Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference 2010

Programme – 21st August 2010

Venue: Best Western Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club
Delegates: Vets and Veterinary Nurses ONLY

08.45	Registration & Coffee
09.15	Welcome address
Session 1
09.30	Mammal rescue and first aid	Joanna Hedley
10.10	Otter rescue and first aid	Grace Yoxon
10.50	Coffe
Session 2
11.20	Bat rescue and first aid	Maggie Brown
12.00	NPWS licences and legislation
12.20	Bird rescue and first aid	John Chitty
13.00	Lunch
Session 3
14.00	Practical capture, handling and first aid for mammals **	Joanna Hedley & Grace Yoxon
15.10	Coffee
Session 4
15.30	Practical capture, handling and first aid for birds and bats **	John Chitty & Maggie Brown
16.45 – 17.00	The development of ‘ Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland ’	Emma Higgs

Evening Session and wine reception
Venue: Best Western Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club

19.00	“A voyage to the Antarctic” | Jim Wilson
19.30	Wine Reception & Boyle’s Band

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Programme – 22nd August 2010

Venue: Best Western Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club
Delegates: Open Attendance

08.45	Registration & Coffee
09.15	Welcome address
Session 1
09.20	NPWS role in rehabilitation	Ann Fitzpatrick
09.40	Mammal rescue and first aid	Joanna Hedley
10:20	Otter rescue and first aid	Grace Yoxon
11.00	Coffe
Session 2
11.20	Bat rescue and first aid	Maggie Brown
12.00	Bird rescue and first aid	John Chitty
12.40	Lunch
Session 3
13.40	Practical capture, handling and first aid for mammals **	Joanna Hedley & Grace Yoxon
14.50	Coffee
Session 4
15.10	Practical capture, handling and first aid for birds and bats **	John Chitty & Maggie Brown
16.10	Raptor Rescue	Steve Davidson
16.50 – 17.00	The development of ‘ Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland ’	Emma Higgs

Evening Session and wine reception
Venue: Best Western Boyne Valley Hotel & Country Club

19.00	“Ireland’s Garden Birds” | Jim Wilson
19.30	Wine Reception & Boyle’s Band

John Chitty

Qualified Royal Veterinary College, London 1990
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Certificate in Zoological Medicine 2000

Publications include… co-editor of BSAVA Manual of Psittacine Birds 2nd Edition and BSAVA Manual of Raptors Pigeons and Passerine Birds
Co-editor of Journal of the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians
Numerous book chapters/ papers

UK representative to the Board of Directors of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV). Secretary to the European Board of the AAV. Scientific Chair of European Avian Veterinarians Conference 2009
Member of Board of Directors of AAV 2009-12
Former chair of British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

Veterinary Consultant to five zoological collections and the Great Bustard reintroduction project

President of the Veterinary Invertebrate Society

Joanna Hedley

Jo graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 2003, and has had a varied clinical background since graduation, having developed a first opinion and referral service in exotic pets in clinical practice, worked in a number of wildlife hospitals and performed voluntary work for wildlife charities abroad.

She started her residency in Exotic Animal and Wildlife Medicine at the R(D)SVS in
January 2009 where she works alongside the rest of the Exotic animal and Wildlife team.

Grace Yoxon

Rehabilitator, International Otter Survival Fund, UK

“I have been working in rehabilitation since the 1980s. We set up the Skye Environmental Centre on the Isle of Skye in 1985. In 1988 we received our first otter and with the outbreak of the Phocine Distemper Virus, I went to RSPCA Norfolk Wildlife Hospital, to learn the basics of seal rearing and treatment.

In 1993 we set up the International Otter Survival Fund, and since then we have helped with many different projects in relation to otters worldwide. Our wildlife hospital now specialises in rearing and treating otters, although we will take any wildlife casualty.

To date we have reared over 100 otter cubs. We also provide help and advice for people working in otter rehab abroad including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, Chile, Guyana, Nigeria, Portugal, Indonesia and even Ireland. At present we are helping with a rare Congo Clawless otter in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I have also been responsible for organising the WildCare Forum for rehabilitators that has been held in Inverness since 1991, and I became a member of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Steering Committee in 2004.”

Maggie Brown

Rehabilitator, West Yorkshire Bat Hospital, UK

In the last 20 years I’ve done a varied mixture of conservation work, bat education, survey work, study and training.

I began caring for bats in 1986. I got involved in running the West Yorkshire Bat Group and we established West Yorkshire Bat Hospital. Discussions with people rescuing other wildlife led to the establishment, in 1993, of a newsletter; ‘Bat Care News’. The newsletter was a means of sharing ideas and information between bat workers in the North East of England.

In 2005 we produced a manual of bat rescue, the ‘Bat Care News Bat Rescue Manual’, to share what has been learned by bat carers in the UK.
In 2006 when I retired from teaching I studied young bats learning to fly in the RSPCA flight cage to determine whether they were able to catch their own food. This led to the release and monitoring of hand reared bats.

Immediately following that I studied for an MSC in Biodiversity and Conservation. Having had a chance to study aspects of bat biology in depth I am now researching aspects of bat rehabilitation.

Steve Davidson

Rehabilitator, Raptor Rescue, UK

Raptor Rescue is a registered Charity that was founded over 30 years ago in the North West of England.

