were understandably worried. They managed to earn the cat's trust with some tasty treats which gave them the opportunity to pick him up. He was very underweight but very friendly, so he was obviously owned. Thankfully, he was microchipped and the team were able to contact his owners immediately. Dexter had been missing for just over a month. His chip allowed us to quickly reunite him with his owners. His owners were obviously very relieved and happy to be able to take him home but not until after a quick trip to their own vets to give him a clean bill of health. Dexter was one of the lucky cats. For as a little as £10 you can microchip your cats at your local vets which is a small price to pay for peace of mind. For more information: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/microchipping
Student Placements @ Stapeley
A Mersey Rescue
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Deaf cat rescue on the River Mersey - Inspector Leanne Cragg On 13 April 2021, a member of public rang the RSPCA after spotting a cat 40 ft down from the river Mersey wall at Priory Wharf. He was too far down for Insp. Cragg to use her reach & rescue pole and with light fading fast, the Fire and Rescue (F&R) were called in to assist. The F&R team were able to use a boat to reach the cat and thanks to the fact that Ollie was microchipped we were able to reunite him with his very grateful owner. 

Student Dissertation
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Virtual Visits - Our outreach in the virtual world has been going well and most recently the team have arranged online visits across the North of England for community groups such as cubs and scouts, schools and tertiary education environments. Online sessions about the work of the RSPCA and Stapeley Grange Wildlife Hospital and Cattery have been delivered to primary schools,universities and colleges through Virtual Visits. In addition, these sessions have raised over £500 in donations to the wildlife hospital. Our Easter online workshop with Cheshire Young Carers was a real pleasure to deliver and the children were really enthusiastic. In the near future we hope to develop a partnership which will see the young carers being able to visit the centre for fun and informative nature workshops and activities during the school holidays. Finally, a recorded virtual visit about pets and their needs has currently reached over 40 primary schools across Cheshire and Staffordshire, and been seen by over 1500 children. The clip and its associated resources features the rediscovered story from Dr Seuss entitled ‘What Pet Should I Get’. The session covers the welfare needs of pets and ensuring these can be met. An important message during current times when pet ownership has increased. The education team will continue to work hard developing ways to involve the local community and children in learning about nature and animal welfare. It is good to look forward to working on blended learning approaches, as we become more able to work with people face-to-face in the future, while still embracing the opportunities that online learning can bring. 
If you are interested in a virtual visit or have inquiries about an educational session, please contact: education-stapeley@rspca.org.uk
We can all support wildlife whether it be internationally, nationally, locally within your community or simply feeding birds or hedgehogs in your back garden. It all makes a difference and helps to keep us connected to nature.
APPLY NOW!
news
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Great to be together outdoors! We’re wrapped up warm in our outdoor workshop, a mug of hot chocolate steams merrily on the side of the pallet constructed workbench and we’re ready to begin! Our Virtual School children are ready and eager to start face to face sessions with us once again! 
“It was good doing the online sessions with you - but being out at Stapeley Grange is brilliant†The words from one of our children sum up that it’s great to be together again! The Education team have been running outdoor sessions since March 2021 after 6 months of delivering on-line sessions for the children on their Virtual Schools programme. The children in the care system benefit so much from the alternative provision provided by the Stapeley team. Deprived of our routine sessions due to Covid-19 restrictions, the children are now engaged with a range of practical and vocational sessions including tree planting and after care, conserving our almost ‘forested wildlife garden’ preparing raised beds for veggie planting and our sensory garden, to the design and construction of wildlife homes for some of our orphaned wildlife. As we celebrate Hedgehog Awareness Week (May 2nd - May 8th) one of our boys has just completed the construction of his first hedgehog box. A very proud milestone. This will be used by the wildlife team to provide sanctuary for Hedgehogs in rehabilitation. As we construct artificial habitats for families of displaced animals, our children learn about wildlife conservation and develop skills from our hands-on practical conservation sessions. They have also made some mouse boxes (pictured left). We now look forward to providing the same for other children who will benefit greatly from time spent at Stapeley. As well as this time being fun we are hoping to improve school attainment, wellbeing and knowledge about wildlife. A good measure of what being back together means for the children can be captured in their written thoughts: “Before I came out today I was rather stressed and now I am happy, more relaxed, I had a nice day as usual, and enjoyed my time at RSPCA Stapeley Grangeâ€.
EDUCATION
A human feeding station to watch a bird feeding station, set up by a Virtual School pupil for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.
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www.birdfood.co.uk
"Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems including anxiety and depression"
Community Partnerships-The education team will be working to develop our partnerships in our local community over the coming months and years. The Nantwich based Community Garden is a new project which we are supporting, and which gives socially prescribed and interested volunteers an opportunity to develop an edible garden. Volunteers from the community garden will also be joining forces with volunteers from 'Sustainable Nantwich' and 'Nantwich in Bloom' for the good of all community based activities. Our team will be working to strengthen our partnerships, and we have some big ideas for the future including the development of a new on-site wildlife area on our field. For this, such a team of experienced and enthusiastic volunteers will be instrumental in its development! Those that join in will also benefit from the effect on personal wellbeing, so needed after the effects of the Covid pandemic.

Basketball donation Enrichment is so important for some of our animals, those that can be in care for many months. Donations to the Centre come in all shapes and sizes. A big thank you to Sally from Cloughwood Academy (Hartford) who donated five basketballs, which the seals loved. 'Wilson' was a big hit with our seals!
FUNDRAISING
A message to all our amazing Sainsbury's shoppers in the Nantwich branch who continue to support us. With Spring now in full swing we will be needing Whiskas, Pedigree and Sainsburys Complete Nutrition donations for our animals. Our cats, hogs, gulls and fledgling birds love these donations so please keep the them coming; such support is very much appreciated.
We recently contacted the British Salt team (Whitchurch) and they kindly donated a 150kg of salt for our seals which should keep us going for a couple of years. 'We are delighted at British Salt to be able to support the RSPCA Stapeley Grange Widllife Centre in the rehabilitation and rescue of injured and orphaned animals. We hope our contribution of salt for the seals will go some way to helping this vital work'
It's been a tough year for everyone, including charities. Public donations are critical to the running of the RSPCA, including Stapeley Grange. Although we do receive some Government funding it amounts to less than 0.1% of our annual expenditure, therefore fundraising has always and will continue to be critical to the running of Stapeley Grange For anyone interested in fundraising for the Centre, you can now set up a Justgiving page on either our cattery https://bit.ly/3xKN9Xt or wildlife hospital https://bit.ly/3xGdHcs sites. We are obviously happy to support any fundraising ideas you may have so please email us on stapeley@rspca.org.uk to discuss further. We now have six charity places for three running / triathlon events based in the North West and Wales for anyone that fancies a new challenge. For more information on the events, required sponsorship and how to apply please contact us on stapeley@rspca.org.uk. You may also have events closer to home that you may want to sign up for to help raise money for our animals. Every £ raised will go towards the care of our animals
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https://vip.petsathome.com/ Choose Crewe Store to find us but shop at any Store We will benefit with any instore or online sales, spend at the Groom Rooms and Vets4Pets/Companion Care surgeries.