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Injured Wildlife Care

NachaLuva

Product Developer
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Oct 27, 2011
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5,716
Location
SE Melbourne
As a wildlife rescuer/shelter helper, I've been lucky enough to be involved with some amazing animals, from baby koalas & wombats to penguins, possums, gliders, echidnas, bats, black swans, blue tongues & more :monkeydance: I've seen a lot, lol...& learnt a few things that may help anyone who gets into the great outdoors & cares bout our wildlife. As its koala breeding season atm & we're getting more crossing the roads to find some lovely ladies, lol, so car hits are on the rise again, I thought this is a good time to do this thread....

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We all get out bush & see lots of wildlife...great :biggrin:

But what do you do if you see an injured koala, kangaroo or wombat? I'm sure this has happened to many of us, sometimes without us even knowing. That dead animal by the side of the road may have a live & healthy young (or 2) in its pouch.

Short answer is, PLEASE don't ignore it!

Call a local wildlife hotline (you often see the signs posted on roads) or call directories & ask for one.


In SE Melbourne its Animalia Wildlife Shelter 0435 822 699.


You can look us up at www.animaliawildlife.org.au


Michelle runs the shelter & she’ll tell you exactly what you need to do. Her knowledge & animal skill is astounding! I’ve seen her do things you would not think possible :biggrin:

2nd choice would be a vet, but most don't have a clue bout wildlife, esp marsupials & will just euthanise them :shake:

Don't believe anything your hear from a certain celebrity vet in Sydney who shall remain nameless lol :puke:

A few helpful points:

First Contact Care:


* If you see an animal that looks in trouble, even if it looks dead, pull over & check it. If alive but injured,
place it in a cardboard box (not echidnas, they're brilliant diggers) with holes for ventilation, or a crate with a loose fitting lid if you have one. If you don't have either of these, a pillow case or shirt tied at the ends can be used. Don't cradle the animal. Wildlife see us as predators & stress is a big killer so avoid it - keep it dark & quiet so please turn the stereo down or off

* If its dead, check the pouch...don't worry, its not as gross as it seems. If there is a baby inside, DON'T pull it off the teat, that may injure its delicate mouth/jaw. Use a pair of scissors to cut the teat.

*Wombats & koalas have backward facing pouches.

*
If the animal is dead with no young, look around for a joey, he may be out of the pouch but will remain nearby. Then please drag the body away from the road. Many animals esp birds are hit by cars while scavenging on a carcass :(

* Provide warmth; injured or orphaned wildlife cannot regulate body temperature. Fill a hot water bottle or soft drink bottle with hot water, not boiling. Ensure you wrap the bottle twice in a towel & place the bottle next to the animal, scrunching the rest of the towel over & around the animal.
Do not provide warmth to echidnas.

* DON'T give the animal anything to eat.

*
If its hot & you cant contact a wildlife carer & the animal looks dehydrated, offer them some water (not pouch young). We use syringes (needle-less lol) but if you don't have one try a spoon or small bowl. Don't let them have too much until you contact a carer.

*There's a lot of hype about bats atm. Most of it is rubbish!! However, they can carry the lyssavirus, which if left untreated can be fatal. In Australia there is only one recorded case of this. If you're scratched or bitten by a bat you're rescuing, your doctor can give you a shot for it. My advice is to exercise much caution with bats, but don't be paranoid! :lol:

* Birds need caution not to damage their flight feathers, which can take a looong time to heal. Fishing line entanglement &/or hooks can be tricky as the bird needs to be caught but is often able to fly. Stealth is your friend :iconwink:

CAUTION: water birds with a long pointy beak & a long neck are fish catchers. They are very good at this & as a defense will deliberately try to poke your eyes. Wear glasses & keep your head well away. Best is to throw a towel over them & loosely hold the beak through the towel

*Penguins are not meant to be on the beach. If you see one, catch it & treat as above in point 1. Penguins are warm blooded birds & its probably exhausted & very cold. The biggest misconception is they need to be kept cool...they don't, they need warmth.

* If you see a seal on the beach, DON'T approach it. They not only are protected (the fine for harassing a seal is up to $25,000), but can & will bite in defense. Their mouths often contain salmonella.

* If you see a mouse or rat running around your campsite, don't presume that's what it is. There are many small native marsupials who can be difficult to tell apart, many of which are on the verge of extinction.

