Episode 9 Animal 24:7

Britain's animals are under threat.

All too often our wildlife and domestic pets

are the victims of cruelty, persecution and neglect.

Fighting to save them, is a dedicated band of people,

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

This is Animal 24:7.

-Today, on Animal 24:7.

-Right, I've had enough.

We're taking the dog. So, if you want to go and get him.

Confronting the owner who's neglecting his pet.

Can we have this dog out, please? I'm not arguing with him any more.

I join the operation to crack down on the illegal trade of endangered species.

It's a bit like the drugs trade in that sense.

That the demand is part of the problem, as well as the supply.

That's right. It's the demand that drives the trade.

If we can reduce the demand, then we take away the reasons

for killing these animals in the first place.

And motherly love.

Helping these orphans go back to the wild.

They think of me as a... source of food. Ha-ha!

They know that they can trust me and that that's where the food comes from.

Taking dogs away from their owners can mean RSPCA inspectors

have to put themselves in intimidating situations.

They can often face anger and aggression.

But other people just do everything they can

to postpone the day when their animals are actually taken away.

It's mid-morning in Hull.

And RSPCA inspector, Sarah Keith,

is on her way to what she suspects will be a difficult job.

Last week, Sarah was called after two dogs were involved in a fight when their owner wasn't home.

She took them both to the vets for emergency treatment.

He turned up at the vets. Got a little bit stroppy, to be honest.

Money was obviously an issue for him,

in that paying for these vets bills, for both dogs, was going to be quite expensive.

The owner agreed to sign over one of his dogs.

Sarah left him with the other one

but insisted that he took it back to the vets.

He never did.

Today, Sarah plans to take the dog away for urgent treatment.

But she's not expecting things to go smoothly.

The police are coming with me.

Because he is a little bit stroppy. I've got a feeling

he's not going to let me walk in there, and take his dog off him.

The dog is a Patterdale terrier, named Cole.

He's lame from the earlier dog bite.

This now, could be infected.

He needs to see a vet.

It's RSPCA.

Come and open the gate for us. Cole's not had any treatment, has he?

The owner claims he was just about to go the vets.

But for Sarah, it's four days too late.

You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention

something which you later rely on in court. Anything you...

Failing to provide pets with necessary veterinary treatment or medication is an offence.

-They're going out the front.

-Are they?

Getting nowhere at the back gate, the officers move towards the front,

where they finally come face to face with the owner.

You picked the dog up without any medications.

That dog hasn't had pain relief all weekend. If he had pain relief and antibiotics...

The owner is refusing to let Sarah take Cole for treatment.

The vets have certified that that dog is suffering

because you haven't provided the necessary pain relief and treatment for that dog.

The vets have rung me. The vets are concerned. They've rung me.

Cole's owner is still not co-operating.

Sarah is running out of patience.

I've had enough. We're taking the dog. Go and get him.

You're making more trouble for yourself. Go and get the dog.

Can we have this dog out, please?

I'm not... I'm not arguing any more.

If necessary, the police officers have the right to force entry and take the dog.

Thank you.

But there's no need, as the owner finally invites them in.

Unfortunately the law doesn't care whether you've got any money or not. You've got animals.

If you've got animals, you need to have the money to provide for them.

The dog's going to be taken into possession by the police officer, right?

The owner agrees to let Sarah take the dog.

Come on, Cole.

But his refusal to co-operate before now

could have prolonged this dog's agony.

Get that camera away!

It's been a tricky job for Sarah.

But at least she managed to get Cole away for the treatment he needs.

It's all about the people skills.

He was difficult. I expected him to be difficult.

He's called me all the names under the sun.

Which is fine. But, yeah, the people side of it is certainly the most hard part of the job.

Oh, big drink? No? OK.

-Hi, Sarah.

-Hiya, Giles.

Cole has been denied vital medication for four days now.

Right, we'll have a look.

Giles Moore was the vet who treated him when he was first brought in.

This is the main wound, here.

Multiple puncture wounds from the teeth of the dogs attacking Cole.

You can see it's quite a swollen area.

When Giles first saw Cole he was worried his leg may have been broken.

But his owner took him away before he could find out.

Now the vets can get to work.

Cole's put under an anaesthetic, so Giles can take some long overdue x-rays.

He's in an awful lot of pain.

He's certainly extremely lame. He would have been very sore.

