Recent Animal Rescues THIS LITTLE PIGGY STAYED AT PACT!
Noah as we have called him was found still unweaned wandering by a roadside not far from PACT by a motor cyclist who managed to catch him but then wondered how he was going to transport the little squeaker. Faced with no alternative he tucked him inside his jacket and as there were no pig farms nearby proceeded towards the Sanctuary.
After a short while he looked down and saw a little pink nose protruding but luckily Noah seemed to enjoy his adventure and settled to ride happily. Noah, who we think was about 2 – 3 weeks old, had to be fed special piggy replacement milk which he loves and is growing well. He has learning to run about outdoors for a few hours during the daytime and is beginning to root like a grown up pig, although it will be some time before he is able to live with the big pigs. Noah is a very lucky pig as he is not destined for the market but will live out his natural life in safety at PACT.
Two Pregnant Ewes Come To The Sanctuary
Two sheep Persistence and Milly arrived at the sanctuary in lamb.They gave birth to their lambs Michele Mitch and Peter. They had a lot of problems both during the birth and after and had to be supported by staff but they are now all thriving. A lovely scene of them altogether
Mitch and Michele 
Peter 
Birds Birds And More Birds!
Fledglings and more fledglings. Its that time of year again and our Terri is absolutely inundated with baby birds to feed, of every variety from tiny goldfinches to the larger birds of prey. Please remember, before picking up any infant wildlife that babies of any species usually do best when reared by their natural mother. So if you see a fledgling apparently alone, remove all danger possible i.e. Keep your cats in for a while and watch carefully but out of sight of parents. Nine times out of ten a mother bird will appear to take care of her little one. Only when you are certain that the baby is abandoned take it in and contact your nearest wildlife rescue centre.
Dozens Of Ducklings
Dozens of ducklings! Every spring and early summer we admit orphan or abandoned ducklings, but this year we have been busier than usual. Mostly mallards, we have taken in ducklings of all ages from the just hatched to the half grown. Ducks generally do not make good parents and do tend to leave behind the smallest and weakest who are unable to keep up. Then of course there are the tragic road accidents, for some reason ducks seem to enjoy taking their babies for walks along roads, often ending in fatalities. Killing With Kindness.
Image of a rescue rabbit unable to clean itself. . 
Despite our ever growing population of rabbits here at the sanctuary, we recently took in a pair whose owner could no longer afford to pay their vet bills. While we all agree we want to give our pets the best we can offer, too much of a good thing can be detrimental to their health and unfortunately this pair were loved and cherished to the point of obesity.
A balanced diet is as essential to pets as it is to us humans and must be supplemented with love, exercise, mental stimulation but above all appropriate portion size.
As one of the rabbits had no front teeth their doting owner prepared a selection of fruit and vegetables into manageable sizes every day to supplement their dry food and they were only too glad to hoover up all that was put in front of them. Unfortunately the portion sizes were way too big and they were not burning off the calories they were consuming. The result? Both of these bunnies are seriously overweight to the point that they cannot clean themselves properly. When put into a hutch and run, straw and faeces mat into their fur as their bottoms are constantly dragging on the floor and they cannot reach to clean that area.
Not only is this extremely uncomfortable for them but the potential for infection, urine scald and fly strike are increased dramatically as is the strain on their hearts. Both bunnies also have to undergo dentistry work as their inappropriate diet has affected their teeth.
One had rotting teeth that had to be removed and the other's had not been worn down by the natural chewing action an appropriate diet gives leaving spurs to grow which have to be filed down.
As we know ‘a hutch is not enough' but an adequate hutch and built in run still restricts a bunnies natural movements. Where possible let bunnies be bunnies and allow them the freedom to stretch, jump and (for the less garden proud) dig a little. Regular supervised exercise is so important and sitting in the garden with a nice cup of tea watching your bunnies caper about is very relaxing.
We can only emphasise that this owner had the best intentions for her rabbits and was heartbroken to relinquish them to us. There is nothing wrong with giving your pets treats but please control portion sizes and make sure they exercise.
Our recommended diet for rabbits is plenty of roughage in the form of free grazing, make sure that your rabbit cannot access any poisonous plants, or good quality hay daily, and dried grass available from pet shops Pick dandelions and other herbage that you know your rabbits enjoy (for a full list contact PACT) always make sure that these are very fresh and picked away from roads and dog walking areas. and offer chopped carrot, apple, and vegetable stalks, rabbits love brussel sprout stalks when in season., Keep dry food to a minimum and only feed pellets, rabbits, just like children, will pick out their favourite bits from a cereal mix and will not therefore be eating a balanced diet.
