10 www.animalaction.co.uk
Photos: Philip Toscano/RSPCA Photolibrary, istock.com/rpbirdman, Kaphoto, CathyDoi, sduben
I
sprung!
sprung!
At last spring is here and new life
begins to emerge everywhere.
From froglets and hoglets to kittens
and cubs, soon our gardens, ponds,
woodlands and hedgerows will be
full of the sound of nature's rebirth.
Spring
hasSpring
t is a wonderful time of year, but a challenging one
for many animals. Fox cubs, baby rabbits (called
kittens), baby hares (leverets), baby hedgehogs
(hoglets) and transforming frogs (froglets) are all having
their first taste of the big wide world - and all its dangers.
So, let's make it as easy as possible for these young
creatures, and give them the best chance of survival. Unless
they are in immediate danger, please don't touch, just leave
them alone. Chances are their parents will be nearby,
keeping an eye on them, bringing them food and waiting
for you to go!
EXAMPLES OF 'IMMEDIATE DANGER' ARE:
The animal is in the middle of a road.
A young animal is on your lawn and there's a cat or
fox in the garden.
The animal is trapped.
The animal is clearly sick or injured.
Fallen fledgling?
Every year thousands of fledgling birds are mistakenly taken
to our RSPCA animal centres to be rehabilitated and returned
to the wild. Fledglings are birds in the process of learning to
fly and leaving the nest; they will have grown all or most of
their feathers and are very mobile and can walk, run and hop
on to low branches.
Bringing in a fledgling is fine if it is genuinely orphaned,
sick or in danger, but please don't 'rescue' a fledgling just
because it seems to be by itself in the garden. Instead, go
right away from the garden and return in an hour or so.
You will almost certainly find that the parents have taken
care of their youngster.
If, after watching the young bird for some time, you
think it is orphaned, or if you find an unfeathered baby bird
Seasonal
advice
Find out how to 'help' baby animals in spring.