As I think of more, I'll add to this post.

Remember, many Australian species are threatened or endangered, esp koalas. They need our help.

If we don't help them, many iconic Aussie animals wont be around for the next generation....
 
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All good stuff, NL.

You forgot to mention the other thing that seal mouths are full of - bloody big teeth, and lots of them ... :rotfl:. Even teensy, weensy seal pups have a surprisingly large array of surprisingly large, surprisingly sharp teeth ...
 
Some more pics

A miracle story that came out of the devastating Black Saturday bushfires...an Eastern Pygmy Possum that amazingly was recognised, not killed as a mouse. This is as big as they get, but still a possum!
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A black swan I rescued at Brighton Beach in the middle of Melbourne, suffering severe dehydration. He was seen drinking from the bay as the temp hit 46C!:
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A moulting Little Penguin found on a beach in Port Phillip Bay. They are very vulnerable like this & cant go in the water:
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A beautiful Brushtail possum munching on some gum flowers. Note: never feed possums fruit, it makes them sick:
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A Tawny Frogmouth, recovering from being hit by a car. Interestingly, they are not an owl but a nightjar:
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All the above animals were successfully rehabilitated & released back into the wild, where they are meant to be :biggrin:

I had to sneak this one in...its one of my favourite photos from a trip to Rottnest I, WA. Not a rescue lol, but too cute to ignore:
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There's some great info there Nachaluva :)

It reminds me of something that happened to me about 3 years ago.

To cut a long story short, I found this little fella (baby brushtail possum) whilst out walking my dogs.

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He/she was just sitting in the middle of the road, waiting to be a potential road kill victim :surprised: It's mother was nowhere to be found :sad:
I carefully picked him/her up & put him into my top pocket, where it would hopefully be warm & could hear my heart beat :)

Once back home, I made a couple of calls. As I was unable to care for it properly.

I kept in touch with the W.I.R.E.S rescue lady who took care of him/her & am happy to say it made it & was returned back to the wild :raz:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Thanks RB. Yep seals are not to be messed with. We have to have volunteers guarding the seals so silly people dont do silly things like put their kid on top to pose for a photo! Yes...thats happened!! :eek::shake:

Thats great Mr.T, cute lil fella, aint he :biggrin:

Was it windy? Sometimes the babies fall off their mothers backs during high winds. Or his mum may have been attacked by something & dropped her. Both are pretty common. I love it when MOPs (Member of Public, lol) keep in touch with a happy ending :)
 
I seem to remember it being warm, but not windy.

The part that really sticks in my memory though, is that when I handed him/her over, it wrapped it's tail tightly around my finger & didn't want to let go :cool:
It was actually a mission trying to get him/her off :lol:

Yes it was a great feeling, knowing that it made it back o the wind where he/she belongs :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
The part that really sticks in my memory though, is that when I handed him/her over, it wrapped it's tail tightly around my finger & didn't want to let go :cool:
It was actually a mission trying to get him/her off :lol:

haha yeah its funny lol. They have a true prehensile tail that is just like a 5th leg...

Yes it was a great feeling, knowing that it made it back o the wind where he/she belongs :)

Yep, thats the best part :biggrin:

We just released some ducks, a brushy & a couple of ringies, all back at home in the wild where they're happiest :monkeydance:

At the moment amongst others we have an arctic skua. They migrate from the arctic circle to Oz every year...thats one big round trip! When I rescued him he was so exhausted he couldnt even stand...now he's prob not far from being released too :biggrin:
 
Good on ya Nachaluva, I'm very much the same - always picking up injured and sick wildlife - especially birds. I absolutely love birds (and possums, lizards and pretty much anything native).

Been planning on getting my wildlife carer license for a while now. I will get onto it soon.
 
Great stuff mate! Some good info there..

I will however say that after hitting and seeing Kangaroo's being hit by cars is horrible. For both us and them. I have however put them out of their misery if they are still alive rather than let them suffer and die.
In the outback/bush too there isn't much point in calling the hotline in a situation like this. I like to think I have done the right thing in not letting them suffer before death.
 
Funny how to me, these animals are exotic, extraordinary creatures we see at the zoo... while they are "common roadkills" for you. Eh!

Some of these are cute :) I grew up in the city, so I did not have many animals around... but we did recover and help a few birds that had struck windows, including a few birds of prey over the years... I remember an owl and a sparrow. We were very surprised to see them in the middle of the city.
 
Been planning on getting my wildlife carer license for a while now. I will get onto it soon.

Get as much experience as you can first by being a shelter helper. The carer will teach you what you need to know (there's a lot...each species has specific requirements & each animal unique needs) then you can get your carer's license knowing your well prepared with good backup.

Goodonya for wnating to do it. Its not easy, sometimes heartbreaking, but also soooo rewarding!

My most valuable experince is hand feeding 2 baby koalas 3x per day for several months. They are almost human, just fluffy lol. It was a very rare thing, something I will always treasure :)

I like to think I have done the right thing in not letting them suffer before death.

Its a very difficult call...you're meant to let a carer make that call but what do you do out in the bush? :shrug: Only thing I can suggest is put the local carer's no in your phone & if you have reception, follow their advice. (or call Michelle from Animalia Wildlife Shelter (0435 822 699)...she knows carers from all over the country & what she doesnt know bout wildlife rescue isnt worth knowing. You can ALWAYS call her; she is VERY devoted)

You did the right thing not letting them suffer when there's no-one around to help. Well done for caring, so many don't! Just make sure you check the pouch after...

Funny how to me, these animals are exotic, extraordinary creatures we see at the zoo... while they are "common roadkills" for you. Eh!

We have an adult male koala struggling for survival atm, the result of a car hit. He's in prime condition & is a fighter, I believe he'll pull through...
 
More good info NachaLuva :)

I've added that number to my mobile. Hopefully I'll never need to use it, but it's now there just in case :iconwink:

Thats great news about the Koala too, sounds like he's a fighter :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Funny how to me, these animals are exotic, extraordinary creatures we see at the zoo... while they are "common roadkills" for you. Eh!

Some of these are cute :) I grew up in the city, so I did not have many animals around... but we did recover and help a few birds that had struck windows, including a few birds of prey over the years... I remember an owl and a sparrow. We were very surprised to see them in the middle of the city.
You have moose, deer, buffalo, squirrels, rattle snakes and others which we see in the same way I guess.

Kudo's on the rescue work, I've helped a few birds but hit and killed many more driving on country roads unfortunately, roo's cost me a fortune when I was younger, almost completely wrote off 2 cars because of them.

I wouldn't suggest anyone go near an adult roo that is injured and try to pick it up, it'll rip you to shreds, personally I'd rather put it out of it's misery.
 
I'll 2nd that about the Roo d_generate. Especially an injured adult male.
They are extremely strong & powerful & can inflict some nasty (possibly deadly) injuries.
I'm not saying don't help them, if you can. Just remember that they are not only injured, but also scared & may defend themselves.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Great post. I was in the Victorian mallee when I approached a flock of galahs. Most flew off but a few remained, which was unusual. My mate in the car following radioed me and asked if I had hit one. I replied in the negative and he said that there was an injured bird. So we stopped and returned to the scene. It was not a pleasant experience. One galah had a wing totally ripped off, and the noise it made as we attempted to to catch it was truly horrible. Eventually we were close enough to throw a towel over it and place it in a box. Another bird was also injured, and we did the same. All 5 of us knew we had to kill the bird with the severed wing, but none of us had the guts to do it.

A car approached and fortunately the driver was a cocky, and asked us what had happened. We informed him none of had the heart to kill the bird, and when he said he was a cocky we were thankful, and he volunteered to do what needed to be done. We tried to find the number for WIRES, but for whatever reason that did not work out so we took the remaining bird to the vet in the next town. Unfortunately, it's broken wing meant that bird also had to be put down.

I also was in a car that hit a wedge tail eagle in the NT. As with the galah, I lament the fact that I just don't have the heart to kill injured animals. I think this is the problem for many people with regards injured wildlife in the outback. It's just too far to get help, there is no mobile phone overage out there unless you have a sat phone and the thought of killing the poor creature is too much for many people not brought up on the land. I don't know what the answer is. Yes, I could get get some concrete and HTFU I suppose. I'd be interested to hear what others have done in similar circumstances and if my mates and I are the world's greatest woos's.
 
I'd be interested to hear what others have done in similar circumstances and if my mates and I are the world's greatest woos's.

I can understand dealing with roadkill is a shocking experience for many city dwellers, but for those in the bush, it's just a normal part of daily life.

