Jasmine

A True  Story:           In  2003, police in Warwickshire, England , opened  a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering  dog.  The dog had been locked in the shed  and abandoned.  It was dirty and  malnourished, and had quite clearly been  abused.    In  an act of kindness, the police took the dog,  which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton  Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by  a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven  for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in  need.    Geoff  and the other sanctuary staff went to work with  two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and  to win her trust.   It took several  weeks, but eventually both goals were  achieved.  They named her Jasmine, and they  started to think about finding her an adoptive  home.                       Jasmine,  however, had other ideas.  No one quite  remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started  welcoming all animal arrivals at the  sanctuary..  It would not matter if it were  a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost  or hurting animal.  Jasmine would just peer  into the box or cage and, when and where  possible, deliver a welcoming  lick.               Geoff  relates one of the early incidents.  "We  had two puppies that had been abandoned by a  nearby railway line..  One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell  Doberman cross.  They were tiny when they  arrived at the centre, and Jasmine approached  them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck  in her mouth and put him on the settee.   Then she fetched the other one and sat down with  them, cuddling them."  "But  she is like that with all of our animals, even  the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of  them, and it helps them to not only feel close  to her, but to settle into their new  surroundings.  She has done the same with  the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits  and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch  on the bridge of her  nose."                  Jasmine,  the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the  animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a  role for which she might have been born. The  list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she  has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four  badger cubs, fifteen chicks, eight guinea pigs,  two stray puppies and fifteen rabbits - and one  roe deer fawn.  Tiny Bramble, eleven weeks  old, was found semi-conscious in a field.   Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled  up to her to keep her warm, and then went into  the full foster-mum role. Jasmine the greyhound  showers Bramble the roe deer with affection, and  makes sure nothing is  matted.                 "They  are inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks  between her legs, and they keep kissing each  other.  They walk together round the  sanctuary. It's a real treat to see  them."                   Jasmine  will continue to care for Bramble until she is  old enough to be returned to woodland  life.  When that happens, Jasmine will not  be lonely.  She will be too busy showering  love and affection on the next orphan or victim  of abuse.                  Pictured  from the left are: "Toby", a stray Lakeland dog;  "Bramble", orphaned roe deer; "Buster", a stray  Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; "Sky", an injured  barn owl; and "Jasmine", with a mother's heart  doing best what a caring mother would do...and  such is the order of God's  Creation.

Pit Bull rescues baby bunny

Dog lovers drop bait for rabbit shooters

Local dog club president Lorna Miller says authorities should shoot feral rabbits, rather than bait them. Picture: VIRGINIA YOUNG

THE peninsula’s top dog training club president, Lorna Miller, has thrown her support behind more rabbit shooting to control feral rabbit populations, rather than baiting with poison.

The Manly and District Kennel and Dog Training Club president said rabbit baiting greatly reduced the number of parks available to exercise dogs.

“It’s frustrating for dogs and frustrating for us dog owners - baiting means yet another place we can’t take our dogs for six weeks, sometimes longer,” she said.

“Shooting is a more humane and faster method that allows access to dogs and their owners, which is a better answer.”

A Pittwater Council spokeswoman said since 2009 trained marksmen had done culling twice a year between midnight and 4am in open spaces such as Avalon Golf Course and Pittwater Rugby Park.

“Culling of feral rabbits by shooting is only undertaken under strict controls relating to public safety and is generally unsuitable for residential areas where other methods are used,” she said.

In Warringah, between 50 to 100 feral rabbits a month have been culled since 2008, although locations cannot be made public, according to a council spokesman.

“Culling does not take place in residential areas and is done outside high traffic, social times to minimise any impact on the community.”

Dog owner Diane Campbell from Scotland Island said she was happy with the current level of rabbit baiting.

“There are many other parks you can go to,” she said.

REASON TO TAKE AIM
The Manly and District Kennel and Dog Training Club president says more rabbit shooting should take place rather than baiting
Rabbit bait means parks and reserves can be closed to dogs for six to seven weeks
Baiting began on March 7 and 20 at Manly Dam, Middle Creek and Garigal National Park, with the council reserves closed to dogs until Sunday, April 17
In Pittwater, baiting occurred in 44 parks, reserves and other areas in Pittwater from February 14 to April 8

Is shooting feral rabbits a better method than baiting? Comment on the article here.