Episode 13 Animal 24:7


Episode 13

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Britain's animals are under threat.

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All too often our wildlife and domestic pets

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are the victims of cruelty, persecution and neglect.

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Fighting to save them is a dedicated band of people

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trying to protect and care for them right around the clock.

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This is Animal 24:7.

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Today on Animal 24:7...

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We're calling the police.

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Rescue for the skinny dog locked in a high-rise prison.

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There's still no reply.

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I've been upstairs and looked down and the dog's collapsed on the balcony. It's a bag of bones.

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Horses for courses -

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a tough handicap for these golfers.

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The owners obviously aren't used to handling them because they can't even get anywhere near them.

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And I join the search for a whale in the city centre.

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There it is, right by behind my shoulder!

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London is one of the world's most densely populated cities

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and in amongst the high-rise blocks and council estates,

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problems can often come to a head.

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It's also where RSPCA inspectors often find their most challenging cases.

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For millions of people who live in the concrete tower blocks of Britain

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the balconies can be a window to the outside world.

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DOGS BARK

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But sadly, for some pets, they can also be lonely prisons.

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In the East End of London, RSPCA inspector Claire Ponsford is following up the latest allegation.

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I've had a call about a dog that's living in very bad conditions,

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and the dog itself is supposed to be in quite a bad state, at one of these flats here in this block.

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But although there's a dog reported to be living here there's no-one at home.

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Hello?

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It's the RSPCA.

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It's filthy dirty,

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full of rubbish and dirt and mess.

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It doesn't look like anybody's living here except this is how the property was described to me, so...

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we know that there's supposed to be a young family living here with quite a...

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a dog in quite bad condition, but I can't see a dog.

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With no access to the flat, Claire tries a different approach.

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This is the floor above, so I'm hoping that I can see down onto the balcony.

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If I can see the dog down there then I'll ask the police to come round and have a look.

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Luckily, the neighbours are in and Claire heads straight for a high vantage point.

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What she sees below confirms her worst fears.

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OK, we're calling the police.

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The dog is emaciated and seems to have collapsed.

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Claire needs to get access to the flat as quickly as possible.

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It's a bag of bones.

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I'm contacting the police now and see if I can get someone to assist me with getting into the property.

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The police have the power to break in and rescue the dog.

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Hello, could I speak to DS O'Sullivan, please?

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Claire has no idea how long the dog has been left alone or when it last had something to eat.

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There's still no reply. I've been to the property upstairs

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and looked down and the dog's collapsed on the balcony.

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The police are on their way.

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While she waits, Claire makes the van more comfortable.

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I'm just getting a kennel ready in the van for this dog

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because from what I've seen, it's not in good condition.

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I want it to have quite a comfortable ride to the veterinary surgeon.

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I have alerted the surgeon that we're on our way.

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15 minutes later, the police arrive.

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And inside the tower block they force their way into the flat.

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DOOR BREAKING

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That's it. Nearly there.

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Now Claire can finally get to the dog.

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DOOR BANGS

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Police!

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Right, I'm just going to get this dog out of here.

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-As she approaches the door...

-Hello, mate!

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The dog suddenly springs to life and seems delighted to finally have some company.

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Quite bouncy, which is good because he wasn't earlier.

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Hello. He's quite a nice dog, actually, but the faeces and everything out here is unreal.

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She's desperate to get out.

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Hello! Hello! Hello!

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And as Claire unlocks the door it's clear why.

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Oh, did you go straight in the kitchen and there wasn't anything to eat?

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This dog is dangerously skinny and she's starving.

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She frantically begins scavenging the flat for any scraps of food.

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So hungry. Well, I think she's just starving now.

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Claire tries to calm her down but she's far too distracted.

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She's so hungry. Well...

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Oh, don't eat that, that's rotten chicken, mate!

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Claire is treating this as a cruelty case and the dog's owner may go to court.

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I'm pleased it looks a bit happier than it did when I first looked over the balcony.

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She gathers evidence of how the dog was left.

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The balcony's absolutely covered in faeces.

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There's nothing out here for the dog really to lie on.

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There's no water, broken bowls, rubbish.

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It's just unbelievable.

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Good girl, I'm coming.

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The priority now is to get this pet to the vet's.

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She needs a full health check and some food to give her the best chance of making a full recovery.

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Come on, there's a good girl. She's very thin, you know, she's still...

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a bit...a bit size zero at the back there, but...

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she's quite lively, but probably just because she's really hungry.

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To see her actively rooting through dirty, disgusting old binbags in the property looking for food...

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It's very nervous on a lead.

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It's just quite disturbing and it's just really unnecessary.

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It makes me quite angry that people have these animals and just cannot be bothered to look after them properly.

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Later...

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Now that's a hungry dog. That's a dog that's not eaten for a while.

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She's very hungry.

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And the huge operation to find an elusive whale lost in the city.

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The fact that we can't see or hear it at the moment is good news for you - he's not in trouble tonight.

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We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's managed

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to turn itself around and head back out to open sea.

