Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference 2011

Programme – 24th September 2011 – Open Attendance

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

Stream One		Stream Two
08.30	Registration & Coffee
09.00	Welcome address
09.15	Creating a wildlife hospital Les Stocker	09.15	Birds as Casualties: Causes, Care and Rehabilitation (advanced) John &Margaret Cooper
09.45	Mammal rescue and first aid Lynn Miller
10.50	Coffee
11.10	Bat rescue, treatment and care Maggie Brown	11.10	Seal rescue and rehabilitation; theoretical and practical session James Barnett
12.00	Bird rescue and basic care Lynn Miller
12.45	Lunch & Exhibitions
13.45	National Parks and Wildlife Service’s role in rehabilitation Ciaran O’Keeffe	13.45	Bat first aid & treatment- problem solving (advanced) Maggie Brown
14.30	Post release monitoring of wildlife casualties Andrew Kelly
15.00	Coffee
15.20	Wildlife Crime Investigation | Alan Stewart
15.50	Practical: Mammals	15.50	Caring for orphaned wildlife Lynn Miller
16.10	Practical: Bats
16.30	Practical: Birds
16.50	Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland
17.05 – 17.15	Raffle and Q&A

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

19.00	“The Search for Irish Humpback Whales” | Conor Ryan
19.30	Wine Reception & ‘Blood Red Mountain Band’

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Sunday 25th September – Veterinary Professionals, CPD event – 7 CVE credits

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

Stream One		Stream Two
08.30	Registration & Coffee
09.00	Welcome address
09.15	Post release monitoring of wildlife casualties Andrew Kelly	09.15	Seal rescue and rehabilitation; theoretical and practical session James Barnett
09.45	Mammal rescue and first aid John Cooper
10.50	Coffee
11.10	Bat rescue, treatment and care Maggie Brown	11.10	Birds as Casualties: Causes, Care and Rehabilitation (advanced) John & Margaret Cooper
12.00	Bird rescue and basic care Lynn Miller
12.45	Lunch & Exhibitions
13.45	National Parks and Wildlife Service’s role in rehabilitation Ciaran O’Keeffe	13.45	Bat first aid & treatment- problem solving (advanced) Maggie Brown
14.30	Creating a wildlife Hospital Les Stocker
15.00	Coffee
15.20	Wildlife Crime Investigation | Alan Stewart
15.50	Practical: Mammals	15.50	Treating Wildlife: Why, When And How? The Practical, Legal And Ethical Approach John & Margaret Cooper
16.10	Practical: Bats
16.30	Practical: Birds
16.50	Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland
17.05 – 17.15	Raffle and Q&A

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

19.00	“The Search for Irish Humpback Whales” | Conor Ryan
19.30	Wine Reception & ‘Blood Red Mountain Band’

James Barnett

James Barnett BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS has been a qualified veterinary surgeon for 22 years.

My professional experience includes general veterinary practice, zoo, aquarium and wildlife medicine, small and large animal gross and clinical pathology. At present, I am employed as Veterinary Investigation Officer by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Truro, Cornwall, UK, where in addition to farm animal pathology I carry out up to 25 necropsies a year on stranded cetaceans and an increasing number on seals.

I have been active in marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation since 1992. From 1992 to 1998, I was veterinary surgeon initially for the National Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall and later for the parent company, Sea Life Centres. Since 1998, I have been veterinary director/coordinator of the UK national marine mammal rescue charity, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, a voluntary position. For several years, I have been training volunteers, animal rescue organisations, veterinary surgeons and inspectors of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in techniques of marine mammal rescue and first aid. This culminated in the design of the BDMLR Marine Mammal Medic training programme and production of the BDMLR Marine Mammal Medic handbook.

I have assisted the R.S.P.C.A. in the production of their booklet, ‘Stranded cetaceans; guidelines for veterinary surgeons’, and have been sole or co-author of a number of papers on marine mammal disease, medicine and intervention. I have played an active role in the development of the Marine Animal Rescue Coalition, an affiliation of U.K. animal welfare and rescue groups set up to ensure best practice with regard to the management of marine mammal, particularly cetacean rescues.

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.