And there's a risk with teeth being the cause of the wounds,

that with a severe bacteria infection in the area and not on antibiotics,

you know, I think we're lucky at the moment that we're not seeing, you know, a worse wound.

It certainly would have been sore over the weekend without any tablets.

After several minutes the results are back.

Pleased to say that we can't see any fractures. Which is good news.

Nice elbow shot. No dislocations.

And going down to his tibia and his fibula.

So, all looks nice and intact.

Just, just soft tissue damage.

So, he's had a lucky escape, really.

It's a good result for Cole.

Hopefully he'll be fully recovered in a few days time.

Hello, boy.

Sarah's hoping that his owner will agree to let him go to a new home,

where he can get the care needs.

He's a lovely, cracking dog. He'll be a real nice pet for someone.

And hopefully not go back to the owner.

Because he clearly can't afford to look after him.

So, hopefully he'll either see sense and sign the dog over,

or the courts will award us custody, and we can find him a nice new home.

And Cole was signed over and found a new home a few weeks later.

-Coming up.

-Oh, dear me.

Starved and neglected, will this rabbit have the strength to survive?

Problem with rabbits is, if they don't get food on a regular basis, their guts can stop working.

-And that will kill them. It is fatal.

-And searching for clues to an illegal trade.

Ian and David are scrutinising all the jars on the shelf.

None of these things are going to advertise themselves as potentially illegal ingredients.

So, they've got to look very closely.

For animals living in the wild, life can be tough.

And when the young get separated from their parents the chances of survival are very low.

Thankfully, there are people across the country working right around the clock

to help these babies get back to the wild.

Secret World, in Somerset, is no stranger to dealing with orphaned animals.

Hundreds are brought into the centre every year. But many are nurtured

in the slightly unusual surroundings of founder Pauline Kidner's kitchen.

From badger cubs to baby squirrels and foxes, all kinds of creatures have been raised here.

You are so sweet, aren't you?

And now the kitchen has become a nursery for two more babies.

Meet Derek and Rob.

I'm just mixing some milk up for the orphans we've got in the kitchen. They're young roe fawns

and so I'm going to syringe feed them.

One's quite steady. The other one is very nervous.

We'll have to see whether they actually come out and see you or not.

The dainty fawns are around five weeks old.

And both were found alone, in the wild, without their mothers.

Hello, are you hungry?

They're totally reliant on Pauline,

who's taken on the role of surrogate mum.

They think of me... as a source of food. Ha-ha!

They know they can trust me - where the food comes from.

And that's the contact that I'm trying to build up.

I've already got it with Derek, but with Rob it's still new.

Derek and Rob had very different starts to their lives.

You're very good, aren't you?

Derek had definitely been abandoned and would have died without help.

This is the one that is just five weeks old now.

One that was found literally just as he...he was born.

I think the mother had been chased away quite some time before,

because the fawn was cold.

There, you show how clever you are.

But sadly for Rob it seems a lack of awareness was to blame for his arrival at the sanctuary.

This one was actually seen in a field, by some people who took it home just to show their children.

It's quite amazing how, people just don't realise that,

that fawns lying up on their own in long grass is perfectly natural.

And the mum usually isn't very far away.

Fortunately both fawns survived the ordeal

and are blossoming under Pauline's maternal care.

But a kitchen cupboard isn't the best place to stretch growing legs.

Fold your legs up. There we go. Good boy.

So, every afternoon the back garden provides a perfect playground.

It's all right. It's all right. Come on then.

Let's see you run.

Follow-my-leader is clearly a favourite for this intrepid fawn.

But although Derek's brave enough to venture outside,

Rob's still quite shy and prefers the run of the house.

Oops! Steady.

He's still finding his feet though.

Eventually the youngsters will be transferred to a permanent outdoor enclosure.

For now, it's just one small step at a time.

It doesn't take long before he gets tired. And then he's ready to go upstairs again.

Make it quite obvious, don't you? Good boy.

While Derek and Rob enjoy the tranquillity of Pauline's kitchen...

over in the hustle and bustle of Secret World's hospital ward,

Vicky Thompson is also playing mum.

This is Hector, a tiny orphaned hedgehog.

Most of the creatures here at the moment are orphaned birds.

I think Hector is one of only two or three mammals we've got in at the moment.

Hector is less than a week old.

He was one of four baby hedgehogs found abandoned.

But was the only one who survived.

In the wild if he was on his own he would be dead, definitely.