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Every once in a while a sporting event comes to

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a juddering halt because an animal is loose on the pitch.

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Test matches at the Oval, internationals at Wembley

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have both suffered because birds, dogs or cattle are out of control,

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but for one RSPCA inspector, the problem is a whole different ballgame.

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Some people like nothing more than a quiet round of golf.

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But for this group teeing off in Wigan, the handicap was a bit bigger than they would have planned.

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These horses have been on the fairways for two days.

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Now RSPCA inspector Lisa Lupson has been called in to round them up.

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So, I need to just go and assess the condition, see if there's any

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injuries or marks on them and then we'll...

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We'll nip back to the vehicle and just make a few enquiries.

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As well as Lisa's concerns over the state of the horses,

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back at the clubhouse members are worried about the damage being done to the course.

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They were frightened, and galloped across them and the hooves have dug quite a few divots in the green,

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so it'll a job to rectify them.

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With a full 18 holes available for the horses to graze on, Lisa's no chance of catching them on her own.

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But she does know the owner.

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She calls him and tells him he must come and help catch his runaway horses straight away.

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He's had plenty of warnings. He's had dealings with us before about other horses in a different area.

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This is the second time in the space of a week that horses have escaped this field.

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He doesn't care about his horses. If he's putting them

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in a field where they aren't secure he doesn't care about them.

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With balls still flying as the golfers continue to drive...

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You can get them to smell the ginger biscuits.

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..Lisa tries to coax the horses to safety with a few treats.

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Well, the fact that we're trying to entice them with ginger biscuits

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normally entices any horse and it's not even attracting these.

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They're just running away from us, they're not interested.

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They're obviously quite scared and timid which just shows me that they're not handled very well.

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We need to just wait for the owner and I'm absolutely 100% sure he'll

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come because he'll be scared to death that we'll take them

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and he doesn't want to get into any trouble.

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And, sure enough, a few minutes later the owner does turn up

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with some helpers.

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We meet again.

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But there's an immediate stand-off.

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As soon as he sees Lisa and our cameras he makes off, leaving his friends to catch the horses.

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The round-up begins with the horses trampling all over the greens.

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Frightened, but fortunately sticking together,

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the ponies are ushered towards the rough...

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..but they're not out of danger yet.

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That is a steep bank in those woods.

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My worry is that they've chased them down there, it's obviously thick woodland, so trying to confine them

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now is going to be really hard work and if it's steep banking there's the potential they could slip and fall.

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Lisa has two problems on her hands.

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She wants the horses caught, but also wants to confront the owner.

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But both are avoiding her.

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I think they're going to walk them back to where they've come from,

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which means they might not even come back out of here.

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The horses break cover at the other end of the fairway.

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Lisa hitches a ride to get there as soon as she can.

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The owners obviously aren't used to handling them because they can't even

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get anywhere near them, so my point is proved.

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But before she gets a chance to speak to the owner, the horses

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vanish off her radar again and go into the thick of the woods.

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-Apparently it's all fenced off.

-There's a brook there. They can't...

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-They can't get through the fence unless they bulldoze their way through.

-Unless they jump.

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All that's branched off as well, so...they really can't get through, you know?

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-We might see them.

-They could do some damage to themselves.

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Eventually Lisa spots them in the distance.

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Where are you taking them?

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They've finally been caught and are being quickly led away from Lisa.

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Don't take them back to Adlington because I'm going there now.

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He's got 24 hours to shift them.

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She may be unable to confront him face to face, but Lisa's not prepared to let the owner get away.

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It's not the end for us.

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I'm going to speak to the owner.

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I want to give him a warning notice.

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I want to get these horses moved out of this field that he's got them in.

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It's not secure. It's causing havoc for everybody who lives in the local area.

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The drama may be at an end here for now, but Lisa knows this won't be

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the last time she has dealings with this owner and his runaway horses.

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Coming up, rescue for two tiny kittens dumped in a box.

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Obviously nervous, shaking a bit, so if I pop it in the cage.

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Hey, look who it is!

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And a testing time for Olga, the abandoned dog.

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Dogs that have been starved for some time

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can become possessive of food, so it's an interesting test

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to sort of remove the food bowl while it's eating and see what kind of reaction you get.

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Marine mammals like whales and dolphins frequently visit Britain's estuaries and river mouths,

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but sometimes they get lost and just head a bit too far upstream.

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In Scotland, one such visitor has made a wrong turn and has taken an unexpected city break.

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The River Clyde in the heart of Glasgow and Strathclyde Police Marine Unit

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is searching for something in the water.

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The officers on board are used to searching this river, but today's operation is out of the ordinary.

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They're on the lookout for a whale.

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Police Wildlife Crime Officer Craig Borthwick is co-ordinating the search.

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How long has this story been going on from your point of view and what have you been up to?

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Well, I got the call yesterday at five o'clock to say that there had

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been a sighting of a marine mammal in the water.

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People had phoned up thinking there was a dolphin in the water.

