0:00:02 > 0:00:05Britain's animals are under threat.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08All too often our wildlife and domestic pets
0:00:08 > 0:00:11are the victims of cruelty, persecution and neglect.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Fighting to save them is a dedicated band of people
0:00:14 > 0:00:18trying to protect and care for them right around the clock.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21This is Animal 24:7.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Today, on Animal 24:7, the roadside rescue to save an injured deer.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Obviously it is touch and go with any casualties that comes through the door.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48It might be something that we can repair. I can't say at this stage.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54The super-sized dog in danger of dying from a junk-food diet.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Basically, someone has loved her
0:00:57 > 0:01:00but, unfortunately, is killing her with love, if you like.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We think she's just been fed purely on human food.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And the race to rescue pets in peril.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It's gobsmacking that I'm here again today.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It's down now to the RSPCA to clear up the mess.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23Many wildlife casualties are the result of instants where animals come into close contact
0:01:23 > 0:01:28with us humans and as the volume of traffic on our roads increases,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32so does the number of accidents involving wild creatures.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34That is when animal rescue teams
0:01:34 > 0:01:37are called to intervene and save lives.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46At Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50staff are on standby round-the-clock for animal emergencies.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The centre is one of the busiest hospitals in Britain
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and deals with around 10,000 cases every year.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02Today, founder Les Stocker
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and his colleagues, Abbie Bruce and Jo Mellowish,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08are responding to an urgent call from a motorist.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13We've just got a call from a lady driver.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16She said she saw a Muntjac deer, which is a very tiny deer -
0:02:16 > 0:02:22which you get quite a lot of around here now - lying by the side of the road.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27She said it was moving but she couldn't stop to sort of confirm anything.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32So, we're going to have a look and, hopefully, it is still there and still alive
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and we can do something to save it.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39I reckon the deer could be anywhere from now on, so we'll have a good look.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45The road is extremely busy in both directions, but suddenly they spot the deer.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- There.- OK.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53I can't stop there. It's a little Muntjac female and she's got her head up so she's definitely alive.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56What she's doing sitting there, I don't know.
0:02:56 > 0:03:03So we'll try to get back and get her without getting run over and without her running in the road.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08On a busy road like this, there's a real risk of panicking the deer and causing an accident.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16We'll walk along this side of the road till we can get opposite her. Let's go.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24We can see her. She can't run so her back legs are out of action.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26The deer struggles to get away
0:03:26 > 0:03:31but her legs won't work, and she collapses into the undergrowth.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Spread out and we'll cross the road. Just watch the traffic. Hang on.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38OK. Let's go.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Just put the net over her.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44Well caught.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Fearing it may be harmed, the deer sounds an alert.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53They always scream when you get hold of them.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54DEER SCREAMS
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Les can see the deer is clearly injured,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01but his experience tells him her screaming is a sign of stress.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02Got her.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05DEER SCREAMS
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- OK. Are you happy? - I've got her.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14I think!
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Can you cover her up again? All right, all right.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19DEER SCREAMS IN PANIC What a fuss!
0:04:21 > 0:04:26- Shall we bring the box here? - No, I can manage it. Go this side, though. There's a bit more of a path.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30The priority now is to get the deer back to Tiggywinkles
0:04:30 > 0:04:32to assess her injuries.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35OK. Game?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Come on then. Put her in a box.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40That's it. Put a mask on.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46She's making a lot of noise.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47DEER SCREAMS
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Tiggywinkles gets so many Muntjac casualties,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55they've designed a special box in which to transport them.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Although Les has only been able to make an initial assessment, he fears she could be badly injured.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05She was a noisy girl, wasn't she?