Because he needs to be kept warm and he needs to be suckled.

Thanks to round the clock care from Vicky, he's making good progress.

His eyes are still closed. They open at about two weeks.

And his ears aren't open yet. He can't hear.

Given the racket all his neighbours make, it's a good job his hearing's not yet developed.

But like all babies, Hector's certainly got an appetite.

He is sucking quite hard. He's a good feeder.

And while Hector may not have his real mum to learn from,

it's clear he's already inherited some classic hedgehog behaviour.

In a few days' time he should be able to curl up. Last night he almost did.

Because they have a muscle that runs round the edge of the skirt, where the hair develops.

And it pulls in the muscle like a drawstring.

If all this motherly love pays off,

Hector will be released in three months' time.

For now, Vicky is enjoying every moment.

Of course I grow very attached to them because they're my babies, yes.

But hedgehogs are my favourite.

And with a full tummy it's time for this prickly baby to have a little rest.

Going to go back to bed now.

Later, a risky release for Derek and Rob.

The legs are very fragile.

If they break their leg, it probably would be a question of having to euthanise them.

And the skinny rabbit needing urgent treatment.

They don't get much thinner than this.

We can feel...

all his bones, basically.

You might think that wildlife crime happens only in the fields and forests where the wildlife lives.

But in fact, many of those involved, on both sides of the law, are here in the city.

And today, I'm with the Wildlife Crime Unit in London,

as they go out on a special operation.

Lewisham police station in South London.

It's 8am and I'm joining a team of officers for an early morning briefing.

Today's operation is to execute a search warrant.

We're looking for traditional Chinese medicines that contain endangered species.

Things like leopard or musk deer.

The team has received a tip-off about a traditional Chinese medicine shop.

It's reported to be selling remedies containing endangered animals.

We will go through each product as we find it, one by one.

Now the Wildlife Crime Unit is taking action.

There will be a lot of herbs, and lots of products that have no interest to us, whatsoever.

You'll be responsible for the arrest, if there is an arrest this morning.

So, if there's no questions, I suggest we meet downstairs and we'll make our way.

Today's raid is part of Operation Charm, launched by the Met in 1995.

Its aim is to combat the illegal trade of endangered species in the UK.

We travel in convoy across the capital.

After 15 minutes, we arrive at the location.

They want to keep this a bit low profile.

They've parked round the corner and then just going to walk up to the premises.

This operation involves six officers and an interpreter.

I'm going to go in with Martin, initially.

Today's raid is led by Sergeant Ian Knox.

Tell me, why this rather softly, softly approach round the corner? You're taking it all gently.

Because these are... At the moment, these are people who are carrying out legitimate business.

We heard certain information. However, they are in the community.

And what I don't want to do is, is upset their relationship with their community they work in.

-This is most definitely not a kicking down the door raid?

-Indeed not. No.

With everything in place, it's time to serve the warrant.

We make our way across the precinct.

I'm not actually allowed in the premises until we have consent from the owner.

But they're serving the warrant for the search at the moment.

One of the issues, particularly with Chinese medicine shops,

is the people who run them don't speak English.

That's why we've got an interpreter here, who can speak a number of different Chinese dialects.

Traditional Chinese medicines use natural plants, animals and minerals.

Some are perfectly legitimate.

But others contain parts of creatures such as elephants, leopards and rhinos.

-Just bringing it out, a selection of bags.

-A selection of bags.

It's remarkable to think that the medicines in those jars

could contain products from some of the world's rarest animals.

Ian and David are scrutinising all the jars on the shelves.

These things aren't going to advertise themselves as potentially illegal ingredients.

So, they've got to look very closely.

It's not too long before the team find something that looks suspicious.

-Have you got something interesting, David?

-Yes, it's a type of orchid.

It's Dendrobii.

Which is a protected species of plant.

From first impressions, this is the kind of plant that shouldn't be being sold?

It can be sold, with the correct licences. That is something we will check.

-As far as we're aware, at the moment they don't have the licences.

-Right.

The team continues to check each and every label meticulously.

It's quite a steady, painstaking operation, isn't it?

That's right. We don't want to take things that we've got no interest in.

You know, this person's carrying on a business.

We only want to take things that we need to.

And so, being as sure as we can, that what we're finding

is something that's going to be... we have good suspicion of.

Finally their work pays off.

I want to take some of the products that we're seizing, out into the van.

So, if you two could do that for me?