THE TRUTH ABOUT FREE RANGE HENS 
We all imagine free-range hens roaming in green fields, pecking about happily. The truth is often far from that ideal. Most free range hens only have about eighteen months of life and it is the norm for them to be culled around that age as the best of their laying days are considered to be over. PACT recently admitted one hundred ‘free range’ hens, part of a group of hens rescued from slaughter. When they arrived at the Sanctuary we were horrified to discover that they had been de beaked (their top beaks trimmed to prevent cannibalism). This is a practice common with battery hens, as due to overcrowding the hens attack and damage each other, and many were ‘feather plucked’, again something normally encountered in overcrowded conditions. We learnt that the ‘free range’ hens had in fact been kept in sheds with access to small runs, and that not all the hens were able to go out into the runs and were therefore condemned to live their short lives squashed in the sheds in conditions little different to battery hens.
When buying ‘free range’ eggs please try to ensure that the hens are truly able to range freely. Buy direct from the farm where you can judge for yourself or from reputable shops that are able to assure you that the suppliers have been properly inspected THE MYTH OF THE MICRO PIG
Is the any such thing as a micro or teacup pig? Simple answer no there is not. Recently there has been much publicity about pigs being bred down in size as pets, and many horror stories of pigs being sold to live in totally unsuitable accommodation such as small estate houses and flats, growing too large for their homes and creating absolute mayhem. 
To put the story straight, pigs can make wonderful companions, they are basically clean creatures, as long as they have the right facilities, are highly intelligent, and will live happily with humans. However they are gregarious creatures who should never be deprived of friends of their own species, if so deprived and kept in small indoor quarters they can become bored, destructive and even aggressive. Not an ideal house guest. Whether or not it is right for humans to interfere with nature and breed any animal to change in size or appearance, it does take many years to bring about these changes. The so called micro or tea pot pigs have not been through this necessary period and are therefore reverting to type and growing much larger than their owners expect. NORMAN
Recently PACT was contacted by a lady who was very concerned about the welfare of a group of pigs being bred and sold as pet micro pigs. This particular breeder, Jane Croft of ‘Little Pigs’, is very good at marketing and a successful business woman; she has appeared on television and even sold pigs to well known celebrities. Little Pigs and other similar breeders guarantee to take back any pigs who are no longer wanted and find them new loving homes. Some also offer the same service to micro pigs not sold through them. People believe this and have sent their much-loved pets trusting that their pigs will find loving new homes.
RAY However we worry that many of these lovely animals may be sent to the slaughterhouse. Based on this information staff from PACT visited Little Pigs and discovered many pigs living in poor conditions with insufficient shelter. There were around ninety pigs living on an area the same size as our pigpen where we keep only nine. Posing as potential customers we were able to save five pigs. Five more were rescued by another well-known Sanctuary, but sadly we cannot save them all. No home checks were carried out, and no interest was shown in their future welfare. In fact ‘Little Pigs’ only concern seemed to be making sure that the correct movement orders were completed as they had already been prosecuted by DEFRA. 
ALBERT
No matter what their eventual fate, all animals have the right to freedom, comfort and shelter and to be cared for properly during their lifetime. People are being conned into believing wrongly that pigs can be bred to remain tiny and be suitable as house pets, and when this does go wrong that the animals they have grown to love will be rehomed to the right environment. They deserve to know the real truth.
This micro pig myth needs to be fully exposed and although there has been some media coverage no one seems to be interested in presenting the full facts. PACT would be interested in talking to anyone who has bought a micro pig that has remained micro. Contact us 01362 820775 or email us
OSKAR
BEARDED DRAGON
Oskar is a magnificent adult Bearded Dragon. He was rescued from neglect by a very caring person but needed veterinary treatment and better facilities which she simply could not afford. 
Oskar came to live at the Sanctuary where he was given the necessary care and treatment before being rehomed.
Bearded Dragons are one of the easier lizards to keep but do require specialist knowledge and the right housing, they are not a pet to take on lightly.
TRUFFLES
Truffles, a lovely little pony who was in desperate straits, due to the current economic climate her owners could no longer afford to pay for her food or care. Horses and ponies are herd animals, and become very lonely if kept on their own, deprived of companionship of other equines. Truffles repeatedly escaped from her paddock and was in danger of being hit on the road. Just another problem for an overstretched family to cope with. When she arrived at the Sanctuary Truffles was thin and her hooves overgrown, A sad little girl, but now she has put on weight, has been treated by the farrier and our vet team and is much happier. She is gradually being integrated with some of our other ponies and will soon be living as nature intended, part of a herd. Truffles is an eighteen year old Welsh pony who has given the best years of her life to providing fun and companionship. 14 RATS!
We recently gave sanctuary to fourteen young rats. Their owner couldn't cope when she had bought two pets believing them to be the same sex and found out the hard way that in fact she had a boy and a girl.
Fourteen hungry babies is a lot for anyone to cope with, yet again PACT came to the rescue. Rats really do make wonderful companions, would you consider sharing your life with a couple of these sweeties?
CHIPMUNK
Often we are asked to take in stray animals, but a Chipmunk found running around a car showroom is a tad unusual.There are very few places who will take in the more exotic pets, so a stray chipmunk is now living at PACT. He is quite happy living in an indoor aviary but would really like some friends of his own species. Can you offer him a good home? If Yes, please contact us on 01362 820775 or email us.
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