February half term guided tours at the GSPCA - Book your place online or call 257261
Submitted by Steve on 12:55, 12th Feb, 2016 |
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During the school breaks we run a series of guided tours at the GSPCA and we have now planned for 2016 with some special tours for the children.
It is your opportunity to visit behind the scenes at our Animal Shelter in St Andrews and see the work being carried out for the new build.
We are arranging the guided tours on a series of dates at 2pm.
We ask for a minimum donation of £5 per person and £3 per child, or £15 for a family of four. In 2016 we have some themed tours which are £15 per child.
The tours take around 80 minutes and you get to see in many of the departments and a variety of species. The special tours are a little longer.
Tours are a maximum of 15 people per tour, so please book early. The special tours are a maximum of 20.
Some of the animals you will have the chance to see will be cats, rabbits, birds, hedgehogs, dogs looking for homes and some of the other wildlife.
If you would like a certificate as a gift then please do get in touch for more details
Here are the dates planned for 2016, if you would like to book now please follow the same guidelines as above.
Monday 22nd - Saturday 27th February 2016
EASTER BUNNY TOURS & EGG HUNT £15 per child (children must have a guardian/parent) Saturday 19th, Sunday 20th, Good Friday 25th and Easter Saturday 26th March 2016
Monday 11th - Saturday 16th April 2016
Monday 30th May - Saturday 4th June 2016
Monday 25th - Saturday 30th July 2016
Monday 22nd - Saturday 27th August 2016
HALLOWEEN SPOOKY TOUR & TREASURE HUNT £15 per child, prizes for best costumes & fun games room (children must have a guardian/parent) Monday 24th - Saturday 29th October 2016
Tuesday 27th - Saturday 31st December 2016
Please book your placement early to avoid disappointment.
To book please call 01481 257261 or via the paypal link below.
Please note if you book via paypal please indicate the date and time tour you would like as well as the names of those attending.
For details on how to book a personal guided tour for an individual or group please click here for details.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Due to a fantastic response last year we have planned guided tours at the GSPCA during 2016 for the school breaks and some weekendss."
"If you would like to see behind the scenes and the many animals here at the Animal Shelter then book by calling on 257261 or online via our paypal link."
"We would like to thank all that have attended the tours and for the wonderful feedback we have received."
If you would like to bring a private group or party to the GSPCA for a visit and tour at the Animal Shelter we can arrange this in advance.
We ask for a minimum donation of £40 for a group and an additional £5 per person with groups larger than 8 (restrictions do apply with children to adult numbers).
If you are a school or educational group please visit our page for this by clicking here.
Guided tours of the Shelter take about an hour and it is your opportunity to see behind the scenes, although for animal welfare reasons there are areas that are unable to be viewed.
If you are interested please email [email protected] or call the GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne on 01481 257261 to discuss details.
Pop Up Shop at the GSPCA has a new look thanks to Holeshothttp://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/pop-shop-gspca-has-new-look-thanks-holeshot
8 days on and Bonnie the seal pup is doing better than we could have hoped http://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/10-days-and-bonnie-seal-pup-doing-better-we-could-have-hoped
The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus, meaning "hooked-nosed sea pig") is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus. Its name is spelled gray seal in the US; it is also known as Atlantic grey seal and the horsehead seal
Grey seal adults may be up to 2.5 metres in length and weigh up to 250kg, with males tending to be larger than females.
Previous seal pups rescued Jethou Bumblebee was 17kg on entry and Hanois 20kg, Eden 18kg and Trinity 15kg which was less than half the 40kg they should have been for their age with Bonnie only 14kg.
Male grey seals reach sexual maturity at 6 years, Females at 3 to 5 years and the latter give birth to their pups in the Autumn and early Winter.
Typically the first British pups are born off the Scillies and Cornwall in August and September and the time of pupping is progressively later as you move clockwise around the British Isles, the latest pups being born off the east coast of Scotland in late December.
All seal pups rescued locally were born early November to late December.
At, birth, grey seal pups weigh about 13 kg. and are covered in long, creamy white hair. A bond is formed between mother and pup at birth, and a mother can recognise her pup from its call and smell. For the first 3 weeks of their lives, pups rarely swim, suckling from their mothers 5 to 6 times a day, for up to 10 minutes at a time. The mothers milk is rich in fat and the pups rapidly put on weight.
The seal pups rescued have all been around two to three weeks when they were brought into the GSPCA.
The mother tends to remain just offshore between suckling bouts and rarely feeds, losing up to a quarter of her body weight before her pup is weaned.
Grey seal pups are weaned after losing their baby coat at 3 to 4 weeks of age. At this point, they weigh 40 to 50 kg; three times their birth weight.
The pups live off these fat reserves whilst learning to feed, which may take several weeks.
The adult females which are called cows become fertile soon after weaning their pups, mating with the adult males which are called bulls, who hold territories during the breeding season and may mate with over half a dozen cows.
Mating can take place on land or in water and pregnancy last for 11.5 months, there being a period of 3.5 months when the fertilised embryo does not attached to the wall of the uterus and its development is arrested ("delayed implantation"). As a result, pups are born at the same time each year.
Grey seals moult annually in the spring, 3 to 5 months, after the end of the breeding season.
In the wild, males may live for about 25 years, females for about 35 years.
We will of course keep you up to date with Bonnie's progress and keep your eyes open for pictures and videos.
If anyone see's a pup with or without a mum we really do appreciate a call so that we are aware of its location and condition but here is some advice.
A healthy pup looks like a big, stuffed maggot without a neck. However, a thin pup looks sleek (but not bony) and has a visible neck, like a healthy dog.
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE SEAL. They can give a nasty bite, which will become infected by bacteria that live in a seal’s mouths.
Note: Do not allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal.
If a Seal is scared back into the water, it could then be washed out to sea by strong currents and be lost. You should not put a seal pup back in the sea as it may get into difficulty.
If a Seal pup is sick, thin or injured then we would ask you to contact the GSPCA immediately on 01481 257261 day or night
When reporting an injured, sick or abandoned seal to the GSPCA, please make sure you are able to supply the following information:
Exact location; nearest town / village
Position on the beach, and state of the tide
How long you have observed the pup; any disturbance / risk to it; whether the mother has been seen
Any wounds / obvious signs of illness
Length/colour/condition.
Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and, if unsure, seek additional advice or assistance. Personal hygiene should be taken into consideration after handling any animal, whether it’s domestic, wild, dead or alive.
To see some of the previous stories follow the links below
Extremely sick and weak Grey Seal Pup rescued at Corbier now at the GSPCAhttp://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/extremely-sick-and-weak-grey-seal-pup-rescued-corbier-now-gspca
Happy Birthday Ella Gidney - a special behind the scenes at the GSPCA as a birthday treathttp://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/happy-birthday-ella-gidney-special-behind-scenes-gspca-birthday-treat
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