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So we've been watching this creature swimming up and down the Clyde.

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But Craig soon realised the creature wasn't a dolphin.

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It's a northern bottlenosed whale and it's a long way from home.

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The pattern of swimming seems to suggest that it's got itself quite well and truly lost.

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They're deep diving whales. Normally you'd find them in the Atlantic Ocean,

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so to find them this far up into the centre of the Clyde is a bit worrying.

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Despite the team's attempts to redirect the whale towards the sea,

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it keeps swimming back upstream and this is a major concern.

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We don't know why it's here.

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Often when they come up this far and so far out of their habitat, it's because they're ill already.

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So, there's a possibility that that's caused the problem, it's just got lost.

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Making its way own out,

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it's extremely remote.

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The chance to spot such an unusual creature is pulling in the crowds,

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but it's not an easy animal to track.

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British Divers' marine vet Cameron MacPherson has been trying to assess its condition for several hours.

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I had my first view of it about half an hour or so ago now

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for about half a second each time as it was coming up close enough for any meaningful view of it.

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Can you tell in that time if it's young or old, if it's looking fat or thin, any of those things?

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It's certainly looking thin, I think. It isn't fat from what I've seen of it.

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That would concern me if it is underweight because it normally lives in the Atlantic Ocean,

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diving deep down into trenches to feed off squid.

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Clearly not going to be able to be feeding in the Clyde, unfortunately,

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so probably hasn't eaten for quite some time, therefore it's going to be losing weight,

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getting dehydrated as well because they get a lot of their water from the food that they eat.

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Last night the whale beached during low tide, but eventually it did manage to free itself.

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In two hours there will be another low tide and the team is worried the whale will beach again.

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For now though, there is nothing we can do but sit and wait.

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This afternoon, members of the rescue team and ourselves have been

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scouring the surface of the Clyde without seeing anything.

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There it is, right behind my shoulder!

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The whale has finally reappeared.

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Now, the thing is, the tide's going down so it's got less and less water

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to swim in all the time and that was the place that it beached yesterday evening.

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The whale is staying above the water longer than ever before.

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It's a chance the team can't afford to miss.

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We head out on the boat to try and take a closer look and guide it back to sea.

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-In the last hour or so it seems to have been surfacing a lot more regularly here.

-Yes, it's...

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It could be because the water depth is dropping so it's got less water to actually swim around in.

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It can't follow its pattern of taking a couple of surface breaths

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-and going down for an extended period of time.

-There, there!

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The whale's regular appearances are attracting more spectators,

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but for Cameron this sighting doesn't bode well.

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I feel a bit guilty getting excited about seeing it, all these people here are seeing it and, you know,

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it's interesting in one way, but at the same time it's so sad.

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-I don't get excited. I'd rather see it in the Atlantic. I'd be much...

-Yeah, you'd rather not see it.

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Yeah, I'd be much more excited about seeing it there. Here it just makes me nervous and sad.

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But just as quickly as it appeared,

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the whale descends back into the murky grey depths of the Clyde.

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All we can do now is head back to the banks to see if the whale beaches again.

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It does feel really strange that under the water here is an animal

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that should be in the North Atlantic virtually up to the Arctic, and yet it's here in the heart of the city,

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where people are stopping on their way home in rush hour just to take a little glance down at the river.

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It's nine o'clock in the evening and the tide is at its lowest.

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Extra helpers have now been drafted in.

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If the animal beaches, every available hand will be needed.

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But the whale hasn't been spotted for several hours now.

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This is the longest period of time without a sighting.

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It could mean the whale has found its way back to sea,

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but it could also mean the whale is stranded somewhere on the river.

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-It's pretty shallow here then, is it?

-Yes, aye, very shallow.

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We're probably in the deepest part just now.

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-So, we're really searching for it now to see where it is.

-We are indeed.

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We're looking to see if we can see it stranded on any of these sandbanks which have now appeared.

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Earlier on, we were looking at it in the Clyde the water was a lot higher,

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a good four or five metres higher than it is just now, so all this was covered and the whale could move

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in this, but obviously we're now at the stage where the water is really, really shallow.

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'Finding the whale in daylight was difficult, but at night it's proving impossible.'

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ON RADIO: 'Negative. There hasn't been a sighting, but the vet...'

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'Our search downstream takes us towards deeper water, but there's still no sign of the whale.'

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So, the fact that we can't see or hear at the moment

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is good news for you - at least he was not in trouble tonight.

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-Yeah, it is.

-So far.

-It is good news, so it's like anything else -

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keep fingers crossed it's managed to turn itself around and head back out to open sea.

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'With no sightings downstream,

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'we head back to the location where the whale beached before.

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'Once again, we draw a blank.'

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Would you rather see it or rather not this evening?

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It's... It's a tough question.

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Ideally, obviously you'd rather see it... Not see it here,

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and it's got out, but the problem is that the state of it,

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the condition of it, the fact it's been here so long and the manner

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in which it's been swimming up and down there's concern for its welfare now.

