How to help small garden animals cope with the heat ?
Charline Mainchain
This summer, we are lucky enough to enjoy plentiful sunshine across most of France… However, a period of drought has set in, causing plants and wildlife to suffer. With Blackfox, learn how to come to their aid by practicing a few very simple gestures.
Offer them water daily
We don't always think about the small wild animals that pass through the garden and also suffer from the intense heat… Giving them a drink is a vital gesture to protect them. Birds and hedgehings have no way of drinking from their usual puddles or streams… All you need to do is place a saucer of water on your balcony or in the garden, in the shade and away from the path of dogs and cats! This small water dish must not be more than 4 cm deep, otherwise insects, such as bees, or small birds might drown in it…. The ideal technique is to place pebbles at the bottom of the water to prevent any risk of drowning. Remember to change the water very regularly to prevent the spread of diseases. Mother hedgehogs need water to produce milk and feed their young… This simple act is not insignificant and will undoubtedly save lives!
Caring for lost fledglings
A large number of fledglings are still in their nests… such as owls, swifts, or swallows. If they are located under rooftops where it gets very hot, the chicks will tend to move closer to the edge to catch a breath of fresh air! That's where the risk of falling comes in… If you ever find one and there are no cats around, don't hesitate to place it back on a branch or in its nest if you can reach it. Their parents are not far away and will come back for them… Warning: keep in mind that swifts cannot perch on a tree branch because their legs are too short. So, you have two options:
- If its wings are as long as its tail, you can help it take flight
- If this is not the case, it means it is still too young to take flight… It is therefore important to contact the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO)
Leave wild animals in good hands
Hedgehogs, martens, squirrels, birds… all these small wild animals that might pass through your garden cannot be brought into your home. Indeed, it is difficult to substitute for a parent. Furthermore, their chances of survival are significantly higher in the wild. For example, birds do not eat wet breadcrumbs and must not ingest milk, which is toxic to them.
If you come face to face with baby hedgehogs in direct sunlight, protect them by moving them into the shade… and wait for a parent to return. If an adult bird or hedgehog is injured, call the French Union of Wildlife Rescue Centres (UFCS) without further delay. They will explain the procedure to follow and take charge of the animal if necessary!
You are now fully equipped to take care of the small wild animals around us… Simple gestures that help save lives and sustain wildlife.