ANNUAL REPORT 2003

First we want to refer you to our (English) Website www.wildlifeonlesvos.org for all our activities we developed last year. We want to thank our Webmaster Jeff Paffett for all he did again in 2003 to make our site a nice and interesting one!

Last year was mainly used to build a lot, as well in the Sick Bay as in the Wildpark, but neutering of strays did happen as well (some Vets from Holland came over, special for that reason).

The fact, that we had significant less “income” than in 2002 (2 of our main sponsors didn’t support us in 2003) we had to do less building in the Wildpark > anyway the “Aviary-street” (9 big aviaries) is ready and already in use. A lot of volunteers and trainees have used their power and time for this > a big “thanks”  still to them!

One volunteer dug-out a foot-path for visitors in the bare rock > less disturbing for the birds now & he lost a lot of fat !

The fence around the Wildpark is almost completely renewed; now only barbed wire to keep unwanted visitors OUT ! (see the story about our Fox-cub)

For this year we have (for the time being) the following on the program: a) making the present pan for tortoises “bird-free” and building a second pan for the other species of tortoises we have. This pan too must have a “roof” to avoid that gulls and such are eating baby-tortoises. b) In the “Zoökomio” the Sick Bay is almost completely tiled; there are already several “walls of cages”, which have to be completed this year, there is a special place for “nocturnals”  and there is now a special terrarium for reptiles and amphibians.  In the surgery in the meantime central heating was installed; the first operations in a heated room were already performed!! The place for the Night-Fowl and the Sick Bay will have some heating before next winter. At this moment we cannot shut-down the Central-Heating-system !

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In 2003 we had 317 visitors from different countries > afterwards we received a lot of enthusiastic e-mails in which the people reflect on their successful visit on which they had seen and learned a lot.

As well the written messages in our Guest-Book spoke volumes and have strengthen us to continue this work!

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Then what “happened” in the past year with the animals:

The total amount of intakes was 323 and of those 159 were animals that didn’t belong to our “aim”: 1 Lamb, 1 Canary-Bird, 1 baby-Chicken (orphaned), 6 Chickens, 1 Budgerigar, 1 African Grey Parrot, 1 Rabbit, 1 Goat, 1 Splendid Rosella, 4 Golden Pheasants and we had 68 dogs and 73 cats !! From those dogs 32 were for “”export” to Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland & England (via Holland). From those cats 20 got a better life in the same countries (except the U.K.).

Than our “aim”: we had 164 intakes, we were able to treat partly successfully (we won’t mention all the figures, because everything is in our monthly reports).

That it was “partly successfully” was due to the situation the animal/bird came in !

In accordance with the “Code of Practice” of the “European Wildlife Rehabilitation Association”, animals/birds who are unable to be released (but where it’s possible to live an “adapted life”) will be taken care of and lodged/fed till their end !

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Thanks to a nice co-operation with the KTEL (Coach-lines) it wasn’t necessary anymore to “fly-low” to collect injured animals/birds: we ask the  “discoverers” to put the victim in a cardboard-box and hand-over the box (with our name on it) to the driver. The coach has a regular stop at the crossing Main-road  Kallonís-Mytilíni – Agia Paraskeví and the driver is handing-over the box to us (when we know which coach it is), or he is handing it over to the Shell-Petrol-Station (they phone us). This procedure is reducing the stress over here, so we can start the treatment in a better condition. In spite of this all the Animal-Ambulance made 3934 kilometers for collecting & for release of animals/birds. Compared with 2002 (then 7002 kilometers) it is a huge reduction (but as well less expenses for Petrol etc. > see “Expenses 2003”)  

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For the “lodging” of our volunteers/trainees we were able to rent the “house-next-door” (as we already announced in our Annual Report 2002). That one should expect something else than lodging in England or Western-Europe, wasn’t clear to anyone last year > we’re working hard to make the whole place a little bit more comfortable, but it remains quite a “primitive situation”. After almost 13 years over here, WE aren’t so astonished every time, but for some visitors/volunteers/trainees it was quite a “Culture-Shock”!

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EXPENSES in 2003

To “make you up” a little bit about what we did with the money that came in, we’ll confide you what we spent on which:

Spend  is                     in 2003                    in 2002

Food                           € 5664,61                  € 4367,24

Keeping                      € 1236,76                  € 1077,66

Medicines etc.            €   733,61                  €   630,33

Transport                    € 1157,25                 € 1636,53

Building                      € 2190,90                  € 6119,12

Other expenses         € 5370,52                  € 3016,97

Total                       €    16353,65            €    16997,85

One can see, that we had to reduce the “building”. The main item is “Food” (with all animals/birds waiting for months to be released), followed by the item “Other” (among other things the rent of the “house-next-door”)

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INCOME in 2003

As income we had in 2003 an amount of £ 245,50 and

€ 13904,72  (one can see, that we’re “quite-in-the-red” now !)