0:05:05 > 0:05:09She's obviously been hit by a car and bounced on the back.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Her back is damaged where it's been on the road.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14But what is actually wrong with her we don't know.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18She couldn't run away from us so her back legs are not working properly.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22She could either have just severe bruising on the back
0:05:22 > 0:05:25or damage to the pelvis or the femur
0:05:25 > 0:05:29or it could be that she has broken her back, which we can't do anything about.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31So, we've got to get her back,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35get her on a drip to counter the shock she's in
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and then get some X-rays done and then we'll take it from there.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The first job is to calm the Muntjac down as it's clearly very stressed.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Right. She's in.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59DEER SCREAMS
0:05:59 > 0:06:04She doesn't know what's happening to her. She thinks we are predators. She's scared stiff.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07She doesn't know we're trying to help her.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11The deer has a nasty wound where it has hit the road
0:06:11 > 0:06:15but it is her internal injuries that are worrying Jo.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18It feels like she has a fractured femur,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20which is the thigh bone at the top of the leg.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Her pelvis is asymmetrical so this point here
0:06:24 > 0:06:26is at a much lower point on this side.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30It means it is broken so she has a fractured pelvis as well.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35But we won't be able to X-ray her until tomorrow because it involves a general anaesthetic.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39That's extremely risky for her because of the shock from the accident and from being caught.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I'll just do some basic cleaning and treating of the wounds.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46We'll deal with the fractures tomorrow.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The deer is given painkillers and drugs for shock
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and the puncture wound is cleaned up.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56With her eyes covered and a drip in, she has quietened down.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Obviously, it's touch and go with any casualty that comes in.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02They've been through a huge accident
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and they're in captivity so stress levels are enormous.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10Dealing with the shock for now is a very big deal and, obviously, she has severe injuries.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14We'll do our best. We'll do a full assessment tomorrow to see how bad her fractures are.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19See how it goes from there. It might be something we can repair. I can't say at this stage.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24The next 24 hours for this deer will be critical
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and the team can only hope she'll pull through.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Still to come - Tiggy's team hit the trail of a marauding moorhen
0:07:39 > 0:07:43who's facing a parking clampdown.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- Shall we do a pincer movement? - What's a pincer movement? - It's a military term.- OK.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52And the danger facing pets without a drop to drink.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I can't remember ever going somewhere and having to provide water to virtually every animal.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03The obesity crisis in our society often makes the headlines,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05but many of our pets are becoming overweight too.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10In fact, it is estimated that one in three dogs is now too fat,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and today I'm going to meet one that really has piled on the pounds.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Come on, Cassie. Good girl!
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Cassie, the Border Collie, is one of Britain's fattest dogs.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Come on! Good girl!
0:08:29 > 0:08:35When she arrived at the kennels recently, she'd tipped the scales at just under 60 kilograms.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Almost three times the size of an average collie.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Cassie! Good girl!
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Helen Colbourne and The Dogs Team Trust are doing all they can to help her.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Aw!
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Aw! That's unbelievable!
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Poor thing!
0:08:56 > 0:08:58It's weird. It's all so sad, isn't it?
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Cassie doesn't look like your average Border Collie.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06She's been shaved to help the treatment of her skin sores
0:09:06 > 0:09:09caused partly by her need to lie down so much.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It is especially weird when you say she is a collie.
0:09:12 > 0:09:18- I associate those with sheepdogs, agility, speed... And then look at her.- Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20How can anyone let this happen?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23'Seven-year-old Cassie came to the Dogs Trust a month ago.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26'She had been living with an elderly lady
0:09:26 > 0:09:30'who obviously thought she was treating her like a queen.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:36Basically, someone has loved her but, unfortunately, killing her with love, if you like.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- We think she has just been fed purely on human food.- Really?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- You think she almost didn't know what dog food was?- No.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47She turns her nose up at it as if to say, "It doesn't look or smell what I'm used to."
0:09:50 > 0:09:55Thanks to staff here, Cassie's menu has now completely changed
0:09:55 > 0:09:57but it's been long overdue.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01This is what Cassie should have been eating every day,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04but in reality, her diet looks more like this.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07She was getting the same as what her owners were having.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Cassie's crazy diet consisted of sausage rolls, ham sandwiches,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16bangers and mash and even fish and chips.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22It's no wonder that she was ending up as a super-sized dog.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29This sort of doggie diet is giving vets the collywobbles.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33More than 3.5 million dogs in the UK are thought to be too fat -
0:10:33 > 0:10:3720% of them are said to be clinically obese.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'The hefty challenge for Helen
0:10:40 > 0:10:42and the team here is to get Cassie into shape.'
0:10:42 > 0:10:47You really can see each step is like extra weight, she's sort of doing...
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Every step she is taking, she is almost falling on each leg,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- like it's really heavy each time. - Yes.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59When we first had her in, it did take four people to carry her from the car.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03She couldn't walk even two or three steps.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'Today, Cassie is seeing the vet.'
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Shall we see if we can get her the last few strides?- Yeah.- Come on.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12It's for your own good, I promise.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- Come on, sweetie.- Good girl. - Good girl, Cassie. Well done.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Hello, you must be Sian.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'And she seems pretty enthusiastic about her regular check-up
0:11:23 > 0:11:25'with Sian Sharples.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Put on a burst of speed there, I thought. Not bad.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'Only one place to start - the weigh-in.'
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Good girl. I think she's probably getting used to this now. Good girl.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- Nearly 52 kilos.- That's fantastic, Cassie. Good girl!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45That's good, is it? I mean, that's less than she used to be.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47She was 58 kilos when she came in.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50That was about four or five weeks ago.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- So she's definitely going in the right direction.- Extraordinary.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54Good girl, Cassie.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Have you ever dealt with a dog of this size before?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I have never seen a dog this size before -
0:12:00 > 0:12:02it was a complete shock when we saw her in the kennel.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- So, are we going to try and get her on the table?- Good luck with that!