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-So, it becomes a kind of an animal welfare issue as well.

-'It's a Catch-22 situation.

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'Failing to find the whale could mean it's safe,

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'but it could also be seriously ill in the river's deeper channels.'

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'If we take a run up towards the parapet

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'and see if we can come across it, over.'

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We've gone right down as far as the Squinty Bridge,

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-turned and came back so we've gone beyond the Kingston Bridge.

-Right.

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But again the sandbanks and all there, we would see it.

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-So, best case scenario it's got into the channel and it's... It's doing its own thing.

-Yeah.

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-It's nice to be wrong.

-Yes, well, aye.

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It's almost midnight. The search has been extensive,

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but there's no sign of the whale. The operation is called off.

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It's a bit frustrating for them and for us that there's no definite end or closure to this story,

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but when dealing with something as rare as a bottlenosed whale,

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there's no reason why it should be certain.

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There is no rule book for it to go by, no reason why it should be clear cut.

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Later, two abandoned kittens pass their medical.

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-Very good. Nice healthy kittens.

-It's unusual for such healthy kittens to have been dumped.

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Now we're back with Inspector Claire Ponsford in the East End of London.

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Earlier, Claire rescued an emaciated dog from a flat in the city.

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The dog was so hungry she was scavenging in the bins for scraps of food.

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Now it's time for her health and temperament to be assessed.

0:21:440:21:48

Claire is on her way to the vet's.

0:21:510:21:54

In the back of her van is Olga,

0:21:540:21:56

the skinny dog that was left without food and water on a dirty balcony.

0:21:560:22:01

I'm actually quite sad about this job, really, because it's just so unnecessary.

0:22:020:22:06

She's a really lovely dog, but quite clearly never leaves the flat, is very nervous on a lead,

0:22:060:22:12

claws are very long, didn't like going down the stairs.

0:22:120:22:16

It's vital Olga gets a health check.

0:22:160:22:20

At the surgery, Claire makes a quick assessment.

0:22:200:22:23

She's not in too bad condition. I mean, she is underweight by about 10kg, so she needs to put on

0:22:250:22:31

quite a bit of weight, but her skin looks quite nice and she's quite happy and alert in herself.

0:22:310:22:36

She loves attention, she likes people and, you know, she's just...

0:22:360:22:40

She's a really nice dog. It's such a shame, really.

0:22:400:22:43

Claire believes the dog is a Hungarian Vizsla,

0:22:430:22:46

an expensive breed and one that should be stocky and muscular.

0:22:460:22:50

This dog's body shape suggest she's been denied food for some time,

0:22:560:23:01

and her reaction to a bowl is yet more evidence of neglect.

0:23:010:23:05

Now, that's a hungry dog. That's a dog that's not eaten for a while.

0:23:080:23:12

Good girl.

0:23:120:23:14

So far Olga's remained good-natured,

0:23:140:23:16

but she is a big dog and has the potential to be aggressive.

0:23:160:23:20

Claire needs to know if she can be trusted.

0:23:200:23:23

Dogs that have been starved or not been given food for quite some time

0:23:260:23:29

can become really possessive of food, so it's quite an interesting test

0:23:290:23:32

to remove the food bowl while it's eating and see what kind of reaction you get.

0:23:320:23:37

This is a big test, especially for such a hungry animal.

0:23:370:23:40

Is that nice? Is that? Good girl.

0:23:400:23:43

Is it? Oh, waggy wags, waggy wags!

0:23:430:23:46

Is that? Good girl.

0:23:480:23:50

There's a good girl. There's a good girl! There you go.

0:23:500:23:53

Thankfully, Olga passes Claire's table manners test with flying colours.

0:23:530:23:58

Re-homeable. Easily re-homeable.

0:23:580:24:00

Good girl!

0:24:000:24:02

She's shown no aggression whatsoever, which is brilliant.

0:24:020:24:04

You could put in a home maybe with young children that might get on the floor when she's eating or something.

0:24:040:24:10

She's going to be fine.

0:24:100:24:12

Within minutes, Olga has finished the bowl of food.

0:24:120:24:16

She's actively seeking food all the time. This behaviour is looking for food. She's very hungry.

0:24:160:24:22

But she's not just starving, she's also desperately thirsty.

0:24:220:24:26

Good girl. Do you want some water? Would you like a bowl of water?

0:24:260:24:32

Shall I put some water in there for you now? Look, there you go.

0:24:320:24:36

With hunger sated and thirst quenched, time for Claire to turn her attention

0:24:390:24:45

to what happens next to this unfortunate dog.

0:24:450:24:48

If the owner comes forward then obviously she'll be encouraged

0:24:480:24:51

to sign the dog over to the RSPCA.

0:24:510:24:55

If she doesn't come over forward within a couple of weeks she'll be re-homed.

0:24:550:24:58

I don't think we'll have any problem re-homing a dog that's as nice as that.

0:24:580:25:01

Olga is now in safe hands, and will begin the road to recovery at the vet's.