The team gets their first clue that this shop may be selling

illegal products, that don't just contain endangered plant extracts,

but animals, too.

Those two characters, there, are "musk".

-Really?

-Yes.

-You can recognise those yourself?

Yeah, with a little bit of help. Yes, but I recognise the overall product.

-Right.

-And this is frequently found in traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies.

So, this is supposed to be good for haemorrhoids

but it contains something that comes from musk deer.

An endangered species, musk deer.

The sad fact is, that the Asian musk deer is threatened by illegal poachers,

and is now one of the most endangered species in the world.

Musk is one of the most expensive natural products,

with a retail value twice that of gold.

With such high rewards, the musk deer has become very persecuted.

That tube of ointment looks fairly innocent. But the animals it's probably made from are endangered.

And it's the kind of demand for products like that, which can drive such animals to extinction.

These products are now evidence in a criminal investigation.

They will undergo more tests and checks over the coming months.

The illegal trade in endangered species is worth billions of pounds.

Cracking down on those selling the products plays a key role in the fight against this persecution.

The endangered species trade isn't just something that happens in Africa and Asia.

There is two ends of the market.

One where the animals come from, one where they're being sold. It's about supply and demand.

It's a bit like the drugs trade.

-The demand is part of the problem as well as the supply?

-Indeed that's right.

In fact, it's the demand that drives the trade.

If we reduce the demand, then we take away the reason for killing these animals in the first place.

In the end, the officers spent four hours searching the shop.

This is some of what they seized.

There were rare plant extracts, including orchid.

These bandages contain musk and leopard bones.

And the team also seized a collection of seahorses,

believed to be used as an aphrodisiac.

The owners were given a warning, and are now working with the police

to ensure they stay within the law in the future.

Today has been a real eye-opener for me.

Revealing a sight of wildlife crime we don't often reach. Here in the cities.

Where the money and the demand is.

Where much of the trade in these kind of materials goes on.

It all really shows how important the work that Ian and Andy do is.

To make sure that animals thrive, out beyond the concrete, where they belong.

Coming up,

will Hector the hedgehog join this midnight stroll?

Hector still seems to be in bed.

He keeps himself apart from the others, although he's been reared with them.

Perhaps he'll be the last one out.

The decision to keep a pet shouldn't be taken lightly.

It's a huge commitment and they take a lot of looking after.

As well as food and water, it's an owner's responsibility

to seek medical help if they begin to show signs of ill health.

And as this story shows, failing to take them to the vet on time

can soon become a matter of life and death.

Hull, and RSPCA inspector, Sarah Keith,

and student inspector, Nicky Cheatham, are on duty.

DOG BARKING

There's definitely somebody in.

They've been called to a house where various pets are reported to be in a bad condition.

Hiya, RSPCA. We've had a call about some animals.

-Have you got some... a dog, some cats and a rabbit?

-Yup.

Yup. You've got a house full then, eh?

Looking at the dogs, Sarah can see they're fine.

The cat seems OK, too.

Hello, pussy cat.

The only pet left to check is the rabbit.

Hello.

The family says they found him, abandoned down a drain.

So, his name is Lucky.

Oh, dear me.

Sarah is instantly concerned about his condition.

You're very thin, aren't you?

Yeah, he is very thin. Have you been feeding him?

I'm just feeling the body condition.

This rabbit is very... in fact, the rabbit's emaciated.

It's claws are very, very long. You can see that.

The owner found Lucky a month ago, and decided to keep him as a pet.

He says the rabbit was in an even worse condition when he first found him.

Hello, sweetheart.

And there's no food or water in his hutch.

Because of this... the body condition of this rabbit, what I'm going to do is just caution you.

Sarah has to take action.

We can take the rabbit and we can ask...

if the vets says that, yeah, it is very thin,

and it's possibly been caused to suffer because of its body condition,

there's a power there for the police to confiscate it.

-The alternative to that is that you sign the rabbit over to us.

-Yeah.

And then, depending on what the vet says, we'll find him a new home, if he's well enough.

-Could you run that under the tap for me?

-Yeah, yeah.

-And just top that up.

We'll just whiz this out to the van.

All right, sweetheart.

Sarah doesn't know when Lucky last had something to eat or drink.

It's vital he gets some food and water quickly.

But even then, there is no guarantee he will survive.

Problem with rabbits is, if they don't get food on a regular basis,

and they don't get enough roughage, and that type of food, their guts can stop working.