John Cooper

John and Margaret Cooper are a husband and wife team, from the United Kingdom.
John Cooper trained as a veterinary surgeon and is now a specialist pathologist with particular interests in wildlife and exotic species, tropical diseases and comparative medicine. Margaret Cooper is a lawyer who trained originally as a British solicitor and has made the study of animal and conservation law her special interest.
The Coopers have travelled widely and lectured together in many countries. They have spent nearly ten years living in Africa, including a period in Rwanda working with the mountain gorillas. They recently returned from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago where they combined their medical and legal backgrounds in the promotion of an interdisciplinary approach to veterinary and biological education, wildlife conservation and forensic science. JOHN E COOPER, DTVM, FRCPath, FSB, CBiol, FRCVS, Diplomate, European College of Veterinary Pathologists has lived and worked for over 15 years overseas, in Africa, Arabia and the Caribbean. Time in Britain/Europe spent primarily in the fields of comparative medicine, wildlife and veterinary care of “exotic” species. Graduate in veterinary science at Bristol University, UK, in 1966 and gained MRCVS. Postgraduate training and qualifications in tropical veterinary medicine (DTVM), avian medicine and pathology (FRCVS), comparative pathology (FRCPath, Dip.ECVP) and biology (C.Biol, FSB). Professional interests: teaching , diagnostic pathology, wildlife and ecosystem health, forensic medicine,tropical diseases, zoonoses and human health. Author/editor of many books and papers. Just returned from serving as Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. Several current appointments, including visiting positions at Cambridge University and other academic institutions and consultancies at zoos and diagnostic laboratories. Interests include natural history, youth activities, overseas travel.

Margaret Cooper

MARGARET E COOPER, LLB, FLS graduated in law from Bristol University, UK, in 1965 and qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1969. Spent several years in Africa, with her husband, mainly in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. In UK was a member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) and (1999) a member of the Zoo Standards Review team. Works as a free-lance writer and consultant, lectures at various universities, particularly at post-graduate level, on legal and allied matters. Author of two books and many papers on animal and conservation law. Just returned from living, writing and serving as a Guest Lecturer in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. Interests include overseas travel, languages, cultures and human rights.

Andrew Kelly

Andrew Kelly is head of the wildlife department at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK, having joined the wildlife team in January 2011.

His interests include the effects of humans on wildlife, wildlife rehabilitation, the effect of introduced species on native species, wildlife crime and the international trade in wild animals. Andrew has recently joined the board of Species Survival Network (SSN), an international coalition of over eighty non-governmental organisations committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Andrew was manager of RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire between 2004 and 2010, where he introduced a programme of research to measure the post-release survival of rehabilitated wildlife and to identify factors that can be used to predict the likelihood of release. This research is ongoing and has resulted in a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Before joining the RSPCA, Andrew completed a BSc (Hons) in zoology at the University of Glasgow (1997) and a PhD in evolutionary ecology at the University of Leeds (2001). This was followed by research on niche separation and diet in a wide range of animals including invertebrates, sea turtles and seabirds.

Sinead Kelly

I graduated from University College Dublin in 1992 and spent a total of 18 years working in the UK. Initially I completed a Small Animal Internship at Glasgow University Veterinary School. While working there I studied for and gained my Certificate in Veterinary Radiology. I then worked for four years in companion animal practice in Glasgow before joining the RSPCA in Cheshire at their Stapeley Grange Wildlife Hospital which is the RSPCA`s wildlife centre for the north and midlands of England and for Wales.

My initial work as veterinary intern involved the diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease in British wildlife and their care and rehabilitation to enable return to the wild. During my five years there I also spent 6 months as acting veterinary manager. I was also responsible for training undergraduate veterinary students and new veterinary surgeons in practical aspects of handling, husbandry and veterinary care of wildlife.

I returned to companion animal practice in Leeds and subsequently Glasgow before joining out of hours veterinary care provider Vets Now and specialising in emergency out of hours veterinary medicine for a total of seven years in their Glasgow and Stoke Hopsitals.
I returned to Ireland in 2010 and since then have been working at Allpets Veterinary Hospital in Drogheda – providing veterinary care for both companion animals and Irish wildlife.

Lynn Miller

Lynn Miller B.Sc.Ag., Dipl. Ecotox., PhD (pending), CWR is president of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, based in Oregon, USA, and is also the founder of “Le Nichoir” Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Quebec, Canada.

Lynn began life in New Zealand surrounded by animals; cats, dogs, chickens, horses, budgies, etc. But it was her passion for wildlife and conservation that lead to Summer School at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and a stint at London Zoo.