0:25:030:25:08

-For Claire though, there are still plenty of questions to be answered.

-Bye bye, darling.

0:25:100:25:15

She's determined to find out why such a lovely dog was left alone and starving on a dirty balcony.

0:25:160:25:22

A few weeks later, and Claire is back on the road dealing

0:25:310:25:35

with another complaint about animals being kept on a balcony.

0:25:350:25:40

She's following up on an earlier visit to a flat where the owners

0:25:400:25:43

were keeping dozens of chickens in cramped and filthy cages.

0:25:430:25:47

This is the property here, with the washing on the line.

0:25:470:25:50

It's the same situation as it was when we came before.

0:25:500:25:54

The cages and boxes are full of birds and we've had information from one of the local housing officers here

0:25:540:26:01

that they're still receiving complaints.

0:26:010:26:04

The owner's been given a chance to improve things, but nothing's changed.

0:26:040:26:09

Now it's time for Claire to get tough.

0:26:090:26:13

Because he's received a warning notice on a previous occasion about keeping birds

0:26:130:26:16

in unsanitary conditions on a balcony and from what we can see, those situations haven't changed,

0:26:160:26:20

it justifies us escalating it to where they're getting removed, and he's facing prosecution.

0:26:200:26:26

Today, Claire is joined by RSPCA inspector Imara Alagaratnam

0:26:310:26:33

and two police officers. She's determined to take the animals away from the flat, no matter what.

0:26:330:26:37

We are here with the police, could you open the door, please?

0:26:370:26:41

Once inside, Claire discovers the situation is more serious than she first thought.

0:26:410:26:47

There are young birds on the balcony, so they've been breeding since we were here before.

0:26:470:26:53

-Claire wants a closer look.

-You don't need to ask your husband, Madam, we're here with the police.

0:26:530:26:58

And once on the balcony, it's clear why it's so important to rescue them.

0:26:580:27:04

There's just numerous birds on the balcony, very young birds that are in quite poor condition.

0:27:040:27:09

They're very thin, they're obviously not getting very well fed up here.

0:27:090:27:12

There's lots of faeces and urine all over the balcony.

0:27:120:27:15

It's very unsanitary, very unpleasant up here.

0:27:150:27:18

The balcony has become a potential breeding ground for disease,

0:27:180:27:22

but adult birds and their chicks have been forced to live here.

0:27:220:27:26

We've put all the chickens into the Vari Kennel,

0:27:260:27:29

but there's two pigeons here with a baby pigeon, so we need to put that in a different container and then

0:27:290:27:34

need to just start dismantling some of these makeshift containers so that the gentleman doesn't get any more.

0:27:340:27:40

As Claire continues the round-up...

0:27:420:27:46

-That's it, mate.

-Imara emerges with the first of the rescued birds.

0:27:460:27:50

And there was no food or water for any of these animals in any of the pens, so they've got no access to it,

0:27:500:27:56

and they're living in their own excrement, as you see from some of the litter trays that we've removed.

0:27:560:28:00

After half an hour, Claire leaves the flat with the rest of the birds.

0:28:000:28:04

We've got 14 chickens in here, most of them are in pretty bad condition.

0:28:040:28:09

They're thin, they're scabby, they're quite clearly underweight,

0:28:090:28:12

some of them are quite young.

0:28:120:28:15

We're taking them down now to the forensic vet who is going

0:28:150:28:17

to individually look at each bird and let us know how bad they really are.

0:28:170:28:22

The chickens and the pigeon are taken to a vet surgery a few miles away.

0:28:220:28:27

Here their condition will be recorded for use in any case against the owners.

0:28:270:28:34

I think that both the chickens and the pigeons have been reared for food, quite honestly.

0:28:340:28:38

I don't see any other reason why you would keep them there.

0:28:380:28:41

They're certainly not pets.

0:28:410:28:44

They don't have any interaction with the people in the flat or anything like that.

0:28:440:28:47

The only logical explanation is that they are as a source of food.

0:28:470:28:50

The checks start with the pigeon, and Claire believes it has been taken from the wild.

0:28:500:28:56

This is a... It's certainly a bird that appears to be acting in a wild behaviour.

0:28:560:29:01

Yeah, in a wild way. It's not used to being handled, it's not ringed,

0:29:010:29:05

it doesn't have any tattoo markings on the wing, anything like that.

0:29:050:29:09

The pigeon is given a clean bill of health and the vet shares Claire's suspicions about his origins.

0:29:090:29:14

Well, the vet's recommendation is that this bird is suffering

0:29:140:29:17

because it's a wild-caught bird, therefore I'm going to release it.

0:29:170:29:20

Can you fly? Thank you!

0:29:230:29:26

It's gone. It's flown away quite nicely, strongly.

0:29:260:29:30

But for the chickens, there's no luxury of freedom.

0:29:300:29:35

They're quite alert though, bless them, but they're in a bad way.

0:29:350:29:39

Many are clearly going to take some time to recover.

0:29:390:29:41

You can see the breastbone there, there is no meat on this bird at all.

