Hedgehogs out in the daylight. Hedgehogs are strictly nocturnal. If you see a hedgehog out in the daylight, it needs professional help.

Underweight hedgehogs in October. Hedgehogs will start going into hibernation in winter, as it gets colder and becomes more difficult for them to find food. In order to survive the long sleep, they will need to weigh at least 600g. Unfortunately, some babies are born too late in the year to gain sufficient weight for hibernation. Other adult, hedgehogs, may have fallen on hard times and become too thin. If such tiny animals are left to hibernate, they will never wake up. If you see a small hedgehog after October therefore, it will need assistance.

Rabbits with myxamatosis. Myxamatosis is a painful and debilitating disease in rabbits. Rabbits afflicted with this disease may be seen sitting in the open, barely moving, with red, swollen eyes. There is no cure for myxamatosis; sadly, we can only euthanase them to relieve their suffering. Where the disease is more advanced, you will be able to walk right up to the rabbit and pick it up. Seek immediate professional help.

Oiled birds. During the autumn and winter months, seabirds often get caught up in oil slicks, and then washed ashore. If they do not receive immediate profession help, they will die a slow and painful death - as the caustic oil attacks not only their skin and feathers, but also their internal organs where they have tried to preen themselves and ingested it.

You should never try to clean an oiled bird yourself - for two main reasons. Firstly, dealing with the external contamination involves more than just removing the oil. Once the bird is clean, there is a long rehabilitation period to allow the bird to regain its waterproofing. This requires purpose-built facilities. If the waterproofing is not regained, the bird will simply drown when it is released.

Secondly, once oiled birds have been taken into care, the bigger killer is not the oil that coats the outside of the bird, but the associated poisoning. Oiled birds therefore require immediate help from those who are able to deal with both the internal and external pollution.

Fishing tackle. Water birds often become entangled in discarded fishing line, or swallow fish hooks. Where possible, contain the bird while you seek professional help. NEVER attempt to remove the fishing tackle yourself - you could end up making the problem worse.

It can be difficult to tell whether babies have in fact been prematurely abandoned by their parents and, unfortunately, Wildlives has often had to admit baby birds and animals which people have mistakenly thought to be orphaned, and brought to Wildlives to be cared for. By the time they arrive at Wildlives, it is usually too late to return them to where they were found. Very young wild animals will ALWAYS be better off being cared for by their natural parents, so it is important - if you find what you believe to be an orphaned animal - that you make absolutely sure of this before you intervene.

The best way to do this is, firstly to check to see if the animal is in any immediate danger. If its location is dangerous, pick it up and move it a short distance out of harm's way, before retreating again. Secondly, you should leave it for an hour or so, and then return to check on it. Usually, in such situations, the mother will be nearby and will come back to it if you go away. When you return, she will probably have retrieved her offspring.