Spring has brought an influx of baby animals into RSPCA care in England and Wales.
The ‘baby boom’ is the result of an increase in calls for RSPCA officers and wildlife staff caring for animals, such as birds, fox cubs and ducklings, in need of urgent care.
A tiny cub is cared for by staff at the West Hatch Animal Center in Somerset after being found alone by worried members of the public.
Another litter of cubs was rescued by an off-duty vet who was walking around Swaffham in Norfolk at the end of March.
The vet took them overnight and contacted the RSPCA.
They were then taken to the East Winch Wildlife Center for specialist care, where they are doing well now.
Staff at the same center kept a cygnet rescued from Lincolnshire warm with a stuffed swan to snuggle up to.
He was found alone, as was a lever who was seen hiding under equipment in a park in Sedgeford, Norfolk, and cared for until his release on April 9.
A number of baby animals have been rescued in Somerset, including the first RSPCA duckling of the season who was found alone and was also in the care of West Hatch Animal Centre.
Four baby rabbits have been rescued and taken to be hand-raised after they were found in a nest by a group of builders in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
An RSPCA inspector picked up the rabbits, who were huddled in a sand-filled delivery bag and believed to be between 12 and 14 days old.
They were taken care of by an experienced rehabilitation worker before their release.
Other animals rescued by RSPCA staff include badgers, otters and two owls spotted in Rochdale, Lancashire.
A team member could hear the mother owls calling nearby. She therefore kept them warm in a cardboard box before placing them at the foot of a tree and allowing them to go back to their mother.
The RSPCA’s advice for the public when dealing with a baby animal is to “wear suitable gloves, promptly place them in a secure cardboard box with ventilation holes, lined with a towel or ‘a diary’ and to ‘keep the animal calm and quiet’ before taking it to a nearby vet, RSPCA center or local wildlife rehabilitator.