0:12:06 > 0:12:08SHE LAUGHS
0:12:09 > 0:12:12'Slightly concerned by Sian's chuckling,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14'I'll take any help I can get.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18'And with poor old Cassie's dignity well and truly in tatters,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21'it's time for some Olympic weightlifting.'
0:12:21 > 0:12:24OK, ready? One, two, three.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- Oh!- Good girl, Cassie. - That is a serious weight.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32But the tail is still wagging.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34You have to carry that around all the time, Cassie -
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I just had to carry it for ten seconds.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41'As I get my breath back, Sian starts her health check.'
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So what are the issues around the back there?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Well, as you can see, there's so much skin,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51that it's just folding in on itself.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It's getting very red, very sore and she can't clean herself,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59obviously, because she can't get her head round.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- And how painful is that for her? - It must be incredibly sore for her.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- Yeah. Oooh.- Good girl. - Look how tender it looks.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12'But despite the obvious pain, Cassie doesn't complain even once.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:15She's being ever so good, though, aren't you, Cassie?
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Good girl.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20As with humans, obesity in dogs increases the risk
0:13:20 > 0:13:25of conditions like diabetes, arthritis and heart disease.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Sounds absolutely fine, obviously that's one of the things
0:13:27 > 0:13:30we were concerned about, with her carrying so much weight,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33was putting strain on her heart, but her heart sounds fine.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38The other things that we will be more concerned about is carrying so much weight on her joints.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Obviously, carrying this much weight on only four little legs,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44that look even skinnier now that all the fur is cut off...
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- They look so spindly under her balloon body.- Exactly.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51There's a lot of weight on those joints, but she's coping well with it at the moment.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56What are the common mistakes that people make that can lead to a dog getting fat?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Um, it's when people are having their dinner at home
0:13:59 > 0:14:04and the dog comes and sits there, looking very cute with those eyes.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And the owners think that they are giving them a treat
0:14:08 > 0:14:12by giving them something to eat off the plate, or a human biscuit.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15A one-off human biscuit isn't an issue,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18but if it's happening on a daily basis,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22the weight soon builds up and people think they are giving them...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Spoiling them, but they are actually causing a lot of damage.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And what's the plan? How can Cassie lose the weight?
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Well, she's on a special prescription low-energy diet.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37At the moment, she's too big to be getting any exercise.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Literally, she gets out of breath as soon as she takes a few strides.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43As her weight does come down, we can build up her exercise.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It has to be a gradual thing.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48It will be too much of a shock to her system
0:14:48 > 0:14:51if we just did it suddenly, so it's a very gradual thing -
0:14:51 > 0:14:53that's why she can't lose the weight too quickly
0:14:53 > 0:14:57and we are looking at probably around 9 months to 12 months.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- Really?- Until she's down to her ideal weight.- Wow.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- When she can become slimmer of the year.- Exactly!
0:15:04 > 0:15:08'For Cassie, it's going to be a long, slow road to recovery
0:15:08 > 0:15:13'and I will be finding out later in the programme how she's getting on.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Trading in animals is big business.
0:15:19 > 0:15:25As a nation, we spend around £520 million buying pets every year,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28but sometimes, when animals are bred for profit,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32they can become victims of cruelty and neglect.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37That's when organisations like the RSPCA are called to step in.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46In Liverpool, RSPCA Chief Inspector Simon Small is heading up
0:15:46 > 0:15:48an operation where it's thought up to 100 small animals
0:15:48 > 0:15:52are being kept in poor conditions.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Simon and his colleagues have been trying to improve the situation here
0:15:55 > 0:15:57for 12 months, but it hasn't worked,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00so now they are back with a warrant and the police.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03The people involved have historically had a pet shop
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and they've had their licence revoked,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08so we believe they could be selling from their house
0:16:08 > 0:16:11under the false pretence that they're running an animal charity.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So it'll be interesting to see what we find when we get in.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18It's immediately clear that the house contains a lot of dogs,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22and Inspector Leanne Hardy has discovered they're not housetrained.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Right, there's dog mess just in the entrance.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33It's piles rather than slurry, so you can step between the piles
