27 SCIENCE GROUP REVIEW 2014
RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre
During the heavy storms in February 2014, an influx of over 40 exhausted seabirds arrived at RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre including
guillemots, kittiwakes, gannets and razorbills. Among the rescued birds were some rare and unexpected guests - three juvenile Atlantic puffins.
Atlantic puffins aren't usual visitors to the beaches of Somerset - in the last fourteen years RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre has taken in
just 11 of these birds - and it is thought the storms blew these three inland and left them too tired to return.
For the first 48-72 hours of
hospitalisation, oral electrolytes
were administered by stomachtube to
these birds, until they
were eating sand-eels and
sprats convincingly. Seabirds
are particularly prone to the
fungal infection aspegillosis
and, as a safety measure, the
puffins were given prophylactic
treatment against it. When their
condition had improved, the
birds were washed and placed on
pools to ensure they were fully
waterproof prior to release.
The release of the three birds
was undertaken in collaboration
with the wardens at Lundy Island,
off the North Devon coast.
The birds made the 22-mile
trip across the Bristol Channel
aboard the MS Oldenburg before
moving to a smaller boat and
travelling to the release site on
Gannet's Bay. All three birds were
mid-moult, and were missing
their primary and secondary
(flight) feathers. As the birds
would normally be found out
at sea during the moult, it was
not considered suitable to
release them on the coast. A
release from a boat, next to the
island (where there is a breeding
colony) was therefore planned,
and carried out successfully.
British Trust for Ornithology
(BTO) rings were fitted, as a
passive means of monitoring the
survival of the birds post-release.
RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre
Fishing litter remains a serious issue for British wildlife living offshore
and around our waterways. Since 1986, lead fishing weights of
between 0.06 and 28.35 grams have been banned in the UK to
help protect mute swans from lead poisoning.
Between 2010 and 2014, the RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre
admitted 1,887 swans for a wide range of reasons. Of the 1,100 swans
tested for lead, 72 percent were found to have elevated levels - over
one mol/l. Of those found to have elevated levels, 66 percent were
released after successful rehabilitation, including treating with
Calcium EDTA to chelate the lead.
During the same period, the centre also received 297 wildlife casualties
because of discarded fishing line and hooks. The most commonly
"Atlantic puffins aren't usual visitors
to the beaches of Somerset - in the
last fourteen years RSPCA West Hatch
Wildlife Centre has taken in just 11 of
these birds"
affected species (58 percent) were swans, possibly because they feed
from the bottom of lakes and rivers; where much of this litter and spent
shot lies. Whilst 76 percent of swans were successfully released following
treatment, which sometimes included intricate surgery to repair the
oesophageal wall, only 55 percent of all other species were released.
Stapeley's veterinary team are currently looking into whether metal
detectors could be used to detect if line caught in a swan's mouth/
throat has a hook attached to it. This could potentially enable the
removal of the line in the field if a hook is not detected, providing an
alternative to transporting animals - sometimes long distances - to a
wildlife hospital or a vet for x-ray. We have also started to work with
Cheshire East Council to erect signs and distribute leaflets regarding
fishing related injuries, around targeted sites to help reduce casualties.
Yearly breakdown of number of swans admitted, tested, those elevated and those elevated and released.
h
Wildlife department
Joe Murphy x3, Andrew Forsyth/RSPCA Photolibrary