It is the UK’s Leading Specialist Bird of Prey and Owl Rehabilitation Organisation dedicated to ensuring that all sick and injured birds of prey are cared for by suitably qualified persons and whenever possible released back into the wild.

Steve and Carol Davidson joined Raptor Rescue in October 2003. The following year they were elected onto the Board of Trustees. Carol took on the role of treasurer, a post she still holds today.

In 2005 Steve became Vice Chairman and Newsletter Editor. In 2008 Steve took on the role of secretary and in 2009 he was elected as Chairman.

Ann Fitzpatrick

National Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger

Jim Wilson

Jim comes from Cobh, County Cork and is a well known ornithologist and ecologist with more than 35 years of bird watching and wildlife experience in Ireland, Europe, Africa, and the Antarctic.

He is a full-time freelance wildlife consultant, author, broadcaster and wildlife filmmaker. He has produced or co-produced a number of books and DVDs including Shorebirds of Ireland, Ireland’s Garden Birds, Whales and Dolphins of Ireland and The Bats of Ireland.

Jim is heavily involved in wildlife conservation in Ireland and was national chairman of Birdwatch Ireland. Amongst other things he is currently coordinating the recently established International Schools Godwit Project.

IRISH WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CONFERENCE 2010

– A Promising Start

The 1st Annual Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference was held on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of August, when veterinary surgeons and nurses, rehabilitators and others associated with Wildlife took part in an informative and enjoyable conference in the genial and relaxing atmosphere of the Boyne Valley Hotel and Country Club in Drogheda.

The exceptional turnout is testament to the amount of interest by the veterinary profession in this subject, and is also an indication of the amount of under-acknowledged rehabilitation work that is currently being carried out in Ireland, and the need to bring interested groups together.

The conference proceedings were opened by Emma Higgs, organiser of the event and creator of the new Irish Wildlife Matters website. Lilian Collier made sure things ran smoothly all day and Andrew Kelly brightened up the conference room with his brilliantly colourful wildlife photography (some of which were raffled). This small team put together an impressive list of speakers all of whom kept the audience engaged throughout the weekend..

The first speaker Ann Fitzpatrick of N.P.W.S. (National Parks & Wildlife Service) covered the important topic of legislation. It was unsurprising to hear that while legislation is in place for the care and rehabilitation of wildlife, the system for licensing is underused and ailing. Much needs to be reformed in this area but uptake of the current system is essential for this to happen.

Ann’s talk was followed by presentations from a number of experienced vets and rehabilitators covering a range of animals including the rehabilitation of raptors by John Chitty (co-editor of BSAVA Manual of Raptors Pigeons and Passerine Birds), bats by Maggie Brown (West Yorkshire Bat Hospital), mammals by Joanna Hedley (Senior Clinical Training Scholar in Exotic and Wildlife Medicine) and otters by Grace Yoxon (International Otter Survival Fund). These talks were very informative, discussing: common wildlife injuries and problems; species specific rehabilitation procedures; and the importance of networking. These speakers came from the UK and showcased the variety and progress in rehabilitation work that our neighbours have achieved. It was inspiring to hear from these individuals.

After lunch, it was gloves on as practical sessions began using wildlife cadavers. Split into groups, attendees were rotated between four stations. There was Joanna Hedley and her display of terrestrial mammals. Full body examinations were discussed as well as the most common problems associated with each species. John Chitty practiced re-hydration procedures and taught us practical bandaging techniques for birds and showed us appropriate injection sites,. Grace Yoxon “grasped” with otters (with a dog grasper), discussing handling and feeding techniques. Maggie Brown introduced people to pipestrelles and a Leisler’s bat, their care and examination procedures. The practical sessions brought life to the talks that had preceded them. Definitely the highlight of the conference.

Following on from the practical sessions, Steve Davidson of Raptor Rescue UK outlined their template for rehabilitation work i.e. a network of accredited rehabilitators nationwide. An example which we could possibly adopt in Ireland? – a question Emma Higgs posited in her proposal of the development of ‘ Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland’. Needless to say the day ended with a lot to consider.

On the following day the Conference program was repeated for a non veterinary audience.

Also throughout the weekend Birdwatch Ireland, Raptor Rescue, Bat Conservation Ireland, Irish Wildlife Matters, Irish Veterinary Nurses Association, Safe4pets and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group were present with stands displaying information about their organisations. Tea breaks, lunch and dinner gave ample opportunity to browse these stands and discuss topics which came up during lectures. The evening talks by Jim Wilson (ornithologist, ecologist, wildlife consultant, author, broadcaster, wildlife filmmaker and former chairman of Birdwatch Ireland) provided a lively, interesting and informative counterpoint to the conference.

The conference was a great success and I would very much welcome it as an annual event. A lot of ground was covered over the course of the conference and connections were made. We now need to have open discussions on how to advance wildlife rehabilitation in Ireland, and how to develop a network of professionals, with support and training, in this field. There is a lot of progress to be made but we are in a fortunate position to have excellent templates from other countries to work from. Congratulations to Emma and her team for laying the groundwork.

Bee Kesso
BSc. (Zoology), MSc (Bio)