Happy Birthday Alysia McKane - another fun special birthday tour at the GSPCA
Submitted by Steve on 17:15, 20th Jun, 2016 |
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On Saturday afternoon the GSPCA welcomed another lucky young lady and her friends for a special birthday guided tour of the GSPCA Animal Shelter in St Andrews.
Alysia McKane who recently celebrated her birthday with her younger brother and 6 of her friends got to see behind the scenes at the GSPCA and find out about the work of the Animal Shelter.
Arriving at 4pm the tour took well over an hour visiting and meeting many of the animals in our care.
As Alysia was the lucky birthday girl she got to help feed baby birds, meet Monkey a diabetic cat, stroke Betty the English Bulldog and even had the chance to feed Olivia the loggerhead turtle.
The group also got to see Bonnie the seal pup being feed, see kittens, baby hedgehogs sleeping and even got to each hold a tortoise that live at the Shelter.
At the end of the tour each got a certificate and Alysia was presented with a GSPCA t-shirt as a gift.
All had a really fun time and Alysia's parents were extremely grateful for the event which they too really enjoyed.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Special and guided tours for birthdays have started to become very popular at the GSPCA and there are ways of making a full event including food and hire of a room."
"Alysia was a really lovely young lady, as were her friends and her brother and at the end of the tour we all sang Alysia 'Happy Birthday'."
"Nearly every weekend recently we have had bookings for birthday tours and if anyone is interested please do get in touch."
"As the birthday girl Alysia got to feed baby birds, stroke Monkey the cat, see Bonnie the seal pup being fed and even feed Olivia the loggerhead turtle, which I am sure will be a few of the moments she will remember for many years to come."
"With the special tours we do our best for the person who's birthday it is to give them a few very special moments as a special treat."
"We also hold guided tours in the school holidays but anyone wanting to know more please do get in touch."
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 £60 for a group and an additional £5 per person with groups larger than 8 (restrictions do apply with children to adult numbers).
We can provide a birthday or gift pack if the tour is for a special occasion.
We have a large events room, tables, chairs, projectors, speakers with mic, and a number of toys or things for children on request.
Why not make it a full event and arrange for food, a cake or more all of which can be delivered through http://www.kiddiescatering.biz
If you are a school or educational group please visit our page for this by clicking here.
Guided tours of the Shelter take about 90 minutes 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 the event is for a special occasion the birthday or lucky individual will receive special treatment and be allowed some unique experiences holding and possibly feeding some of the animals in our care.
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.
If you are a school or educational group please visit our page for this by clicking here.
For details on how to book a personal guided tour for an individual or group please click here for details.
We really need your help to get Olivia back to warmer waters.
Olivia is now ready to be flown to the Canary islands and we are currently appealing for funds to help towards the costs of her flight.
With just over £2000 raised so far we are the fifth of the way towards being able to afford the costs of her flight.
To transport a loggerhead turtle from one country to another requires Cites documents which we are in the midst of awaiting completion from the Spanish authorities.
When we first rescued Olivia she was extremely weak, starving, dehydrated and close to death.
Just over two months later and she is now swimming and eating on her own which is difficult to achieve in captivity.
The next big step for Olivia is to get her back to a warmer climate and a rescue centre with experience to finish her rehabilitation.
We have arranged a place for Olivia in the Canary Islands and we need to raise the funds and arrange a plane to help transport her back to where she belongs.
Geoff George Ambulance Driver, Marine Medic and main carer for Olivia at the GSPCA said "Olivia is eating extremely well which is is a massive step in her rehabilitation as they are so difficult to feed in captivity."
"She is strong enough to travel but not only do we need to find the funding to transport her to the Canary Islands we are awaiting the relevant documents."
"She is doing very well at the GSPCA but we are appealing for funds so that when we receive the paperwork to transport her we can get it done quickly."
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Each day we move closer to be able to move Olivia to Gran Canaria and we are currently appealing for funds to help move her south."
"A huge thank you to everyone that has donated so far which has helped raise £2000 of at least £10500 we need to raise to cover the costs to fly her to a turtle rescue in the Canaries."