That will kill them. It is fatal a lot of the time, if you don't intervene in time.

So, even with the vet's help, sometimes they're past the point of no return.

We'll get him in and see what condition he's in. And take it from there.

But, before Lucky can be taken to get the medical help he needs, Sarah needs to speak to the owner.

-Do you understand why I'm about to interview you?

-Yeah.

The vet will need as much information as possible about this rabbit.

And Sarah wants to know why Lucky was allowed to get into this state.

And when does Lucky get fed?

-Every night.

-And how much does he get fed?

-Dog bowl.

-And when do you give Lucky water?

Usually, I give it him every night, but the dog's been knocking it off.

So, having to try and fasten it on the inside of the cage.

Why did Lucky have no food and water today?

Don't know.

Neglecting any animal in this way is a criminal offence,

and the owner could be facing prosecution.

And who cleans Lucky's hutch?

I do it, usually. But I ain't been able to do it this...

During the course of the interview the owner realises he's not been meeting Lucky's needs.

He agrees to sign him over to the RSPCA.

Ta-ra.

It's clear Lucky must get urgent veterinary help.

Sarah brings him to the Swanbridge surgery, in Hull.

-But then rabbit's obviously quite thin.

-Yeah, emaciated.

-Right, yeah. This is not good.

-Nope.

Lucky is in a worse state than Sarah had first expected.

His long, matted fur hides just how dangerously malnourished he really is.

They don't get much thinner than this.

You can feel all of his bones, basically.

If I put my hand on the top there, I can feel all of his spinal processes.

I can feel his hip bones. The top of his pelvis is really prominent.

I can actually also feel his shoulder blades. It's that thin.

Everyone is now extremely concerned about his welfare.

Yeah, he is not very well.

The vet's not sure whether Lucky will even survive the night.

Don't die.

He's refusing to eat and he's getting weaker with every minute that passes.

There we go, Lucky.

It's the next morning and Sarah is back at the vets.

Hiya, Lucky.

Amazingly, Lucky did survive the night.

And has finally started to eat some food.

Sarah is delighted with the improvements.

He seems today, to be much livelier than he was yesterday.

He's having a good munch of his hay. And he's eating well.

So, just the food in his system is...

has started to perk him up. So, that's brilliant.

Hopefully now, if he continues on the way he is, the vets will observe him,

probably for a couple more days, just make sure he's all right.

And then because he's signed over...

the owner's signed him over to us, we can now find him a nice new home.

Hopefully, a lovely girlfriend.

So, it looks like this rabbit might just pull through, after all.

Still to come, Lucky lives up to his name.

Are you a snuggle bunny?

Are you a snuggle bunny?

You are a snuggle bunny, aren't you?

Earlier, we saw staff at Somerset Secret World, hand rearing a number of orphaned animals.

Two roe deer called Derek and Rob were being bottle fed by the centre's founder, Pauline Kidner.

Meanwhile, another foster mum was caring for a tiny baby hedgehog, called Hector.

Now, after months of feeding weaning and training it's the big day.

Time for them to be released.

Vicky Thompson has been playing surrogate mum

to four orphaned hedgehogs.

Her back garden has provided top-notch B&B

for the last three months.

Meet Malcolm, Hubert, Muriel and, of course, Hector.

You all right, Hector?

He was brought into Secret World as a defenceless six-day-old baby.

So tiny, he could fit into the palm of Vicky's hand.

He's now developed into a more difficult adolescent.

Here's Hector. He's getting a bit huffy now,

because he's a big boy and doesn't really like being handled.

I haven't handled him much since he's been in the run.

It's thanks to Vicky that Hector survived his ordeal.

And he's certainly enjoyed the VIP treatment

provided by his foster mum.

He now weighs 600 grams.

I think he was about 64 grams when he first came to me.

And now he's an adult hedgehog.

A protein-rich diet of cat food and mealworms

mean Hector's piled on the pounds.

However, the time's finally arrived

for Hector and his friends to check out of Vicky's luxury lodgings.

Well, today's the big day. They're going to become what they really are - wild animals - again.

Luckily for this quartet, Vicky won't be kicking them out of bed just yet.

Being nocturnal, Vicky will wait until night falls

to show them the door back to the wild.

At Secret World's HQ, owner Pauline Kidner

has got a much more stressful release to deal with.

