Volunteer Updates
The North Devon Animal Ambulance relies on volunteers to help with all aspects of the charities work to enable it to help North Devon's wildlife, farm animals and pets.
This month we hear from Laura Stone who has been helping Diana and the team over the last few months.
"As an Animal Welfare student studying at Harper Adams University, the work carried out by the NDAA has always been close to my heart. This summer I was lucky enough to gain experience alongside Diana and the team, and I have to say, what an experience it was. Having recently moved from a town environment to the country life of North Devon, I was overwhelmed with the amount of wildlife I encountered whilst out on the road. I experienced for the first time live badgers, long-eared bats, a beautiful fawn which unfortunately fell victim to an RTA and many species of wild bird. We also had our fair share of the more common animals including hedgehogs, squirrels, ducklings, and field mice.
Despite the high numbers rescued by the NDAA, wildlife plays only a small part in the charities activity. I was shocked and saddened by the numbers of dogs and cats which were handed over to the NDAA for re-homing. Just as we seemed to have success finding the lucky ones homes, they would simply be replaced by one or two more, often through no fault of their own.
Without the work of the NDAA it is clear just how many animals would suffer, and this was reinforced by the outstanding number of calls Diana received on a daily basis. I faced many upsetting and difficult situations whilst working with the NDAA, with one of the most upsetting experiences being a call out to a RTA cat. Unfortunately by the time we had reached the vehicle the cat had passed away, with no microchip or collar we were unable to trace the owner for a number of days. Micro chipping your pet is such an important action which I encourage every one to take.
Working with wildlife is very difficult as many of the casualties pass away or require euthanasia as their injuries are too extensive for them to ever survive back in the wild. I found it very disturbing how we as humans are able to play god to the animals in our care and quite literally have their life in our hands. Although the decision to euthanize will always be a difficult one, when faced with a seagull with a missing wing or a bat whose wing has been torn to shreds it leaves no other option. Being able to help the animal and stop it suffering in a quick and humane way makes the decision a little easier.
On many occasions I had just about lost my faith in humanity, we attended a rescue of four six day old German Sheppard puppies from being drowned. A kind member of the public bought in to our care a five week old kitten which had been thrown from a car window in a carrier bag right in front of his eyes, and a number of kittens had been dumped in a cardboard box, only one of which survived. I cannot begin to imagine how anyone could treat an animal in this way, especially with more and more Animal Welfare Organisations offering their help to those in need. My faith however was restored each and every time we received a call from members of the public taking the time to care for and report an animal in distress, and everyone who offered one of our many animals a second chance in life with a loving new home.
The NDAA has a very close relationship with the emergency services and during my time we teamed up with the fire brigade to rescue a young cat from the roof of a house, the coastguards who assisted us in over seeing a pregnant seal on Morte Point and several liaisons with the police.
All in all the three months I spent volunteering for the NDAA was a very worth while and heart warming experience, being able to help so many animals is one of the most rewarding experiences any one can achieve. The work carried out during my placement has helped me a lot both in my studies and my personal experiences and choices for the future, and, although my three month placement sadly had to come to an end, volunteering for the NDAA is now a big part of my life and shall remain that way in the future."
Laura Stone