0:16:33 > 0:16:35in the entrance hall and front room at the moment.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38But as the team moves round the back,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42it's the yard which becomes the focus of attention.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I can see a number of animals.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52There is about eight dogs, mastiffs, Staffies, some rabbits in hutches.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54That's all I can see.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00Once in the yard, the team finds a total of 104 animals,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04including more than 50 rabbits and 44 guinea pigs,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07all living in cramped and dirty hutches.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08They have bottles on their cages,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10but there's no water in most of them.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Vet David Martin is astonished at just how poor the conditions are.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- None of them have got water and they're not just empty, they're dry.- OK.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- It stinks in here. - HE COUGHS
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Again, none of these bottles have got any water in at all.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30They don't look like they've had any for a while.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34No water, no water, no water. Conditions are awful.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39For small animals like this, access to water is vital.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42They easily become dehydrated
0:17:42 > 0:17:46which can affect their internal organs and lead to serious illness.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Almost all the rabbit hutches have no access to water,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52some of them don't have access to appropriate feed,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55virtually none of them have access to forage.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59So in general terms, nothing is really having its needs met.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05The team's priority is to give water
0:18:05 > 0:18:08to what are clearly some very thirsty animals.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11They are fighting over it, they are that bloomin' thirsty.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14That's one third of a bottle gone in two, three rabbits, in ten minutes.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Hasn't stopped drinking yet.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Vet David Martin has 14 years of experience,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24but even he is horrified by what they've found.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25I can't remember going somewhere
0:18:25 > 0:18:28where we've had to provide water to every animal on the premises.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31The bedding materials of most of them are heavily soiled
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and damp, some of them haven't got any bedding at all.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37They've all got major issues.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40There isn't a single hutch that hasn't got a problem
0:18:40 > 0:18:42of some form or another.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The owner tells the RSPCA that he's only just got the animals
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and was planning to have them examined by a vet.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53But confronted by the evidence of what looks like neglect,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56he agrees to sign all of them over to the RSPCA.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04The dogs will be left at the house, but everything else will go.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08With a total of 104 animals, that's a lot of boxes.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Seven baby rabbits - if you look, this is what they were contained in.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14They've got water now, but when we found them,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16they didn't have any water.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Overcrowded and just not clean enough, to be honest.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Leanne has been investigating the owners for many months
0:19:23 > 0:19:28and is frustrated that all her attempts to sort this out
0:19:28 > 0:19:29have had no effect.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33I've been dealing with these people for over 12 months. I was giving warnings,
0:19:33 > 0:19:34the warnings weren't heeded.
0:19:34 > 0:19:41So we had no choice but to take them to court and it's gobsmacking
0:19:41 > 0:19:45that I'm here again today and the same things are happening again.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Back at the RSPCA centre in Halewood,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55vet David gets a closer look at some of the animals
0:19:55 > 0:19:59which need urgent attention, including a rabbit with an injured ear.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Either had a fight with another rabbit or it's injured its ear in some way.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09It's just been left to heal on its own without any input.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It's going to need surgery to remove the dead tip of the ear.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16The rabbit's injuries may be small,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20but a much bigger worry for David is the large number of guinea pigs
0:20:20 > 0:20:23which are suffering from the serious skin condition, mange.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It's a mite that lives in the skin
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and feeds on the surface of the skin.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It causes extreme itchiness and irritation,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36which leads to the guinea pigs scratching extensively
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and self-traumatising.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43But a considerable number of guinea pigs
0:20:43 > 0:20:47in the whole colony do have mange.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52The mange mite burrows under the skin and causes severe pain.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Serious infestations can be life-threatening.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02OK, so we have a brown and white, very thin, emaciated.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04These are significantly worse.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06They are in very poor body condition as well,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10probably because of the severe amount of scratching they're doing -
0:21:10 > 0:21:14this one's not as bad as some of them, but they've got severe patches of hair loss and scabbing.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17There's no excuse for the condition that these animals are in.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Absolutely no excuse.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24This is obviously indiscriminate breeding that's gone on,
0:21:24 > 0:21:25by somebody who...