0:29:410:29:45

It hasn't got many feathers and things on top.

0:29:450:29:48

This would almost certainly be either stress or from pecking from the other birds.

0:29:480:29:53

It's not an area that it can peck itself.

0:29:530:29:56

These will go down to a boarding establishment to get some condition and put on some weight,

0:29:560:30:02

and look a bit more like chickens, and the result will be decided by the court.

0:30:020:30:07

All the birds are checked and photographed for evidence,

0:30:070:30:11

but it will be some time before their futures can be decided.

0:30:110:30:15

Coming up, another day, another high-rise problem.

0:30:220:30:27

-Were they out on the balcony?

-This is kept open for him...

0:30:270:30:30

So they can come and go all the time.

0:30:300:30:33

In the last year alone,

0:30:350:30:37

the number of animals dumped or abandoned has risen by 57% -

0:30:370:30:43

that's a staggering 30 animals per day.

0:30:430:30:46

The stories are always sad - dogs tied to lampposts, or,

0:30:460:30:50

like Mr Jingles here, just dumped outside the RSPCA.

0:30:500:30:55

And when the animals are so young,

0:30:550:30:58

and it makes it even more upsetting and difficult to understand.

0:30:580:31:02

On a street in Wigan,

0:31:030:31:06

two kittens have been found dumped in a cardboard box.

0:31:060:31:11

They've been taken to two separate addresses by the people who have discovered them.

0:31:110:31:17

Now RSPCA inspector Lisa Lupson has been called.

0:31:170:31:21

They're about three weeks old, which is slightly worrying,

0:31:210:31:25

so we'll go to this house now and check on this kitten and then we'll try and find the other one.

0:31:250:31:30

The babies will be frightened and missing their mum.

0:31:300:31:34

Hiya, RSPCA.

0:31:340:31:37

To help them feel safe, Lisa wants to reunite the siblings as soon as possible.

0:31:370:31:43

-Do you want me to take it from you?

-Yeah, you can do, there you go.

0:31:430:31:46

-Thank you.

-Hang on,

0:31:460:31:48

-hang on.

-Have you got... Hello, darling. Hello.

0:31:480:31:52

The family here have tried to give the kitten the best start they can.

0:31:520:31:56

We've given it milk, kept it nice and warm,

0:31:560:31:59

kept an eye on it, looked after it.

0:31:590:32:02

-Even though its stay was brief...

-It's a shame it's been separated.

0:32:020:32:07

You're very sweet, aren't you?

0:32:070:32:09

For one of the foster carers, it's still a wrench to see it go.

0:32:090:32:12

There's no need to cry, you've done the right thing. But to be honest because it's been found in a box,

0:32:120:32:18

we do need to get it to the vet's and get it health checked and make sure that it's all right.

0:32:180:32:24

Come on then, sweetie pie.

0:32:240:32:26

Let's try and find your brother.

0:32:260:32:28

I'm just going to just bob round to the other address where this other kitten has been taken,

0:32:290:32:35

and then take them up to the vet's,

0:32:350:32:38

and get them health checked up there.

0:32:380:32:41

KNOCK Hiya, RSPCA.

0:32:440:32:47

Inside, the family say they're thinking of keeping the kitten,

0:32:470:32:50

but Lisa explains that taking on a pet is a decision not to be taken lightly.

0:32:500:32:56

I mean, you've got to think it's not... Obviously it's very sweet,

0:32:560:32:58

but it's going to grow up and it's going to need vet bills.

0:32:580:33:01

Finally, the family agrees to let the kitten go.

0:33:010:33:05

He'll be happy when he sees his brother.

0:33:050:33:07

Thankfully, both kittens appear to be in good health, meaning Lisa can finally reunite the siblings.

0:33:070:33:14

I've picked up a lot of kittens recently that have had symptoms

0:33:160:33:19

of cat flu and taken them home and rehabilitated them.

0:33:190:33:23

Obviously nervous, shaking a bit, so if I pop it

0:33:230:33:26

in the cage.

0:33:260:33:28

The two babies may have lost their mother, but at least they have each other.

0:33:280:33:32

Hey, look who it is!

0:33:320:33:34

And they seem comforted to be finally back together again.

0:33:340:33:37

Reunited at last!

0:33:370:33:39

We'll get you to the vet's now?

0:33:390:33:42

Yes. THEY MIAOW

0:33:420:33:45

Often, kittens are dumped because they have health problems.

0:33:500:33:55

Lisa needs to get these two to the vet's as soon as possible.

0:33:550:34:00

Vet Stephen Gilmore

0:34:000:34:04

is ready and waiting to check them over.

0:34:040:34:07

I just wondered, could you have a quick look at them and tell me what sex they are and just give them a...

0:34:070:34:11

A bit of a health check and they'll be all right for re-homing, then.

0:34:110:34:14

-Yeah, no problem.

-Brilliant.

0:34:140:34:15

The first one is clearly unhappy to be separated from his sibling.

0:34:150:34:20

-Very vocal, this one.

