These plastic can holders kill thousands of animals each year. Thrown away by careless people, these can strangle many wildlife and bird species. The plastic gets caught around necks, abdomens, legs and wings and as they are plastic do not biodegrade. Many young animals are small enough to get caught in them and as they grow the plastic cuts into their skin leading to infections and a very slow, painful death. If you find any of these please cut them open before safely disposing of them to prevent any animals suffering a horrific death.
Broken or missing drain covers
Many a poor Hog has fallen prey to an open drain. Please check drain covers, especially in abandoned buildings and outhouses. Once a Hog has fallen in the chances of escape are nil, and again a slow death follows. If you find a drain missing its cover, please use what you can to prevent an animal falling in.
Chemical burns
Many garden and car chemicals and liquids can be hazardous to the feet and underbelly. Antifreeze tastes sweet but will cause kidney failure and a painful death to any animal who ingests it, by either drinking it or cleaning it off their coats and paws. Clean any spillage thoroughly and avoid using chemicals in the garden. Should you suspect chemical burns please phone the Vet for advice. Some chemicals react with water so get advice before you wash the feet.
Garden Bonfires
Burning leaf litter and garden debris might be one way to tidy your garden but it can be lethal to many wildlife species that call your untidy pile home. My advice is to pile your garden cuttings in an out-of-the-way "wild" corner of the garden and leave it to compost naturally. Wildlife will use it to live, shelter and feed in. This is a great way to help Hogs and other animals without too much hard work on your part.
Garden, fishing and games netting
Wildlife can be tangled in netting in the garden, on the playing field or in carelessly thrown away tangled netting. Garden and sports netting should be at least 30cm off the ground to allow adult hogs to pass under without harm. Games netting should be removed or tied up as soon as the game is finished or rolled up out of harm's way, and fishermen should take netting home to carefully dispose of it. Wildlife tangled in netting can easily lose a limb or be trapped and die. Should you find a Hog or any other wildlife trapped in netting DO NOT remove the netting but take it at once to a local Vet for treatment.
Fences and walls
Fences and walls can be a real hazard to the movement of wildlife. If you are building a wall or fence consider putting in a wildlife tunnel to allow animals to move freely in their hunt for food. Road authorities are now building wildlife tunnels under roads to bring down the number of road casualties and studies have shown in places where these tunnels exist road casualties have been dramatically reduced.
Keeping your garden tidy???
Keeping your garden tidy might be a good idea for you, but think about Hogs in hiding when you are cutting and strimming the long grass, especially around the edges and under bushes. These are all Hog hunting places and before you start your lawnmower or strimmer take a few minutes to check that you won't have a Hog casualty. Thousands of Hedgehogs are killed, maimed and badly injured by garden equipment each year.
Perhaps keep a "wild" corner for a Hog haven, a place that can attract butterflies and bees which in turn will also attract birds and Hogs. Weedkiller kills the wild flowers the bees depend on in spring but the toxins also soak into the soil affecting the worms and insects hedgehogs and birds depend on which may cause secondary poisoning especially in spring when newborn wildlife needs fed Slug pellets not only kill snails and slugs but also the birds and hedgehogs that eat the poisoned molluscs.
Bonfires are a real danger to sleeping hedgehogs and other wildlife life that find shelter in them. If you must burn then make a small fire away from the large pile. You can then feed the smaller fire from the larger pile and save any hedgehog, frog or other wildlife you might not otherwise see.
Cattle Grids - ask yourself do you need yours? Please fill it in!
Cattle grids KILL.Wildlife falls in and cannot climb out. If it rains heavily they may drown. Larger wildlife can get caught in between the bars and break limbs, get trapped and die. Horses have been known to be injured and killed by these grids.If you know of a cattle grid please help wildlife by making a ladder to help them climb out if they fall in. The ladder can be a pile of rocks or a piece of wood with notches cut in it to help them get a grip as they climb out but don't make it too steep, as they may not be able to cope with a steep ladder. Or why not just fill it in.
Garden Ponds
Garden ponds KILL. If you know of a pond make sure there is an escape edge. A few well-placed flat rocks or a piece of wood that will act as an escape ramp will help Hogs get out of the water. Hogs fall in when drinking or hunting for small frogs and yes, they can swim, but get tired easily and may drown if they cannot climb out.