0:21:25 > 0:21:30well, we've yet to find out the reasons for having so many animals.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36But it's down now to the RSPCA to clear up the mess.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42The animals that aren't well and there's not really a good prognosis of recovery,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45yes, may be euthanased. It's something we will have to discuss with the vet.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49After careful assessment,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52sadly 15 guinea pigs and 2 rabbits had to be put to sleep.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55But for some, the RSPCA raid
0:21:55 > 0:21:59proved to be the beginning of a new and hopefully happier life.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Today, Dolly the giant French Lop rabbit
0:22:07 > 0:22:11is settling into her new home with owner Samantha Cook.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Samantha works as a volunteer at the RSPCA's animal home in Hull,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19where she first met Dolly.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22And it wasn't long before the two developed a close bond.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25She let me pick her up and she sat on my lap
0:22:25 > 0:22:27and then she did a little run-around,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30which means they're happy when they do that.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Then every time I went in to see her, it seemed like she remembered me.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Samantha's only had Dolly for the past three weeks,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42but she's already warming to her strong personality.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46She's very, very inquisitive. She's always sniffing at something.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48When I'm sweeping up in the garage,
0:22:48 > 0:22:53she's always picking up my brush and biting it and pushing it over
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and trying to look in the bucket and stuff like that.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59For Dolly, her new home is a far cry
0:22:59 > 0:23:03from the cramped, squalid conditions she was previously kept in.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05After all Dolly's recent trauma,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Samantha's priority is now to focus on the future.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13I really hope she's not scared any more -
0:23:13 > 0:23:15that's the main thing for me.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19I want her to feel safe and be able to feel confident
0:23:19 > 0:23:24in her surroundings and know that she's loved and cared for.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Now we're heading back to join the wildlife rescue team
0:23:36 > 0:23:39at Tiggywinkles in Buckinghamshire.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Earlier, we saw how Les Stocker and his colleagues rescued
0:23:43 > 0:23:47a Muntjac deer that had been badly injured in a traffic accident.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Now, they are on the road again, responding to another call to help.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Often the role of the wildlife rescue team at Tiggy's
0:23:59 > 0:24:02is to deal with emergencies.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04But sometimes, Les and his colleagues
0:24:04 > 0:24:07get called to help animals in more unusual situations.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14We just had a call from a lady in Aylesbury -
0:24:14 > 0:24:18we think she manages the multi-storey car park -
0:24:18 > 0:24:21that there's a bird trapped in the stairwell.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Now, she says it's got a red head,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27but I can't think of any British bird with a red head.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Les has been rescuing animals from all sorts of locations
0:24:33 > 0:24:37for nearly 30 years, but today's call to a multi-storey car park
0:24:37 > 0:24:41is not the first place he would expect to find stranded wildlife.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- Where's the stairs?- There.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48This five-storey car park can hold more than 530 cars.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And with no idea of the bird's whereabouts,
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Les and his colleague Sharon Jacobs are having to wing it.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- OK.- Have you seen how high it goes?
0:25:09 > 0:25:14Two floors gone, and Les still has no sight of the intrepid redhead.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18But, as they finally weave their way up higher and higher,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23Sharon's first to clamp eyes on the illegal parker on the fifth floor.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It's just here - it's a moorhen.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29He HAS got a red head, hasn't he? What are you doing in here?
0:25:29 > 0:25:33It's a mystery how this hen has flown the nest
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and landed itself at the top of the block.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39This is the fifth floor. He's probably come up in the lift.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44But now Les has found him, his ticket's certainly up.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Right, Sharon - shall we do a pincer movement here?
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- What's a pincer movement? - It's a military term.- OK.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55But, before Les's battlefield tactics can swing into action,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Sharon's stolen a march.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Oh, well done, Sharon!
0:26:08 > 0:26:09There we go.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13When you pick up a moorhen, you point him like that,
0:26:13 > 0:26:14because he invariably poos.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Nothing wrong with him, he's just trapped in the stairwell.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20So there's a little pond on the corner -
0:26:20 > 0:26:23we'll take him down there and release him.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25OK, Sharon - ladies first.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29With the bird safely bagged, Les knows just the spot
0:26:29 > 0:26:35where this moorhen can park itself without any restrictions.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- Is that a moorhen pond, or is that a moorhen pond?- It's lovely.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Lily pads, everything. What more can you want out of a pond?
0:26:42 > 0:26:45OK, ready - one, two, three. Go!
0:26:48 > 0:26:51It's flown across there into the bushes.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56This is perfect moorhen habitat, so... There we are. Success.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Good job.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Hopefully, this hen will more inclined
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to steer clear of car parks in the future.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Earlier, we saw how staff at Tiggywinkles
0:27:10 > 0:27:14rescued a female Muntjac deer from the side of a busy road
0:27:14 > 0:27:16after it had been hit by a car.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I'll put it in a box.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Les Stocker feared its injuries could be serious.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26She could either have just severe bruising at the back,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30or damage to the pelvis or the femur,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34or it could be she's broken her back, which we can't do anything about.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Back at Tiggywinkles, the team manage to stabilise the deer
0:27:38 > 0:27:42before taking X-rays to find out the extent of its injuries.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Settle down. Just settle down.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Now, vet Jo is assessing the results.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55You can see that she has definitely got a fractured pelvis.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58The pelvis should be completely symmetrical,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02and on this side, there's a nice straight line going across the edge there.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04On this side, you can see that it's interrupted
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and this part of the pelvis has been shifted into the middle.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10That'll take a long time to heal, at least two months.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12She is quite lucky that one side is completely intact
0:28:12 > 0:28:17and she can actually stand on this left leg, so she does have a chance at healing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21But the X-rays have revealed something else -
0:28:21 > 0:28:25the little deer is pregnant, and that's a big problem.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27We took a lateral X-ray,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30and you can see that there is a foetus within her abdomen,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33so she is pregnant. Here's the foetus - you can see a skeleton.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35With her pelvis as it is, she can't give birth,
0:28:35 > 0:28:40because the canal is narrowed, and with the stress that she's under with being brought into captivity,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42she's in danger of aborting, basically, at any moment.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45The vets have had to make a hard decision.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49They will end the pregnancy that could jeopardise the mother's life.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53We're planning to do a Caesarean to take out the foetus to reduce that risk,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57or eliminate that risk. The foetus hasn't got a very good chance anyway
0:28:57 > 0:29:00because it is so young and she has been through so much stress.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04We have to prioritise the mother in this case.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06After such a traumatic time,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09it will take all the little Muntjac's stamina
0:29:09 > 0:29:11to survive the operation to come.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21Piling on a few pounds isn't just a problem for us humans -
0:29:21 > 0:29:23our pets can get fat too.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Earlier, I caught up with Cassie, an obese colleague,
0:29:27 > 0:29:32who at 58 kilos, was nearly three times her ideal weight.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Well, two months on, I'm back here at the Dogs Trust in Kenilworth
0:29:36 > 0:29:41to see if all the staff's efforts to help her lose weight have paid off.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44When Cassie arrived at the kennels,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48she weighed an incredible 58 kilograms.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51After her owner had put her on a diet of human food,
0:29:51 > 0:29:56including burger and chips, Cassie came to look more like a seal than a dog.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01So turning her life around was always set to be a titanic task.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02Hello!