For the past two months, Derek and Rob have been living in an outdoor pen,

with four other deer, so they can get used to fending for themselves.

Who wants some food?

Come on, then.

Today's the day they will take their first steps back to the wild,

but it's an operation fraught with danger,

and an even greater challenge when you're releasing six deer in one day.

I absolutely hate it. It's about the worst time as far as I'm concerned,

because you're really going to, sort of, betray their trust in you.

And the legs are very fragile.

If they break a leg in this transportation situation,

it probably would be a question of having to euthanase them.

There's very few breaks that you can actually heal.

To make them easier to catch and reduce the risk of fawns injuring themselves,

they need to be herded into a smaller space.

With the help of food as bait, Pauline lures them into the sheds.

But even in a confined area,

the deer are unlikely to go without a fight.

This will be the difficult part, because they'll really go mad in the shed.

And it's a question, then, of just trying to catch as many as we can.

Roe deer are notoriously jumpy.

Pauline will be relying on the strength of her son, Simon,

and the soothing powers of a blanket, to subdue Derek and Rob.

Yeah, all three.

Clearly, they're not wanting to come quietly.

After a brief struggle, Simon's able to bring out Derek.

A quick dose of worming medicine

and he's transferred to a crate in the waiting van.

However, catching him has come at a cost.

It went reasonably well, apart from tearing my trousers.

Which...is a bit unfortunate.

Next out is Rob.

He comes more easily, but isn't keen on taking his medicine.

Rob's soon persuaded and can be taken to join Derek.

It doesn't take long for the team to catch the four remaining fawns

and load them up, too.

Pauline's relieved at how smoothly the operation has gone.

I'm really pleased. We managed to get them quietly, which is so much better than getting them stressed,

and I'm happy about them being in the boxes. Sometimes when you really do upset them,

you worry about what will happen in the boxes, but they've gone in quietly. They've settled.

They've got each other for company.

Now it's a question of getting to the release site as soon as we can.

All six deer will be released together

in a specially chosen nature reserve a short drive away from the rescue centre.

Pauline's released deer at the site before.

She's confident the latest group will thrive in their new home.

They've got so much space,

such a variety of woodland. It's lovely when you know they're going to a fantastic release site.

This one really is going to be super for them.

Come on, then.

Derek and Rob lead the way.

The other deer, though,

are a little more reluctant to explore their new surroundings.

Come on, then.

That's it. There's a good boy.

Derek's keen to have a good look around.

Eventually, all the deer finally head off,

ready to go it alone.

At last, Pauline can relax.

Oh, it's fantastic.

They've gone off to the best home they could ever have,

and it's just really paid up all those hours

which go into them, and they just deserve every hour.

It's wonderful to be able to help animals get back to the wild, and that's exactly what we've done.

As night begins to fall at Vicky's house,

she's preparing to help the hedgehogs go on their way.

She's opted for a soft release.

Rather than forcing the youngsters, Vicky will allow them to wander off in their own time

through a gap in one end of their pen.

And it doesn't take long for one to take the plunge

and venture out into the garden.

We've got one hedgehog who's coming out. That's Malcolm, actually. It's not Hector.

And, obviously, he's going out exploring,

and he will just bumble around, looking.

Cos it's very exciting to him to find wild food.

Malcolm's discovery mission seems to be going well.

But there's still no sign of Hector.

Hector still seems to be in bed.

He's always been the one who is...

He keeps himself a bit apart from the others, although he's been reared with them.

And he is a little bit different. He's quieter than they are,

and less forthcoming, I think.

So, perhaps he'll be the last one out.

Next to emerge from bed is Hubert.

But he seems a little lost.

Hubert doesn't seem to know what he's doing.

I think he's hoping that there's an exit at the other end of the run.

Cos he's staying down this end, behind the house.

With a little help from Vicky, things suddenly become a lot clearer for the puzzled hedgehog.

However, just when it looks like Hector will rejoin his roommates,

he changes his mind again.

Maybe Vicky's room service is just too good.

It's a completely new world to them,

so it's no wonder that they're taking it very gingerly, really, as they come out.

It really is the best bit of it all.

Because off they go to be real, wild hedgehogs.

And they wouldn't have done that

if we hadn't looked after them as babies.

With Hector reluctant to make a twilight appearance,

Vicky decides to leave him to it and heads for bed.

But he did eventually wander into the undergrowth, later that night.

Now it's time to catch up with Lucky,

the UNLUCKY underweight rabbit.

