Last secure place for over 600 animals and birds rescued from abuse, neglect, slaughter and abandonment. Please donate or sponsor to keep them safe.
New residents Ravi and Rhona, the Indian Runner Ducks, have certainly made themselves at home over the last two weeks. They were brought to the Sanctuary by their owner whose other alternatives, he said, were to pull their necks or let the foxes have them. Happily they still have their necks and the foxes have been deprived of a meal. Sorry foxes but we do help you over the winter.
This young lady has most certainly got her hooves well under the table! She has moved into one of the top paddocks to live with Daisy, our other blind ewe, and her lamb, Dinah. Stargazer found the field shelter, food and water troughs within minutes of going into the paddock. Dinah acts as a guide lamb for Stargazer. If she wanders off to the other end of the paddock Dinah joins her to check that all is well. They are a similar age and have become great friends. Stargazer is a very happy lamb.
Some of you may remember that when Arnie came to the Sanctuary he was lame and started a special course of treatment for his feet. He has now been diagnosed as having Navicular Disease in his front feet. He will wear remedial shoes and be given a hoof treatment from the Natural Animal Feed Company which promotes hoof growth and that we have used successfully to treat Anaya the horse’s foot problems. Arnie is not in any great pain and is cheerful and active but does slow down when he walks on hard ground.
Bluebell, Buttercup 2, Angus, Mootoo, Marmite and Bovril were tested for TB at the end of the summer and, much to our great relief, all were clear. No vaccine is available for cattle against this disease. Cattle found to have TB at slaughter can still go into the food chain. The Ministry Vet told Janet that if the Sanctuary cattle had had TB they would have posed a threat to people using the public footpath in one of our fields and, of course, would have had to have been slaughtered, but apparently cattle with TB do not pose a threat to slaughterhouse workers who are dealing with their carcases and associated bits. Doesn’t seem to make sense somehow.