Did we receive the last year the denial of our apply for a grant  from the Greek Animal Welfare Fund  (motivation: the money was necessary for the strays in Athens, which were threatened with poisoning > Olympic Games 2004), this year we received again a denial > the motivation was this time that “ unauthorized surgeries” were done.

Unauthorized, because not always a Vet was present at our place. That information was already known from the beginning of our contact ( and it never was a problem), but now it was leading to a lasting denial (for the future too !).

During our (humane) medical studies always was taught

“ during an emergency EVERYONE does what’s possible to save a life” and we think what’s holding for people, is holding for animals too ! So every injured animal/bird was treated as good as possible. Often the animal/bird was send-in by a Vet (with the request: take over the treatment !); as well often the same Vet didn’t even left his chair to look after the animal/bird.

Although “de jure” the GAWF is right of course, “de facto” this is creating a miserable situation for the animals over here, and in our opinion there should be a reason to change the name «ΕΛΠΙΔΑ» (hope) into «ΑΠΕΛΠΙΣΙΑ» (despair).

For the “de facto-situation” please consider Luke 10, 30-37 !

The denial of the GAWF makes a good € 1500 difference to us, and one could see on page 4 how we’re busy on the negative side of the balance.

That’s why we have a friendly, but pressing request to you all

If it is possible for you to

RAISE

 your annual contribution??

 (we ourselves had in our mind  from  minimal € 15

to minimal € 20, but MORE is not forbidden, of course!)

For the United Kingdom it is:

Wildlife Hospital Lesbos, Account no 53524055

Short code 60-23-22

Bank: NatWest, 33 High Street, West Wickham

KENT BR4 0WH

Of course we would appreciate it

if you have the possibility

to bring your contribution

YOURSELF !

COFFEE/TEA is always ready !

Last year we were supported by:

“Greek Animal Rescue”, London

“Foundation Animal-Help Venezuela”

Holland

[both with an annual support]

Except all our “members/supporters”

we were supported in a special way by:

Trish & Tony Middleton,

(Stockport, Cheshire, England)

[Dermisol-crême & -Fluid (via Dinner party) and cash ]

Wolfgang & Gertrud Pircher,

(Götzens, Austria)

[with a real great donation & entry in a German travel guide]

Peter & Sandra Solly,

(Burgess Hill, Sussex, England)

[a real great donation]

And of course everyone who helped us during the past year (one way or the other), under which:

Veterinarians from Holland:

Marjon Bleeker, Leonieke Balkenende, Tilly Bardie,

All people who took care of a (thrown-away) puppy or kitten / cat or dog (with the chance those animals will live a much longer, but for sure a happier life than in Greece)

AND OFCOURSE EVERONE, WE’VE FORGOTTEN

(IN SPITE OF ALL !)

EVERONE THANK YOU SO MUCH

Just a day (and what kind of !!)

24-9-2003 During the “feeding-round” in the early morning-hours we discovered the following:

three cage-doors were covered with (obscene) scratch-work. Both sheep with scratch-work, (back & horns > lucky not in their eyes !). The worst was, that they demolished the netting of the cage of the fox. There was no fox anymore and the whole interior was a mess ! They had deliberately chased the poor soul for such a long time, till he “escaped” !

The case was reported to the Police, but our fox-cub “Little Mark” was discovered by the Police later > close to the Wildpark, but dead !! Deliberately “demolished” by chasing him with a car and then  overrunning him . . . . .

He was still too young to be released and still too tame to be afraid of humans . . . . .

Ineke with the dog-fox-cub at his intake (May 2003)

And although it isn’t 2003 anymore, we won’t hide for you how we are living & working over here

(see next page)

January 8^th it started  snowing in the morning and after some hours we had more than 3 inches of snow > the car couldn’t leave anymore, the water-service-pipe to the house next-door was frozen & busted and we had no warm water ourselves as well pipe frozen. This situation lasted till January 10^th .  Because we had to pick-up an injured bird we had to dug-out the car first (9^th ) > the 2 of us almost an hour digging. Back at base we’ve put the car on the parking and spent the rest of the day removing the snow from the road. At evening-time it was almost done and the neighbor’s wife “helped” by flushing WATER over the street . . . . & it started freezing again !!

Jan. 10^th a bit “slippery” to the Wildpark, but after some time we could go for “meat-shopping” to Mytilene (NO meat at all anymore for our birds!)

We thought, we’d had it for the time being, but the 22^nd we got another depression over our heads: wind-force 10 from the North with snow, hail & black-ice ! Again we had several power-cuts (NO central heating anymore), the windows of the library broke into pieces ( the computer is over there !), the whole village was without running water and in the Wildpark 22 trees (half of the total !) came down due to the wind! The locks of the aviaries were frozen and we had to try opening them with a Camping-Gaz-Lamp ( By Wind-Force 10)

Responsibility: © 2004 Lesbian Wildlife Hospital,  Agia Paraskevi 81102, Lesbos (Mytilene), Greece . Phone: (0030) 2253032006 / 2253032007 E-mail: lwhjorin@otenet.gr

Text, photo’s & design : Joris.  Data: Ineke