0:30:02 > 0:30:06You look much more like a dog than last time I saw you!
0:30:07 > 0:30:09She looks fantastic.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Compared to her bulging bulk of just two months ago,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14it's plain to see all the work done
0:30:14 > 0:30:17by animal carer Helen Colbourne has paid off.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20- Come on then, Cassie.- Good girl.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I wouldn't yet describe her as light on her feet,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27but it's a huge improvement on last time, isn't it?
0:30:27 > 0:30:31She's definitely doing much better than the last time you saw her.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Before, she probably would have stopped by now
0:30:33 > 0:30:37and had a sit down, whereas she will keep walking
0:30:37 > 0:30:39at a nice, slow, steady pace.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Cassie is still not exactly Speedy Gonzales,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45but I can clearly see that her energy levels are up
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and she has a real spring in her step.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Well, not only can she walk a little bit better now,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53her whole character's starting to come out.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- Mm.- She's quite cheeky.- Oh, yeah?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59She's started playing with toys
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and she'll play with toys by herself now, which, before,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06she'd just sit in her kennel and wouldn't have the energy to do that.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08She's still on her regular exercise.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10She goes for walks three times a day.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15So she obviously is feeling better in herself, her mobility.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Obviously her lungs and her breathing and her heart
0:31:18 > 0:31:20are obviously getting a bit stronger as well.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25It shows how much, before, that the sheer bulk
0:31:25 > 0:31:27was cramping everything else in her life, wasn't it?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Her temperament, her interest - not just physically,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34it was affecting all parts of her life, wasn't it?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Yeah, yeah, definitely. She didn't have the energy
0:31:37 > 0:31:40to even, sort of, get up to say hello, whereas now she will.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42She now plays, which before she just couldn't even...
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Although you could see in her face that she might want to,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47she just couldn't even physically go to do that,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49so that's a huge improvement.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Aside from being taken for three walks a day,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58staff have tackled Cassie's biggest problem head-on.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01So, while we let her have a little bit of a rest, tell me a bit more
0:32:01 > 0:32:05about how you've brought her down to this weight and everything,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07the key stages of the treatment.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12Right. The main thing to start with is obviously her diet, and here...
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- This here.- Yeah. This is, um...
0:32:16 > 0:32:18This is actually what she's being fed on a day,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21this is her daily amount of food now. It's actually specially...
0:32:21 > 0:32:24It's got the right nutrients
0:32:24 > 0:32:26and the right calories in there to help her lose her weight.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30For Cassie, her new diet has proved a big change.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Not only is she having to adjust to eating dog food,
0:32:32 > 0:32:37the portions are just a fraction of what she used to gobble up.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41A dog-food equivalent of Cassie's previous, calorie-filled diet
0:32:41 > 0:32:45shows just why she had become one of Britain's fattest dogs.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49It's quite a stark image, isn't it?
0:32:49 > 0:32:51The quantity, the equivalent of what she was eating,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54there in those three bowls versus what she's on now,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57and what she'll probably be on pretty much into the future?
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Yep, she'll have to stay on that now, at least till her weight's come down
0:33:00 > 0:33:04to the right weight that we need her on and then we can look at
0:33:04 > 0:33:07putting her on to a proper adult diet
0:33:07 > 0:33:10- that a dog of her size and age should be on.- Mm.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13It's clear to see that she's already lost a lot of weight,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17but the big question is just how much?
0:33:17 > 0:33:19So, how often does she get weighed?