Ticks and fleas
Ticks start off as spider-like insects, they crawl onto the animal and bury their heads for a meal. We often see them like this as grey "corn niblets" on all sorts of animals including dogs and cats. To remove them use a Tom O'Tick hook or Tick tweezers to be sure to get the head out, as leaving it in can be a source of infection. DO NOT squeeze the Tick's body, ticks can get stressed and regurgitate their stomach contents back into the animal. Ticks suck blood and an adult Hog with 30 Ticks may not survive the blood loss, Hoglets can be severely weakened by a lot less. Don't be too concerned about fleas unless there is a large amount, Hog fleas are picky eaters and are host specific so won't infest your dogs or cats. In fact many Hogs get along fine with a few hitchhikers. PLEASE get in touch with a local wildlife reahbber as parasites can cause other health issues and will need specialist care to get them back to the wild healthy. Have a look at the following video to see how to safely remove ticks from animals using a Tom O'Tick Hook available from good Vets and Pet shops
Fly Strike (Myiasis)
Fly strike is not pretty, hence no photo just a drawing. Fly strike does what it says on the tin - flies strike a poorly Hog and lay their eggs which in turn hatch into maggots that start to eat. I will leave the rest to your imagination, suffice to say that a Hog with small rice grain-type eggs stuck on NEEDS HELP.
Brush off the eggs gently with an OLD toothbrush and warm the little guy up. Any maggots have to be picked off. Take the Hog to a Vet immediately. PLEASE get in touch with us as fly struck hedgehogs need specialist treatment and care.
Bonfires and fireworks
Wildlife and pets get frightened by the noise and can get hurt trying to get to safety. If you are planning a bonfire PLEASE move the fire before lighting it. Start a small fire then feed it from the larger pile. This way any wildlife nesting in it will have a chance of escape. Although if you just left it alone many species will make it home and you will have provided a home for the wild. Consider silent fireworks as the noise scares pets, livestock, wildlife and some humans alike.
Other Hog Hazards...........
Glass bottles and Jars - have been known to trap Hogs that find the slippery surface impossible to get out of.
Polystyrene cups and plastic crisp bags can get stuck on Hog heads and as their spines stick into the polystyrene, they can cause the Hogs to die a slow hungry death. They won't come off unless you take them off. Break up the cups and pop the bags before disposing of them safely.
Plastic bags kill hundreds of animals each year. Some larger wildlife eat them and they become entangled in the gut causing a painful blockage. Other wildlife become trapped inside or have them wrapped around their bodies, legs and heads. Pop the bags before disposing of them safely.
Balloons releases at a wedding or charity event or perhaps children just let go BUT they also kill thousands of wildlife and marine animals each year. Hungry animals mistake them for food and marine life may mistake them for jellyfish and eat them. The balloons cause blockages in the gut and kill dolphins, marine turtles and seals. The ribbon also gets tangled around feet, beaks and wings making it impossible for animals to eat, swim or fly.
Chinese Lanterns are a new trend for parties and weddings etc BUT as they rise up into the sky looking lovely they attract bats, that feed on the insects attracted by the light, burning bats wings and bodies. They can also be mistaken for prey by owls and other night flying hunters. They trap and kill, and falling to the ground they cause litter that may also harm. Please think twice about sending your money up in smoke. Fireworks also kill.
Food tins should be disposed of carefully. Take the tin lid off completely or push it in and squash the tin flat. An animal may push its head in to reach any food remains and cannot get it's head back out, if it does it usually results in tearing its face and snout on the sharp lid. Infection can set in and this can be lethal.
Building materials - breeze blocks can trap Hogs, cement can burn paws, antifreeze will kill if drunk, diesel and oil will poison an animal if they are trying to clean themselves. Tangled netting can trap causing loss of limbs and death.
Household waste - and left over food is very tempting to hungry wildlife. Please dispose of it carefully and correctly. Double bag and hide cooked chicken, lamb and beef bones as they will be a tasty meal BUT cooking makes the bones brittle and splinter, making them dangerous to animals and pets. Bags, tins, glass, plastic can holders, polystyrene containers etc. can all seriously harm or kill.
Other parasitic problems, injuries etc. can be dealt with by your Vet or local Wildlife Rehabilitator or Rescue.When in doubt, phone The Hogsprickle.
