A TINY orphaned three- to four-week-old weasel is being cared for by the Scottish SPCA.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted after the weasel was discovered in Newcastleton in the Scottish Borders.
She is now being rehabilitated at the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, where she has been named Susie.
Centre manager Colin Seddon said, “Susie is only 16 grams at the moment and is being given milk every two hours. She has been showing an interest in chewing recently so we’re hoping to try her with solid food soon, as weasels start to wean before their eyes are open.
“We have successfully reared other members of the mustelid family before, including badgers, otters, pine martens, stoats and weasels.
“Don’t let how cute Susie is fool you – weasels are Britain’s smallest carnivore. Once fully grown they are fierce hunters and due to their size they are able to pursue mice and voles in their burrows.
“We expect that Susie will weigh approximately 60 grams as an adult, whereas males can weigh up to 170 grams.”
Weasels are more widespread and abundant in Scotland than any other Scottish carnivore, apart from the stoat. Both are routinely controlled by gamekeepers but appear able to maintain healthy populations and have increased since the mid-1990s. Weasels are especially well suited to following field and bank voles along their runs and burrows, including tunnels formed beneath snow, whereas stoats are restricted to wider burrows, such as those of rabbits, rats and water voles.
The Scottish SPCA is this weekend running a Pets at Home Spring Fundraising Drive to raise vital funds for abused, abandoned and injured animals in its care.
The charity is encouraging the public to get into the fundraising spirit by dressing up in fancy dress, taking a four-legged friend along or bringing some baked goodies to encourage donations at their local Pets at Home store.
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