0:33:19 > 0:33:21She's still being weighed once a week,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24so this is her weekly weigh-in today.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- Right.- So hopefully she'll just go straight on them.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30She knows what to do. I'm not going to look at the dial yet,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33I'll save the surprise. When she came in she was how much?
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- 58kg.- 58kg when she came in.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39I think when I saw you, Cassie, you were at 52. There we go.
0:33:39 > 0:33:4240.3 kilos.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45She's lost close to 18 kilos since when she came in,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and you're saying that an average Collie should weigh 20,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51so she's almost lost one whole Collie,
0:33:51 > 0:33:54but she's got another whole Collie to go.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- It's extraordinary, isn't it? - Yeah, that's about it, yep.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59She's still got a whole dog to lose off her.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Cassie's clearly making great strides,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05but it's only when you see her alongside
0:34:05 > 0:34:06a normal-sized Border Collie
0:34:06 > 0:34:10that it's clear that she still has a mountain to climb.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Who's that?
0:34:14 > 0:34:16Hmm?
0:34:19 > 0:34:23- That really gives you an idea of how far she has to go yet.- Yes.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- So who's that then? - This is Speedy.- Yeah?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29And he's a Border Collie, just like Cassie,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33but he's actually what a Border Collie should look like.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37So this is what Cassie's got to aim for.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Obviously, Cassie's hair's got to grow back
0:34:39 > 0:34:42from where we've clipped it off to keep her cool,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46so that'll grow back and she'll hopefully look similar to what Speedy's does,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50and then she's got to lose the weight to get down to what he looks like.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53The size of the job you've picked up here -
0:34:53 > 0:34:56it's not supposed to be a pun - is quite apparent, though, isn't it?
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Yeah, but when you actually compare her to a proper collie
0:34:59 > 0:35:02you can see the scale, how much more she's got to lose.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05'With Helen's help, it's going to take Cassie another six months
0:35:05 > 0:35:09'to hit her target weight, but she's already a very different dog.'
0:35:10 > 0:35:15To see her walking round here being a dog, sniffing,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18enjoying herself, having a friend...
0:35:18 > 0:35:21We weren't even sure she'd get to that point.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Obviously she's still got a long way to go,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26but just seeing her like this, it's amazing.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31It has been fantastic to witness Cassie's turnaround.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34The hope now for staff is that she'll continue to shed the pounds
0:35:34 > 0:35:38and she'll be transformed from a fat dog into a fit one.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Now we're back at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital
0:35:48 > 0:35:50in Buckinghamshire.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Their busiest times are the spring and summer months, where,
0:35:53 > 0:35:58on average, they treat between 50 and 60 rescued animals every day.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02So far, the team has been caring for a pregnant Muntjac deer
0:36:02 > 0:36:05that was seriously hurt in a road accident,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and now they're having to deal with another emergency.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15In the main treatment room just inside the hospital,
0:36:15 > 0:36:20head veterinary nurse Clare Campbell is tending to a brand-new arrival.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23This is a little cub that's come to us with, obviously,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26a nasty wound on its shoulder, probably caught it on barbed wire
0:36:26 > 0:36:28or something along those lines.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32It's not terribly deep, but it's obviously oozing and quite sore.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35The vet, Jo Mellowish, takes a swab from the wound
0:36:35 > 0:36:36before she starts to clean it up.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Well, it's very important that it's kept clean, cos obviously,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42otherwise bacteria will be able to proliferate in it
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and if it does become an infected wound then it won't heal properly.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47So what we do is we clip the hair around it,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50try and remove any source of contamination from it,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53then we'll give it a really thorough clean, a really good flush out
0:36:53 > 0:36:55and he'll be kept on antibiotics until it's healed.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Normally, a fox cub would stay close to its mum
0:37:02 > 0:37:05for the first seven months of its life.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08It's still a mystery how this one has ended up on its own.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12We're not sure what's happened to the rest of the family, or Mum.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14He was just found out and about, and, obviously,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17if he's got a wound like this, he'll go downhill quickly.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19It can become infected, they become weaker,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22so it might be that Mum's abandoned it, or it's just got separated.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Perhaps everybody else got through the fencing and this one didn't.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29The injury seems just skin deep,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31but there may be other damage that Jo can't see.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33You can see as I'm flushing in the...
0:37:33 > 0:37:35The pocket does go quite far up,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37but there isn't a lot of debris coming out of it,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39so it's not too contaminated.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42With these sorts of wounds, we'll always leave them open.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44We don't suture them up cos they can turn to...
0:37:44 > 0:37:46If you just suture all the infection in,
0:37:46 > 0:37:47they'll just become an abscess.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49How do you feel, little man?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Is that OK? It's not the most pleasant thing to have done, is it?