Earlier, we saw inspector Sarah Keith

take Lucky away from a house in Hull.

He was severely malnourished and refusing to eat.

Sarah was increasingly concerned about his welfare,

and wasn't even sure he'd make it through the night.

But Lucky did pull through.

And now it's time to move on.

Today is Lucky the rabbit's lucky day.

RSPCA inspector Sarah Keith arrives at the vet's in Hull

to take him to his new home.

-Hi, Lucy.

-Hi. You all right?

He arrived here badly emaciated two weeks ago.

Vet nurse Lucy Wattam is delighted with his progress.

So, has he put on much weight since he came in?

Yes. He is nearly 1.80 kilogram now, OK?

He was 140 when he came in, so that's nearly half a kilogram.

He's eating throughout the day, throughout the night.

Really eating lots.

-Great.

-He's on the dry food, and he's eating loads of dandelion leaves.

-They're his favourite.

-Brilliant. They love those.

Sarah can really feel the difference.

When he came in, when I picked him up,

you could just feel every single rib.

And you can't...

His ribs now, you have to press a little bit

to be able to feel his ribs, so he's putting on weight, which is great.

-Half a kilo to a rabbit's quite a lot, you know.

-So, he's ready to go if you're ready to take him.

-Yeah, I'm ready.

-Hopefully find a nice new home.

Yeah, super. Thank you very much.

Sarah takes Lucky to his new temporary home.

At first glace, it looks like any normal house in Hull.

But when you get round the back...

Come on in.

Welcome to Bunny Village.

This humble back garden

has been transformed into a magnificent rabbit sanctuary.

Oh, hello, little man.

Lucky will be in safe hands with rabbit lover Denise Bibby.

He's got the odd tangle, but that's not too bad, is it?

Yes, you're beautiful. Or you will be when we sort you out.

Over the years, Denise has taken in hundreds of homeless rabbits.

People looking for a new pet can visit Bunny Village to choose one.

Denise makes sure they'll all be suitable rabbit owners.

-So, definitely a male, yeah?

-Yes.

Are you a snuggle bunny?

Are you a snuggle bunny?

You are!

You're a snuggle bunny, aren't you?

Lucky will spend a few weeks being spoilt by Denise,

ahead of finding a permanent home.

Well, he is breathing quite rapidly.

-Yeah.

-So, he's obviously quite nervous but...

-Quivers, but...

Well, he's had a lot to put up with, hasn't he?

A lot of changes and different things happening.

So, I think he's done rather well there.

So, shall we settle you into your hutch then, little man?

There. Come on then.

Already much healthier after putting on half a kilo,

at Bunny Village, Lucky will grow even stronger.

There we are.

There. That's your home now.

This is a whole new world for Lucky, who used to be all on his own

in a dirty hutch, without food and water.

He's had a lot to contend with, so he will be a little bit uncertain,

but with regular handling and daily care, he'll settle down fine.

And hopefully when he puts on the weight that, you know...

When I can't feel any more hip bones and, you know, the spine bone

and things like that, and I'm happy that he can go to a family home.

But for now, Lucky is settling into the village nicely with his new neighbours.

Rabbits are sociable animals - they need company,

whether that be with people, other animals or preferably rabbits.

After the traumatic time he's had,

Lucky's now in the perfect place to continue his recovery.

I'm chuffed he's here now,

cos it means that he's on the way to a new home.

So, yeah. Well impressed with him.

Glad he made it.

I was a bit worried when I picked him up, I've got to say, cos he was so, so thin.

And sometimes they don't, you know...

Once their guts stop, that can be it sometimes. But he was...

He's a little fighter, so...

Lucky.

-THEY CHUCKLE

-Lives up to his name.

If you think you know of a case of wildlife crime,

or an animal that needs immediate protection,

remember there are people out there who will answer your call, right around the clock.

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

Next time on Animal 24:7...

They've wasted your time. They're causing problems for me.

Not in my backyard - outrage at allegations of cruelty.

-Hiya.

-Environmental health. Dog fouling, in my own back garden,

-which wasn't a problem. Check it.

-All right. Calm down.

Rescue for the ponies forced to live in a junkyard.

So much debris lying around,

with bits lying on the floor to trap their feet in.

It's just unacceptable conditions.

And it's release day for these feisty little owls.

They may only be little - by name and nature - but they're really strong.

And they look like they mean business.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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