As you say, it depends on how you were raised. Personally, I was brought up in the bush, and have no problem with killing an injured animal. We used to slaughter sheep in the backyard, and by the time I was 5 or 6 I'd probably dispatched a few hundred rabbits. Roadkill is a little different though, because you generally have to fight a scared, injured animal, and sometimes the struggle can be rather messy. I hate seeing half-dead snakes pinned in the middle of the road, wriggling around but getting nowhere (kind of like an out-of-control fire hose). I usually stop and move it well off the road.

A small piece of advice - if you are going to move dead wildlife off the road, make sure it's WELL off the road, not just on the edge. Dead animals attract other animals (foxes, eagles etc) and if it's on the side of the road, these usually end up being hit too. The number of dead eagles I saw across the Nullarbor was really sad - they feed on the roadkill, and are too big to get out of the way quickly, so end up getting hit themselves.
 
I was in the Victorian mallee when I approached a flock of galahs. Most flew off but a few remained, which was unusual. My mate in the car following radioed me and asked if I had hit one. I replied in the negative and he said that there was an injured bird. So we stopped and returned to the scene. It was not a pleasant experience.....

.....All 5 of us knew we had to kill the bird with the severed wing, but none of us had the guts to do it.
I have personally only been involved with a situation like this 2 or maybe 3 times. Each time it was Galahs not moving away in time.
On 2 of those occasions, I had to put them out of their misery.
Was it easy, no, but I know I made the right decision. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, if you know what I mean.

I'd be interested to hear what others have done in similar circumstances and if my mates and I are the world's greatest woos's.
No mate, not woos's, just human.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
The eagle we collected was diving for road kill.
 
On my last trip my GF and I set off with a mission. The mission was to have ZERO roadkill for the entire trip. We ended up travelling 8000km and the only roadkill we were responsible for were the winged insects embedded in the windscreen.

We consciously tried to avoid travelling after dark (and if we did we drove slowly), and in the heavily bird-dominant areas of SA and VIC we drove at 80km/h in 100km/h zones. This seemed to be enough to allow the wrens and honeyeaters to duck for cover on our approach.

Of course, we couldn't stop the heartless redneck bogans from doing 140 in 100km/h zones just ploughing through so we still had to see the carcasses of some beloved species with beaks/bills/wings ripped off or bodies split right open which was somewhat traumatic for us.

We always try to practice ultra low-impact touring by only leaving tyre tracks. No carcasses, no evidence of fires, no human waste, no litter and only taking photographs away with us.
 
I wouldn't suggest anyone go near an adult roo that is injured and try to pick it up, it'll rip you to shreds, personally I'd rather put it out of it's misery.

They are extremely strong & powerful & can inflict some nasty (possibly deadly) injuries.

I've only been involved in a few wallaby/kangaroo rescues, even injured they are still fast & powerful. I leave all the tricky stuff to the boss-lady lol. Michelle's skills have to be seen to be believed!

f you are going to move dead wildlife off the road, make sure it's WELL off the road, not just on the edge. Dead animals attract other animals (foxes, eagles etc) and if it's on the side of the road, these usually end up being hit too.

Spot on. In tassie where the quolls still have a foothold, they are another common secondary road kill :(

The number of dead eagles I saw across the Nullarbor was really sad - they feed on the roadkill, and are too big to get out of the way quickly, so end up getting hit themselves.

Apart from killing such a magnificent animal, you would think the risk of having the worlds 3rd largest (I think lol) eagle come smashing through the windscreen would make people drive slower around wildlife.

Its a shameful note in our countries history that there once used to be a bounty on wedge-tailed eagles...they were slaughtered in their thousands! :eek::shake:

All 5 of us knew we had to kill the bird with the severed wing, but none of us had the guts to do it.

You're not the only one! I've thought about what I would do many times, where the animal needs euthanasia beyond doubt & the nearest vet is just too far. I hope I dont ever have to find out....

On my last trip my GF and I set off with a mission. The mission was to have ZERO roadkill for the entire trip. We ended up travelling 8000km and the only roadkill we were responsible for were the winged insects embedded in the windscreen.

Awesome effort! :monkeydance:

We always try to practice ultra low-impact touring by only leaving tyre tracks. No carcasses, no evidence of fires, no human waste, no litter and only taking photographs away with us.

Leave only memories & take only photos :biggrin:
 
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