0:37:53 > 0:37:56With too much human contact, fox cubs can easily become
0:37:56 > 0:37:58reliant on people, and as a result,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01can then struggle to fend for themselves
0:38:01 > 0:38:03if they're released back to the wild,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05so it's critical that this little chap
0:38:05 > 0:38:09is put straight into a more natural environment.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Get some sunshine.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Outside, vet nurse Tabitha Cadle is looking after a second young fox.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18This is Casper, this is a fox cub that was actually found
0:38:18 > 0:38:21by a member of the general public who thought he was a husky puppy
0:38:21 > 0:38:25and took him to a husky breeder who very quickly spotted
0:38:25 > 0:38:29that he was not a husky puppy, and so this is a very unusual white fox.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32He's going to just become a friend for a while,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34just so that this one's got some comfort -
0:38:34 > 0:38:36they're a litter animal, a pack animal -
0:38:36 > 0:38:37they would like to be together.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40So we're just going to get them used to each other. Here we go.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43What do you think, Casper, are you going to be nice?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Casper, come and say hello to this one.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But friendship is the last thing on our new arrival's mind
0:38:52 > 0:38:54as he heads for the exit.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56There's nothing wrong with your shoulder, is there?!
0:38:56 > 0:38:58No, down we go, down we go, down we go.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04It looks like this odd couple are going to take a bit of time
0:39:04 > 0:39:06to get to know one another.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Casper, you're not remotely interested, are you?
0:39:08 > 0:39:10You've got to try and be his friend.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13He's got a poorly arm and you need to be his friend.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14You've got to look after him.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Clare's priority is to make sure the injured cub
0:39:18 > 0:39:20remains a wild animal for its own good.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23The last thing you want is a semi-tame wild animal.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27It becomes a danger to itself and to the people that surround it.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29This little fox cub will be cared for by staff here
0:39:29 > 0:39:33until he's fully fit and big enough to be released
0:39:33 > 0:39:36back into the wild, in around four months' time.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Earlier, we saw how staff had to make the difficult decision
0:39:42 > 0:39:45to end the pregnancy of an injured Muntjac deer.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Two months on, the good news now
0:39:47 > 0:39:52is that the deer is making strong progress and is ready for release.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Les Docker and Clare Campbell are now faced with a tricky task
0:39:57 > 0:40:00of catching the deer, which is sharing a pen
0:40:00 > 0:40:03with a Muntjac which has just lost a leg.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09- That one's panicking a bit.- Yeah, she does a bit like to get nervous.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16What one have I got?
0:40:16 > 0:40:18- HE LAUGHS - I've got the three-legged.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Still, actually getting hold of these flighty animals
0:40:21 > 0:40:25can be hard going, but eventually she's nowhere left to turn.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27I'll get her this time.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34DEER MEWLS SHRILLY
0:40:34 > 0:40:36For Les, the female's distress call
0:40:36 > 0:40:39is a good sign that she's fit and healthy
0:40:39 > 0:40:44and his hat comes in as a handy, makeshift hood to calm the deer down.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47- There we are. It's all right, sweetie.- I've got it.- Got it?
0:40:49 > 0:40:51DEER MEWLS
0:40:59 > 0:41:02It's not long before they're heading off on the road,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05ready for her release.
0:41:08 > 0:41:1116 miles away, at Henley in Oxfordshire
0:41:11 > 0:41:14is the country estate of Lord McAlpine.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Here, a whole array of animals,
0:41:17 > 0:41:20many of which are unable to fend for themselves in the wild
0:41:20 > 0:41:25live side by side, and this will be the new home of the injured deer.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29This is a wonderful place to release Muntjac,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31especially her with her stiff pelvis,
0:41:31 > 0:41:36so it's an absolutely perfect place for her to be in.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39They can keep an eye on her and so with the other Muntjac here
0:41:39 > 0:41:42she can join in one big, happy family of Muntjac.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Right.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46That'll do ya.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49So what I'm going to do now is slide this end up,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52and she'll either come out and run off like a loony,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55or just wander out or just sit there, so let's see what she does.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Here we are.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01CLATTERING
0:42:03 > 0:42:04What're you doing?
0:42:04 > 0:42:06She's going out backwards.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13That was good. You always worry...
0:42:13 > 0:42:15When you're letting these deer out like that
0:42:15 > 0:42:17when she's had a very, very serious injury,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19you always worry when she comes out
0:42:19 > 0:42:21that everything's going to go wrong all of a sudden,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24but she's as strong as an ox,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27and as you can see, she's sort of melted into the background.
0:42:27 > 0:42:28Perfect.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37If you think you know of a case of wildlife crime
0:42:37 > 0:42:40or a creature that needs immediate protection,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43remember, there are dedicated professionals out there
0:42:43 > 0:42:45who will answer your call right around the clock.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49They are the people we meet on Animal 24:7.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd