People4ponies...And Hedgehogs Today

Just rescued - one very cold hedgehog

This afternoon, Faye was just about to leave her house to get to the ponies when she glanced out of the living room window and saw a hedgehog on the front lawn.  It was snowing outside and the hedgehog was very small and not looking very happy.  It was moving but was occasionally struggling and falling sideways.  She rang the North Devon Animal Ambulance emergency line and Diana Lewis confirmed that it would be too small to survive the winter and it must be struggling in this horrible, cold, winter weather. NDAA would take the hedgehog if Faye could deliver it to Market Vets in South Molton.

20 minutes later and its a much warmer, happier looking hedgehog

Faye caught the hedgehog quite easily - it was very cold (hedgehog hypothermia we think!) and it seemed quite relieved to have found some help - and took it inside.  She made a nest of newspaper in a cardboard box and placed the hedgehog inside.  After about 15 to 20 minutes, the hedgehog had warmed up and was looking much more perky.  The box fitted into the footwell of the car and the car heaters helped to keep the temperature up - the hedgehog really looked quite revived but of course, it will be far too small and underweight to be able to hibernate for the winter.

The staff at Market Vets were happy to look after the hedgehog until Diana comes to collect it tomorrow, and are going to give it some cat food and water.  Thank you very much to Diana and we'll let you know if we hear anything else of its progress.

It meant that the ponies were a bit late in getting their dinner - going up to sort out the electric fencing in the dark when it's a wind chill of what seems like -5 degrees Celsius strangely really makes you focus - just think  - that little hedgehog wouldn't have stood a chance in that weather tonight but it found its way to us to ask for help and we've done the best we can for it....and I wonder how many other welfare people were also out in the rain, snow, ice, gale force winds in the dark doing their best and caring for all sorts animals tonight...doing their bit to make a difference.

There's a story that our volunteer Margaret once told us (as she said it reminded her of Faye):

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, 
"It made a difference for that one.” 
― Loren Eiseley

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