Ash shuts doors to public
ASH Animal Rescue has been forced to close its doors temporarily to volunteers and the public due to Covid-19.
However, Helena and Remi Le Mahieu and their staff continue to look after the animals in their care at the animal charity’s Kiltegan hub.
Speaking to this paper by phone, Helena Le Mahieu of Ash Animal Rescue said concern about the possible impact of coronavirus led to the decision to close Ash Animal Rescue to the public.
‘We are all healthy. One of our staff is in self isolation after she went away for a few days abroad and came back on Wednesday [March 18]. We are one down which is a bit of a worry because it leaves us with less flexibility. If any of us came down [with coronavirus] here, we would be in real trouble.’
As they are both 70, Helena said they made the decision ‘ to be a little bit more careful to limit our social encounters’.
‘I live in this house so if myself or Remi were to get sick and self isolate or worse, then the whole centre is in real trouble. We are very motivated to keep ourselves safe because that way we keep our animals safe.’
Closing the centre to the public also means that re-homing of rescued animals has had to stop which may have an impact on the number of animals that the centre can take in. Fundraising events have also ground to a halt. Among these, a sponsored dog walk due to take place this month has been postponed until the autumn at the earliest.
Despite these worries, Helena said animal rescue groups are offering to help and support one another during this crisis.
‘Somebody who is also in rescue rang us, to say ‘I had an emergency and had to go to the vet if there is any medication you are short of ?’ We are in trouble with medication because the dog needs it so we’re helping each other. I think that is one of the stronger points, more helping of each other.’
The public has also been supporting the Kiltegan animal charity. Ash Animal Rescue received a ‘overwhelming’ response to its recent public appeal for donations of wet dog food after they struggled to find enough cans in the shops to buy to feed the animals in their care.
People ‘were all so good at leaving it outside our door, waving through the window but not expecting us to come out and be close and personal,’ Helena said, ‘it feels a bit cold because these people went to the trouble of shopping for us, but amazingly they fully understand what the limitations are at the moment.’
If the coronavirus crisis continues for several weeks, old newspapers may also become a concern at the centre when supplies start to run low.
‘We use a lot of old paper. We’re not in trouble tomorrow or next week but if this is going to be a bit longer than a few weeks, newspapers are going to be an issue.
‘Please gather up newspapers. Maybe keep them in your garage or shed for a while, and then when you have enough, drop them off here but please understand if we don’t come out and shake hands because for now it’s safer for all of us if we don’t.
‘Wet food is an ongoing concern. People are more inclined to buy a bag of dry food. We have plenty of that, but wet food will probably become an issue again in a few weeks time,’ Helena said.
Helena is also encouraging people to look after one another and to look after their pets.
‘We all have people we all love and care about and by keeping ourselves safe, we keep them safe’.
‘Some people contacted me through Facebook and said ‘my animal seems to be very upset’. If you’re worried, animals are so clever they pick it up. We have a lot of reasons why we should still try to be upbeat.
‘Spend a little more time with each other but also spend time taking your animal for extra walks. They will love the extra attention, but try to avoid large gatherings,’ Helena concluded.