Rudolph puts best foot forward
by ANDY DOLAN, Daily Mail
29th December 2005
Finding his feet: Rudolph is recovering well
Being a little unsteady on your feet is an occupational hazard at this tender age.
But this month-old muntjac fawn has even more excuses for his wobbly start. He was left with three broken legs after being hit by a car.
His mother was killed in the accident and the fawn, then a week old, thrown into a nearby garden.
He was taken to St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, where he is recovering.
Les Stocker, 57, who runs the hospital with his wife Sue, said the fawn, which has been named Rudolph, was thriving on a diet of goat's milk. "When Rudolph came in he was terrified and could hardly move," he said. "But as soon as the casts went on he was up on his feet straight away."
Dr John Lloyd, the vet who treated the fawn, had to wire the joints together on one of the legs.
"Rudolph survived because he was so young," he said.
"His bones are flexible and are still growing, and as a result, they heal very quickly."
The Stockers hope Rudolph will be well enough to be released back into the wild within a year.
dailymail.co.uk
by ANDY DOLAN, Daily Mail
29th December 2005
Finding his feet: Rudolph is recovering well
Being a little unsteady on your feet is an occupational hazard at this tender age.
But this month-old muntjac fawn has even more excuses for his wobbly start. He was left with three broken legs after being hit by a car.
His mother was killed in the accident and the fawn, then a week old, thrown into a nearby garden.
He was taken to St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, where he is recovering.
Les Stocker, 57, who runs the hospital with his wife Sue, said the fawn, which has been named Rudolph, was thriving on a diet of goat's milk. "When Rudolph came in he was terrified and could hardly move," he said. "But as soon as the casts went on he was up on his feet straight away."
Dr John Lloyd, the vet who treated the fawn, had to wire the joints together on one of the legs.
"Rudolph survived because he was so young," he said.
"His bones are flexible and are still growing, and as a result, they heal very quickly."
The Stockers hope Rudolph will be well enough to be released back into the wild within a year.
dailymail.co.uk