HERE'S THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW (LAID OUT TO BE AS QUICK AND EASY AS POSSIBLE)....

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WILDLIFE RESCUE [TRANSPORT SUPPORT PROCEDURE]​

 

Contacting your Volunteer Drivers…

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[BEFORE ASKING FOR TRANSPORT SUPPORT: It is essential that all animals are already safely contained and inside the MOP's home / workplace, away from children and/or pets or inside a Vet Practice.  UKWT Drivers never handle animals - they don't have the necessary PPE or training - and they don't go onto the premises of a MOP.  Here is the Drivers Guidance that all of our Drivers adhere to. ]

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- Message when you need transport support. Try and ALWAYS include a starting and ending postcode as it helps Drivers to quickly understand how long a journey might be and it raises 'yes, I can help' rates a lot.

- Tag the Drivers, asking if anyone is free.  [Eg. "@___ @___ @___ is anyone free to help please?"]. The reason for this is because spring/summer are very busy and sometimes so many teams are pinging away that Drivers will start to ignore the messages that are coming through but if they see that they've been personally tagged in a transport request, they know that it's a message they should definitely respond to, at least saying whether they can help or not.

- Once a Driver has offered to help, provide them with the necessary info (outlined below).

- I always ask the Drivers to message in the WhatsApp group as to when they have picked up the animal and when they are home safe. [They should message in the group because I will be in the group too, so I can be a back up to have an eye on everyone’s safety, while they’re on the road.]

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Info to give the Driver…

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The address of either the Finder or the Vet Practice (whichever they’re picking up from) and a phone number of the person/Practice that they’re picking up from.​  They MUST have the phone number, to be able to phone the Finder to confirm an ETA and especially for if they get stuck in traffic or struggle to find the property.  For example...

 

You are picking up from [....].  Their full address is...​

 

FULL ADDRESS -

PHONE NUMBER -​

[Add, for confirmation, 'the [animal] is contained and inside'.]

 

[If they are picking up from a MOP, please have already taken the full background info from the finder on the animal (when/where found, what food/drink given etc).  If they are picking up from a Vet Practice, please make sure the Practice have written down all of the background info/medication records that you will need the Driver to bring back with them, if you haven't already taken that info over the phone.]

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[If they are dropping an animal off at the Vets for you, or taking an animal to one of your fosterers, here's an example of the info to provide...​]  

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​[If the Driver is taking FROM the Rescue, TO a Vet Practice, please make sure that you have already agreed in advance with the Vet Practice that they will take and that ALSO the Vet Practice has been given background info on the animal/care/medications etc in advance.]

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You are dropping off at [....].  Their full address is...​

 

FULL ADDRESS -

PHONE NUMBER -​​

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Looking after your Volunteer Drivers…​​

 

I ask all Drivers to message in the WhatsApp group so that I know when they've picked up, have dropped off and when they're home safe.

 

When they've completed the transport...  Thank them, if you can.  All of the UKWT Drivers have spent their own funds on equipment, tools, hot water bottles and often they choose to cover their own fuel.   [I will be in the group to also thank them AND remind them to hot wash their towels and disinfect their carrier(s) etc.]

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*Again...  All of our UKWT Drivers are given this welfare guidance to follow, during transport, when they join our database: https://www.ukwildlifetransporters.org/guidance-for-drivers