-Yes.

-Under the watchful eye

0:34:200:34:24

of his brother, he's given a full health check.

0:34:240:34:29

His eyes are nice and clear.

0:34:290:34:31

Again, no sign of viral infections or conjunctivitis.

0:34:310:34:34

Just check him for fleas.

0:34:340:34:36

-Absolutely spotless.

-Really?

0:34:360:34:39

-That's a first.

-Yeah, he's fine.

0:34:390:34:42

-You're fine, aren't you?

-Thankfully, he's in pretty good nick.

0:34:420:34:46

Now it's time for kitten number two.

0:34:460:34:50

Generally the kittens, when they've been together, the condition of one will be the condition of the other.

0:34:500:34:56

-Of all of them.

-These two make a perfect pair.

0:34:560:34:59

This makes their abandonment even more baffling.

0:34:590:35:02

And these are the healthiest two kittens I've found for a while.

0:35:020:35:05

Very good. Nice healthy kittens.

0:35:050:35:07

It's unusual for such healthy kittens

0:35:070:35:08

to have been dumped then because normally we're finding recently that kittens that have been dumped

0:35:080:35:13

have got either symptoms of cat flu or something happening.

0:35:130:35:16

The two kittens can now be put up for re-homing.

0:35:160:35:21

-Thank you, See you soon.

-OK, bye.

0:35:210:35:23

But after their traumatic start in life, Lisa's hoping their close bond will not be broken.

0:35:230:35:29

A week later,

0:35:290:35:31

and both kittens have been snapped up and, thankfully, they've been kept together.

0:35:310:35:38

They're now enjoying each other's company thanks to new owner Cyril Barnett.

0:35:380:35:43

Today, Lisa has come round to see how the brothers are getting along.

0:35:470:35:51

So, we've come to see your kittens.

0:35:510:35:53

I'm very excited!

0:35:530:35:56

Cyril's happy to have given the kittens somewhere they can both call home.

0:35:560:36:00

There they are. Oh, they're so cute!

0:36:000:36:03

-That's Gino and Pepe.

-What are they called?

0:36:030:36:06

-Gino and Pepe.

-Gino and Pepe.

0:36:060:36:08

Gino's the black one and Pepe's the black and white.

0:36:080:36:10

Aww! Well, they look very settled on that big furry cushion.

0:36:100:36:13

To see actually something that you've saved in its home,

0:36:130:36:17

in its new environment - really happy and playful, it's just brilliant.

0:36:170:36:22

Honestly, it's a really, really good feeling. Really good sense of satisfaction.

0:36:220:36:26

Gino and Pepe may have had a frightening start to life,

0:36:280:36:32

cruelly separated from their mother, and dumped all alone...

0:36:320:36:36

You're a monkey. Yes, you are.

0:36:360:36:37

Yes, you are.

0:36:370:36:39

But now the future of these two brothers couldn't be more secure.

0:36:390:36:43

Like all of us, animals need plenty of space in which to live

0:36:480:36:52

and this can be a problem for people in small high-rise flats.

0:36:520:36:57

In London, the RSPCA have been cracking down on pets abandoned on balconies.

0:36:570:37:03

Inspector Claire Ponsford has already rescued an emaciated Hungarian Vizsla, and 14 chickens.

0:37:030:37:10

Now it looks like she might have to help some more.

0:37:100:37:12

They may be nice places to bask in the sunshine, but balconies are far from ideal for pets.

0:37:170:37:22

-BARKING

-Inspector Claire Ponsford has been told a balcony

0:37:260:37:29

in this block of flats is crammed with noisy dogs.

0:37:290:37:33

I've had a call about three dogs

0:37:350:37:37

living on a balcony, and supposedly more dogs living inside this flat.

0:37:370:37:42

I can't see any dogs on the outside balcony. We'll go and see what's happening.

0:37:420:37:47

The main problem is from a danger point of view, obviously,

0:37:520:37:57

that they could potentially jump or fall.

0:37:570:38:00

Usually they're left out there without any food or water.

0:38:000:38:03

Most balconies aren't sheltered.

0:38:030:38:06

-Hello.

-Hiya.

0:38:060:38:08

Hello, I'm with the RSPCA. I've had a call about your dogs.

0:38:080:38:11

-Why?

-Can I come in for a second?

0:38:110:38:12

You're not talking about the dogs down here which are kept out in the yard?

0:38:120:38:15

-No, I've been given number 52, that's you.

-All right, come in.

0:38:150:38:17

Can I come in for a second? Thank you.

0:38:170:38:19

Inside are two energetic dogs.

0:38:230:38:25

And as owner Laura cleans up the mess from the night before, Claire wants to know where they're kept.

0:38:270:38:35

-Were they out on the balcony?

-This is kept open for him to go...

-So they can come and go all the time.

0:38:350:38:41

Because basically he's housetrained,

0:38:410:38:42

-but as I say in the morning...

-But he can't get through the night.

0:38:420:38:46

In the night he goes out here like this. I mean, that's why it's a mess.

