Drowning thumb-sized stoat saved by kiss of life
A thumb-sized baby stoat was given mouth to mouth resuscitation and heart massage by a passer-by who rescued the drowning creature from a water butt.
A water company employee in Norfolk was alerted to the animal’s plight by the squeaks of another baby stoat, which was still breathing, the Daily Telegraph reported.
After fishing the pair out, the man gently pressed the stoat’s heart with a single finger tip and blew air into its lungs. The creatures were then rushed to an RSPCA wildlife centre where they were said to be “well on their way to recovery.”
Both creatures were dyhydrated while the stoat who had been resuscitated was also suffering from hypothemia.
Alison Charles, the centre manager, said it was not usually advisable to perform the kiss of life on wild animals, but added: “Their rescuer saved them from almost certain death and did a great job of helping them to survive.”
The pair are expected to be released back into the wild once they are fully recovered.