"Olivia was so weak, dehydrated and thin we were really worried for her when she first arrived, but thanks to the team at the GSPCA especially Geoff George, John Knight and the team at the Vetcare Centres, Les Van Blerk and the team at Vets 4 Pets, Spa De La Mare, Waitrose, Guernsey Reef, States Works, Guernsey Aquarium, Guernsey Builders and many others she has improved each day and is now ready for a long journey."
"Loggerhead turtles are listed as Endangered and facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources."
"In the wild they face many threats with the greatest threat being a loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests and human disturbances such as coastal lighting and housing developments that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings."
"Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. as well as incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for these wonderful creatures."
"World wide the population of loggerhead turtles is estimated to only be between 40,000 and 50,000 nesting females which is less than the population of Guernsey."
"We are now desperately looking to find a plane that could help and donations towards the travel to help with costs of fuel and landing taxes."
"New Era Vets from Jersey have helped start the fund with a donation of £280 which was left after transporting the loggerhead turtle called Terri they rescued earlier this year and we are hugely grateful to them and to others that have donated towards her care."
"We are aware that costs just for fuel and landing taxes from the Channel Islands to the Canary Isles are over £10,500 so this is a huge appeal to help one very special lady."
"So far we have raised just over £2000 and need to raise a further £9000 to get this rare and beautiful animal back to where she belongs which is the costs we have been told by one very kind plane owner, although we continue to search for other options."
"If you know of a plane that could help or would like to make a donation we would love to hear from you."
"Thank you to everyone that has helped so far it is really appreciated."
To make a donation online please click the paypal button below, call 01481 257261, by post or at the GSPCA.
If you know of someone that could help with transport please call GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne 01481 257261 or email [email protected]
Common Name: Loggerhead - named for its exceptionally large head.
Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
Description: Head is very large with heavy strong jaws. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, non-overlapping, rough scutes (scales) present with 5 lateral scute. Carapace is heart shaped. Front flippers are short and thick with 2 claws, while the rear flippers can have 2 or 3 claws. Carapace is a reddish-brown with a yellowish-brown plastron. Hatchlings have a dark-brown carapace with flippers pale brown on margins.
Size/Weight/Age: The Loggerhead measures up to 1.1 meters (3.5 ft) long when fully grown, weighing approximately 135 kilograms (300 lb) and have a lifespan of 47-67 years.
Diet: The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom dwelling invertebrates: mollusks, crustaceans, horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels, and other marine animals. Its large and powerful jaw serve as an effective tool in dismantling its prey.
Habitat: Prefer to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as in the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Reproduction: Female Loggerheads, between the age of 17 to 33, will usually mate every 2 to 4 years.
Crawl Pattern: 1) Alternating comma-shaped flipper marks 2) Wavy and smoothed track center with no thin, straight, and well-defined tail-drag mark 3) No regular marking from front flippers at the margins of the track
Nesting: Female Loggerheads are known to nest from one to seven times within a nesting season (mean is about 4.1 nests per season) at intervals of approximately 12–17 days. Mean clutch size varies from about 100 to 126 along the southeastern United States coast. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 95 days, depending on incubation temperatures, but averages 55 to 60 days for most clutches.
International Status - Listed as Endangered (facing high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN)
Threats to Survival: Fishing gear is the biggest threat to loggerheads in the open ocean. They often become entangled in longlines or gillnets. According to the 2009 status review of loggerheads by the Fisheries Service, drowning from entanglement in longline and gillnet fishing gear is the turtles’ primary threat in the North Pacific. The second greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that discourages nesting and interferes with the hatchlings' ability to navigate to the water's edge
To see some of the businesses that have helped please check out the links below.
To donate to the turtle or Bonnie the grey seal pup please call 01481 257261, pop along to the Animal Shelter in St Andrews, by post or by clicking the link below.
Have you got a GSPCA Hoody, Polo Shirt, Sweat Shirt or T-shirt? If not get yours by clicking here.
To find out about our Events, how to become a Member, Sponsor an Animal Pen, our Wish List, Corporate Sponsorship & Volunteering, , our New Build & Redevelopment Appeal and much more please click here.
There are many ways to support the work of the GSPCA and you can even donate online by clicking the paypal link below.
By post cheques payable to 'GSPCA' - GSPCA, Rue des Truchots, St Andrews, Guernsey, GY6 8UD
Or by phone 01481 257261.
To find out more regarding our Angel Sponsorship Scheme please click here.
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