We are aware of the upsetting legislation that will come into force on the 1st December 2019 affecting the keeping and release of muntjac deer and grey squirrels.  We are in the final stages of policy development and will post this information once completed.

If it wasn’t for your legacies and leaving a little something in your will, we wouldn’t be here. “Doing a Will” is one of those things that most of us don’t want to think about!  So if you do ever want to get it out of the way, or change your existing legacy, you can call me – and I will talk you through it, personally. It’s surprisingly easy, and we even have a free legacy link to save you money!  From a desperately needed packet of antibiotics, to a whole Intensive Care Unit, people over the years have left things for us to help us keep going, growing and saving animals. We don’t receive government or lotto funding, so every legacy we receive has an immediate impact on our unique hospital.  Either quietly with a small tasteful plaque, or a huge display celebrating a loved ones life – we make sure that a legacy is something perfectly suited for YOU. We offer a second chance to all British wildlife. We are always here for them, 24 hours a day, and will never let them down. We do not waste money sending out constant appeals for funds or free pens or other bizarre marketing techniques. Our Newsletters simply update our experiences and challenges. We know that once you choose to leave us a legacy you will never want us to waste money that you have worked so hard all your lives for. That is our promise to you and I hope that you will continue to contact me and make that legacy pledge.  I want to thank you all so very much. It means everything to us and I love talking to you all.  The kettle is always on if you’d like to meet us! Melanie Kingham Legacies Officer

If you’re not part of an organisation or group, don’t worry, you can still enjoy our tour programme by joining one of our general public visitor centre educational days! Dates: April-September (see below)Price: Adult £11.00. Concession: £8.00 Concession tickets apply to: Children (10-17yrs), Over 65’s, Students (with ID) and Tiggys Members. Please note: These tours are not suitable for children under 10 years. Each tour will have a maximum of 30 people. A complimentary hot drink will be offered during the break and you are welcome to bring a picnic or purchase sandwiches and snacks from our cafe for lunch during your free time. Agenda 10:00am – Arrival and book in10:15am – Welcome talk in the cafe area10:30am – Polecat feeding time (with any other visitors in the centre at that time)11:00am – Hedgehog Talk11:30am – Break with complimentary hot drink12:00pm – Tiggywinkles ‘behind the scenes’ slideshow12:45pm – Free time to visit the rest of the centre. One of our tour guides will regularly check in with you to answer any questions and talk to you about our residents.4:00pm – Visitor Centre closes For more information and to book please click here.  

This beautiful mother swan and her cygnets had a bit of a tricky start. Very sadly her mate was found dead, whilst she was sitting on their eggs. Not too long after, the mother was attacked by other swans (likely a territory dispute) which caused her to flee the nest; she was then found quite exhausted and distressed. As the poor mother needed care, and we knew the eggs would not survive without her, the whole family were collected by one of our rescuers. We kept the 8 eggs incubated whilst mum had her treatment and as soon as she was well enough, we put them all in a nice private room on a new nest. It did not take long at all for the eggs to start to hatch under the female’s watchful eye. We gave her plenty of space and privacy to make sure she was comfortable and were so delighted when all 8 eggs hatched! Once they were all up and about, we carefully walked the family to a new pen (with their own private pool), which will be their residence whilst in our care. All are doing brilliantly; she is a doting mother and the youngsters are all swimming and feeding well. Once the babies are a bit older, we plan to find them a safe home, without an existing pair of swans, so she can bring her young up in the wild. (Please note, the swan family are not viewable to the public when coming to the Visitor Centre).  

PLEASE NOTE: Any bird with an injury or that has been caught by a cat MUST be taken to a wildlife rescue as soon as possible. Every spring and summer we take in hundreds of baby birds, some of which may not have needed to be picked up. When to Help A baby bird found on the ground that has little to no feather coverage (a nestling) is in trouble. If you know where the bird has fallen from, and it can be done safely, please carefully return the chick to its nest then leave the nest well alone. You can monitor from a safe distance but be very careful not to disturb the parent birds. If there is no way of getting the baby bird back to its parents it may then need to be taken to a wildlife rescue to be hand reared. When to Leave Alone  If you find a young bird that has most of its feathers and is able to hop or flutter around (a fledgling) please leave it well alone. Most young birds will leave the nest before they can fly properly, you may see these seemingly helpless birds in the garden for a few days. The parents will be around nearby looking after the baby birds and should not be disturbed. If the youngster is in immediate danger (in a road or near to cats) you can move it to a safe, sheltered spot nearby. If you are not sure whether to intervene please call us on 01844 292292 for help and advice.

The pupils at Duncombe School in Hertfordshire have very kindly been fundraising for us here at Tiggywinkles. The pupils all worked so hard and raisied an amazing donation of £917.17! This generous donation will be a huge help for the animals in our care, so thank you so much to everyone involved. As part of their tremendous fundraising activities they ran a competition to design plasters, the two winning desings can be seen below – don’t they look brilliant!

Back in January, a kind member of the public rushed to Tiggys after discovering a poor hedgehog stuck in a hole in a wheelie bin. It is suspected that whilst scouring for food, he crawled part-way into the hole but could not get out after catching his spines on the sides and top of the hole.