A rather lovely holiday in France led to meeting a gorgeous French Canadian chap and a new life in Quebec. While attending McGill University’s MacDonald College, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, near Montreal, she began working with birds of prey at the Macdonald Raptor Research Centre. Of course, although the fact that raptors were the specialty did not deter the many people who bought in ducklings, song birds, herons and pigeons. The mistake was to take these birds to her home, or was it? That was 25 years ago.

Since then, Lynn has continued her education with a PhD in Environmental Toxicology due for completion in May 2011. Her rehabbing has also been central to her life, with the founding of Le Nichoir in 1994, becoming an International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) instructor some 7 years ago, joining the IWRC board, and now in 2011, becoming president of IWRC.

This year is a busy one with continued research into the impact of oil in birds, especially the northern gannets that migrate south to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through her research position in the Chemistry department at Concordia University. She is also under contract to the Humane Society of the United States working with their wildlife rehabilitation programs. Add to this her teaching duties with IWRC and the responsibilities as president, 2011 is shaping up to be an interesting one.

Ciaran O’Keefe

Ciaran O’Keeffe is a Director of The National Parks and Wildlife Service and oversees Science, Species and Biodiversity issues, and Licensing.

Conor Ryan

I became involved in the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group in the late 1990s. Following an opportunistic study on killer whales on my doorstep in Cork Harbour, I was hooked on cetaceans and decided to do a degree in Zoology at UCC. For my BSc thesis I investigated an unknown resident group of bottlenose dolphins in Cork Harbour.

Currently I am studying baleen whales for my PhD which is funded by IRCSET and based at GMIT. In partnership with IWDG and the Marine Institute, I am investigating migration and feeding ecology of fin and humpback whales as well as population structure using a suite of analytical techniques (stable isotope analysis, persistent organic pollutants) and molecular genetics.

My research has taken me transatlantic and from the Arctic to the Tropics.

Alan Stewart

Alan Stewart is a retired police inspector, having joined Perth & Kinross Constabulary in 1965 and, after amalgamation, Tayside Police in 1973. During much of his earlier uniformed career he specialised in dealing with poaching cases, particularly salmon poaching on the River Tay, and deer poaching.

Most of his service from 1980 until he was promoted to Inspector in 1993 was in CID in Perth and Drugs Branch in Dundee.
He was appointed Force Wildlife Crime Officer in 1993 and in 1997, after 6 hours retirement, was re-employed by Tayside Police in that civilianised role.

In 1999 he became the first Scottish WWF Wildlife Enforcer of the year, in 2000 was awarded the MBE for services to policing, and in 2006 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from WWF/Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime.

Alan has now taken up writing in his (scarce) spare time, with his first book, Wildlife Detective, published in 2007 a further entitled The Thin Green Line published in September 2009, and a third, A Lone Furrow, due for publication early in May 2011. He and his wife live in Perthshire with their 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and 26 ducks!
(I will retire from Tayside Police on 6 May but intend to work 2 days a week with the National Wildlife Crime Unit)

Les Stocker

Les Stocker MBE HonAssocRCVS, founded Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in 1978. Built a main hospital complex in 1991. Honoured by becoming a Laureate at the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 1990 and honoured as Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1991.

Has written and had published 12 books on the subject of wildlife. Practical Wildlife Care is now in its Second Edition and has also been published in Japanese. Has partnered in many published scientific papers.

A frequent speaker both in Britain and America.

In 2002, was honoured by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as an Honorary Associate.

The second annual Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference was held on the weekend of 24th and 25th September 2011 at the Boyne Valley Hotel and Country Club in Drogheda, with speakers, delegates and exhibitors attending from across Ireland, the United Kingdom and as far afield as Canada. The conference consisted of two days of presentations and practical workshops tailored to different audiences with ‘open attendance’ on the Saturday for rehabilitators, conservationists, NPWS employees, members of the public and other interested parties, and a veterinary practitioner’s conference on the Sunday (registered for 7 CVE credits).