0:38:460:38:50

I've just lifted it up, but that's what... I mop it every day. It's cleaned three times a day.

0:38:500:38:54

-Oh, you're keeping it clean? All right, good stuff.

-That's...

0:38:540:38:57

That's just from last night.

0:38:570:38:58

It's quite bad from last night.

0:38:580:39:01

-The dogs are clearly quite boisterous.

-They bark continually.

0:39:010:39:06

And Laura tells Claire until recently things were even more chaotic.

0:39:060:39:10

-I tell you why he could have called.

-Oh, right.

-I had my son's dog here.

0:39:100:39:16

Well, that would make sense because we... The call was about three dogs on a balcony.

0:39:160:39:22

-He's a big male dog, he's aggressive.

-Yeah.

0:39:220:39:24

-He's lovely with me, but it's not...

-He's making too much trouble.

0:39:240:39:28

And it causes him to play up.

0:39:280:39:30

-Yeah.

-And I've said to him I can't look after him any more because if I get caught for causing problems...

0:39:300:39:34

No, you can't have three dogs here, really.

0:39:340:39:37

Keeping such feisty dogs in a small flat is far from ideal.

0:39:370:39:41

-I'm happy with what I've seen. Are you managing here with two dogs?

-Yes, I've got...

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

0:39:410:39:47

But Claire is satisfied that these dogs are well cared for.

0:39:470:39:52

That's a fairly routine call.

0:39:520:39:53

She admits that they go out on to the balcony, but the door was open.

0:39:530:39:56

I mean, you can see now that they're coming in and out of the balcony into the living room.

0:39:560:40:01

The dogs are nice, friendly. She's got some very expensive food there.

0:40:010:40:05

Don't really have any problems with them, really. They're vaccinated.

0:40:050:40:08

I offered to microchip the other dog for her and I'll go back and do that in a couple of days.

0:40:080:40:12

Just a lady who's got too many dogs in a small flat, really.

0:40:120:40:15

Claire may be happy with the way these dogs are being kept,

0:40:150:40:20

but the consequences of keeping dogs in confined spaces can be much more severe.

0:40:200:40:25

Three weeks ago Claire rescued Olga, a Hungarian Vizsla,

0:40:270:40:30

from a balcony in East London.

0:40:300:40:32

She was neglected, underfed and close to starvation.

0:40:320:40:36

Now Olga's piled on the weight,

0:40:420:40:44

and is looking much more like a pedigree dog should.

0:40:440:40:48

Before we took the dog out, she was emaciated. You could see pretty much every bone in her.

0:40:510:40:55

Today with the amount of weight that she's put on, she looks very different.

0:40:550:41:00

That's the whole reason to get these animals out and it's nice to see that

0:41:000:41:03

they're happy in kennels and getting well looked after. It's wonderful.

0:41:030:41:06

Today, Claire's at the kennels where Olga is being cared for to see how she's getting along.

0:41:090:41:14

The environment that she came from to the environment that she's at now is just miles apart.

0:41:160:41:21

She's out in green fields, she's getting exercise all day, every day,

0:41:210:41:24

mixing with people, and it's obvious to see how much she's enjoying that

0:41:240:41:28

from the way her personality has developed over the last few weeks.

0:41:280:41:32

For Olga, like other animals Claire has seen trapped on balconies,

0:41:350:41:39

the experience of the high life wasn't always a happy one.

0:41:390:41:43

Claire's hoping Olga's next move will take her to a safe place

0:41:430:41:47

where she can keep all four feet firmly on the ground.

0:41:470:41:51

Yes, you are! Yes, you are!

0:41:510:41:54

The owner of Olga, later found to be called Lily, was convicted

0:41:560:42:00

of causing her to suffer and received a 10-year-ban

0:42:000:42:04

on keeping all animals.

0:42:040:42:06

If you think you know of a case of wildlife crime or a creature that needs immediate protection,

0:42:060:42:12

remember there are dedicated professionals out there

0:42:120:42:15

who will answer your call right around the clock.

0:42:150:42:18

They are the people we meet on Animal 24:7.

0:42:180:42:21

Next time on Animal 24:7, the tiny kittens crawling with fleas.

0:42:230:42:29

Are these all the cats in the house now? Is this how many you own? So we've got one, two, three, four...

0:42:290:42:33

-There's eight.

-Eight cats.

0:42:330:42:36

A tricky rescue for a trapped duckling.

0:42:360:42:38

I'm just going to let it settle a second, Justin.

0:42:380:42:42

Because obviously if the duckling is in there, we don't want too much

0:42:420:42:45

water flowing in one go, so take it very carefully.

0:42:450:42:49

And will Gus the Staffie live up to the breed's bad reputation?

0:42:490:42:53

It all goes down to young lads who are out on the streets wanting a status symbol.

0:42:530:42:59

A Staffie is quite a hard-looking dog.

0:42:590:43:03

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:43:170:43:20

E-mail [email protected]

0:43:200:43:23

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