Rspca/rspb

shaun_from_Africa

A short while ago whilst out walking my dogs, I came across a swan on a fairly busy road and this swan didn't have anywhere to go where it could take off or get out of the way of the traffic and it looked as it might have already been given a glancing blow by a vehicle.

Not being too sure who deals with problems like this, I called the RSPB.
They don't deal with any sick, injured or distressed birds and suggested that I call the RSPCA.
I phoned my local RSPCA centre at 4.05pm only to find that it was closed and the call went to an automated service.
After a couple of minutes going through various options ("Press 1 for household pets" etc), they gave another number for emergency out of hours calls.
I then phoned this number and again it was an automated system and one of the options was "press 4 for injured or trapped animals or animals on roads excluding motorways"

This "press 4" option lead to another message. "We don't deal with wildlife on public roads. Please contact the police"
Upon calling Surrey police. (their non emergency number), I was told that they don't deal with wildlife on roads and that I should contact the RSPCA for assistance!


I bet if when on the automated system I chose the option to make a donation, it would have been dealt with in seconds.

bod1467

I recall driving home one evening a couple of years ago when I encountered a cow on a country road. I called the non-emergency number and this was the general conversation:

NEN: Which service please?
ME: I don't know - there's a cow on the road.
NEN: Which service please?
ME: Erm, I don't know. Which would you suggest? There's a big cow on this country road.
NEN: Which service please?
ME: Are you a recording?
NEN: Which service please?
ME: Oh sod it! Police please.
NEN: Putting you through

:rotfl:

belisha-beacon

It does sound really frustrating, though to be fair to the charities, they get a lot of flak for not doing stuff or doing stuff people don't like, when they're not even statutory bodies. They do what they do out of goodwill rather than requirement.

The police should have helped you, but if a charity don't help out then as long as they can justify to their donors that they've been spending the money on the correct charitable aims it's probably OK in my book (although it would be good if they made it clearer what they do and don't do so that people don't have to spend so long on their annoying system).

What did the police say when you told them the RSPCA don't actually deal with wildlife on roads? They shouldn't be shirking their own responsibilities by recommending that charities do for free what the police should be paying them for.

sheramber

I would think the RSPCA would not rescue on a public road due to the danger from traffic. Only the police have the authority to stop the traffic.

I would have thought the police would have called out a local vet and attended the scene , along with the vet.

jrtfan

Yes, especially for a swan - aren't they protected under a Royal charter or something?

My Vet doesn't charge to treat wildlife and I'd imagine the same is true for many or most others.

What's wrong with people, though - all it would have taken was for one driver to stop, then others would have done likewise and the bird could have been manoeuvered to the side of the road and relative safety.

What happened to it in the end, OP, do you know?

shaun_from_Africa

jrtfan wrote: »

What happened to it in the end, OP, do you know?

I was able to shoo it to the far side of a ditch so that it was clear of traffic but because I had a couple of dogs with me I couldn't do too much.
I was driving along the road earlier today and I didn't see the swan (or its body) so it might well have managed to wander off somewhere safer.

usefulmale

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I was able to shoo it to the far side of a ditch so that it was clear of traffic but because I had a couple of dogs with me I couldn't do too much.
I was driving along the road earlier today and I didn't see the swan (or its body) so it might well have managed to wander off somewhere safer.

Well done, Shaun. You put the so-called animal charities to shame. If I were able, I would buy you a pint.

jrtfan

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I was able to shoo it to the far side of a ditch so that it was clear of traffic but because I had a couple of dogs with me I couldn't do too much.
I was driving along the road earlier today and I didn't see the swan (or its body) so it might well have managed to wander off somewhere safer.

Let's hope so, maybe some time spent in the ditch would have given it a chance to recover its senses if it had received a knock from a car, as you suspected, and it might have been able to get itself airborne later on once the roads had quietened down. Well done for making the effort to help it, at least you gave it an even chance of survival.

Going off at a slight tangent, we found a young spaniel recently when driving along a country lane in the middle of nowhere. It was caked in mud and very frightened, bolting down the road when we stopped the car. Anyway, to cut a long story, we managed to catch up with it eventually and ended up with a situation where we were parked on one side of the road (a different lane) with the dog laying down on the opposite side, watching us. It was around 7.30pm and I rang first 101, who transferred me to the local dog warden, who took my number but said they wouldn't come out unless I actually managed to catch the dog. This had proved impossible to do in spite of me trying to entice it over with food, because it ran away each time I got out of the car! Luckily a young chap came along after a while with a spaniel of his own in the car, plus a rope lead which he managed to get around the dog's neck so that he could get it into his own car and take it to safety. Had it not been for this young man, goodness knows what I would have done because it would have been very difficult to just drive off and leave the dog there, in danger of being run over.

mttylad

If my dog is being a pain and not coming back to me I always find that paying attention to someone else's dog always gets mine to come over.

JReacher1

mttylad wrote: »

If my dog is being a pain and not coming back to me I always find that paying attention to someone else's dog always gets mine to come over.

The same approach works with the wife

SueMaggie

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I was able to shoo it to the far side of a ditch so that it was clear of traffic but because I had a couple of dogs with me I couldn't do too much.
I was driving along the road earlier today and I didn't see the swan (or its body) so it might well have managed to wander off somewhere safer.

Hi Shaun

For future reference, as you said you're in Surrey, you can ring Wildlife Aid http://wildlifeaid.org.uk/articles/faqs/what-do-if-you-find-injured-or-orphaned-animal for advice or assistance. You'll be charged for the call but this is to raise money for them to be able to provide care to the injured and sick animals they deal with.

Thye are a charity which covers the vast majority of Surrey and can usually manage to send someone out when the RSPCA won't.