There was an impressive line-up of speakers who, without exception, kept their audience engaged, inspired and enthused throughout the two days of the conference. Delegates were able to choose from two strands of practical workshops and presentations, with the basic and advanced schedules running concurrently in order to cater to different levels of wildlife rehabilitation knowledge. On Sunday, presentations were tailored to the audience of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses with a stronger focus on wildlife diseases, injuries, and treatment plans. John and Margaret Cooper also led ‘Treating Wildlife: Why, When and How? The Practical, Legal and Ethical Approach’ – a lively debate where delegates were encouraged to question the ethics and value of wildlife rehabilitation, and the role and responsibility veterinary professionals have, or should have, with regards to treating wildlife casualties.

Lynn Miller, International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council President and founder of ‘Le Nichoir’ wild bird rehabilitation centre in Quebec, had travelled all the way from Canada to speak at the conference. Giving presentations on ‘Mammal Rescue and First Aid’, ‘Bird Rescue and First Aid’, and ‘Caring for Orphaned Wildlife’, she captivated her audiences with her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm. Les Stocker, founder of the world-famous St Tiggywinkles wildlife teaching hospital, gave an inspiring presentation entitled ‘Creating a Wildlife Hospital’ to delegates following stream one, whilst John and Margaret Cooper discussed ‘Birds as Casualties: Causes, Care and Rehabilitation’ with stream two. James Barnett (Veterinary Laboratories Agency/British Divers Marine Life Rescue) and Maggie Brown (West Yorkshire Bat Hospital) gave species-specific talks on the topics of seal rescue and rehabilitation and bat rescue, first aid, treatment, and advanced problem solving respectively.

Ciaran O’Keeffe (National Parks and Wildlife Service) highlighted the role that the NPWS plays in wildlife rehabilitation and discussed the issues surrounding current legislation and licensing for rehabilitators and veterinary practitioners. Alan Stewart (National Wildlife Crime Unit) delivered a fascinating insight into ‘Wildlife Crime Investigation’ and the ways in which wildlife rehabilitators and veterinary practitioners can aid the work of wildlife crime investigators. By depicting the ways in which the RSPCA are utilizing new technology such as radio tracking devices in order to undertake post-release monitoring of wildlife casualties, Andrew Kelly (RSPCA) reminded us that release is not the end of the story and that it is vital to take a scientific approach to wildlife rehabilitation in order to truly gauge post-release survival and adapt our rehabilitation methods accordingly.

On both days delegates participated in an array of interactive workshops including practical sessions relating to mammals, bird and bats, where they learnt capture and restraint techniques, handling and examination skills, how to gavage and inject fluids, and how to bandage or splint broken limbs. A practical marine mammal rescue workshop, using life-sized seal models to demonstrate capture, restraint and examination skills, was run on both days as part of the marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation presentation. On Sunday 25th, veterinary practitioner delegates also had the unique opportunity to observe James Barnett undertaking the post-mortem of a grey seal pup.

During the breaks between presentations, delegates were able to browse information stands, and chat to representatives from a number of organizations including Birdwatch Ireland, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland, Irish Seal Sanctuary, The Irish Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime, Safe4pets and Bat Conservation Ireland. Alternatively delegates could choose to network and catch up with friends whilst enjoying a coffee and the tempting array of home baked biscuits and scones provided; view photographer Andrew Kelly’s stunning wildlife photography; or purchase tickets for the excellent raffle. In the evenings, delegates were invited to attend entertaining talks, before heading to the bar for continued conversation and craic agus ceol!

To close each day of the conference, Emma Higgs gave a thought-provoking and inspiring speech during which she gave an over-view of the work being done by Wildlife Rehabilitation Irelandand set out a vision for the future of wildlife rehabilitation in Ireland, encouraging those involved in wildlife rehabilitation as volunteers, professionals or veterinary professionals, to embrace the many opportunities available to them, whether that be by helping to educate the public and their colleagues, pushing for legislative change, contributing to the Irish Wildlife Matters website, or treating wildlife at cost price in their veterinary surgeries.

The conference was extremely well attended and the diversity of the delegates’ wildlife rehabilitation experience and backgrounds made for a particularly stimulating and supportive atmosphere in which to further one’s knowledge, share ideas and network with like-minded people working towards a common goal. Emma, Lilian and their team must be congratulated for their enormous effort and dedication. I know that I am not alone when I say how grateful I am for the opportunity to attend such a well-run, informative event. I look forward to next year!

Claire Stares PGCert Biodiversity Wildlife and Ecosystem Health, MA Nature Writing & Ecocriticism, Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator