So often, our work is about providing second chances for the survivors of very sad situations. Against the relentless pressures of land clearing, urban development and increasingly extreme weather events, our work to rescue displaced, injured and orphaned wildlife is becoming a vital part of securing the survival of some of our most vulnerable native species.
In Tasmania, a young Rufous-bellied pademelon was orphaned after his mother was caught on a barbed wire fence.Whilst the mother sadly died on her way to the vets, her joey was unharmed, and was found in bushes just a few metres from his mother.
He was distressed and hungry but otherwise in good condition. It took a long time for our Emergency Responder to capture the joey, as he needed to work quietly and gently so as not to cause additional stress.
The orphaned joey was transported in our Wildlife Ambulance for a medical check, and is now with his long-term carer, where he'll remain until he's old enough to be released into suitable habitat.
Meanwhile in Western Sydney, a factory worker discovered an unfortunate Blue Tongue Lizard who’d become stuck to a glue trap on the factory floor. They quickly called WIRES for help.
We dispatched our Emergency Responder Hannah, in one of our Wildlife Ambulances, which are fully equipped with both rescue and medical equipment.
Hannah noted the lizard’s entire side was stuck in glue and it was completely unable to move. However it was also bright and alert and had no actual injuries from the glue.
She carefully removed all traces of glue from the lizard using olive oil, was able to gently remove the lizard from the trap. She then used saline to remove the oil.
After a thorough health check he was relocated to nearby bushland for immediate release.
These are just two of the 200,000 calls for rescue we receive yearly. On behalf of these two little survivors, thank you.
Over the past few months heavy rains and flooding continued to cause distress to people and wildlife along Australia's east coast. Many burrow animals took refuge in garages to find temporary shelter after being forced out of their burrows. Additionally, we saw more cases of waterlogged and exhausted birds. Our Wildlife Rescue teams are in the midst of a busy spring season, responding to hundreds of urgent calls every single day. These are a few of those rescue stories.
Just in time for Green Sea Turtle
A Green Sea Turtle had a very lucky escape last month after being spotted beached, and being attacked by birds. After spotting the distressed turtle, a member of public attempted to carry it back to the ocean, but it kept swimming in circles and returning to the sand where the birds would attack it. Not knowing what to do, she called WIRES who sent out our Emergency Responder who was able to transport the turtle to specialist marine veterinary care. Worryingly the turtle has a soft shell, which may be symptom of malnourishment. Marine rescuers are noting that extreme rain events are washing sediment from rivers and creeks into coastal areas, which in turn is smothering seagrass beds, a vital food source for turtles.The turtle is still undergoing treatment and will hopefully re-gain his health, for a return to the wild.
Orphaned brushtail possum rescued from school yard
Last month we received a call from a busy primary school in Sydney after they discovered a young possum, wedged under a planter box in the school yard. There were no parents to be found and it was extremely difficult for the teachers to reach the possum, so a WIRES Emergency Responder was dispatched.
Our Emergency Responder was able to contain the possum and noted it was bright and alert but very dehydrated. Its tongue was also quite pale. She provided a small amount of oral hydration, secured the possum in a warm pouch and transported it to a local vets for medical attention. After given the all-clear, the possum was picked up by a WIRES carer and is now being rehabilitated for eventual release into suitable habitat.
Second chance for two brave flood survivors
In April, two little bare-nosed wombat survivors were rescued from horrendous floods. One was found clinging to a chicken hutch, the other was desperately swimming. Both were very young but had become separated from their mothers, who couldn’t be found.
Luckily both were rescued by the property owner and have been in care with one of our experienced wombat carers, Penelope. They are now around 18 months old, weigh over 16kg each and will soon be ready for release.
Thank you for the vital role you play in helping us rescue and care for these survivors. We are very grateful for your support.
As heavy rains once again cause widespread flooding across the state of New South Wales, your support to WIRES is continuing to provide a daily lifeline of support for Australian native animals at their most vulnerable.
Here are just three rescue stories, thank you for making them possible!
Flood affected brushtail possum now in care
In Sydney, a young female brushtail possum was discovered under a balcony, displaced, disorientated and soaking wet after recent heavy rains. She seemed quite unwell so her WIRES rescuer wrapped her in a towel to dry and warm her, before transporting her to a local vet for a medical check.
Luckily, the young possum had no serious injuries and was placed with her WIRES carer very quickly. She’s now well on her way to recovery and should be due for release near to where she was found in the coming weeks.
Infant Tasmanian Pademelon rescued just in time
When a passing motorist called to report a Pademelon that had been hit by a car in the state of Tasmania, she was fairly sure the mother was dead, but hoped we could send a rescuer just in case.
Her instincts were correct. Whilst the mother had been dead for several hours, a pouch check revealed that her teat was extended, suggesting she’d recently been suckling an infant.
The WIRES rescuer searched the area and found the young joey, a few metres from the road, hiding amongst rocks. She quickly warmed the joey who was cold, frightened and dehydrated, and provided him with vital fluids. After a few hours of careful monitoring he was transported in our Emergency Response Vehicle to his specialist carer, where he’s now being provided with the care and rehabilitation he needs for an eventual release back into the wild (pictured above).
Three wombat joeys in the next phase of rehabilitation
Car accidents and ongoing floods continue to have a devastating impact on wombat populations and WIRES now have several orphaned wombat joeys in care. Whenever possible, wombat joeys are buddied up so they can grow and develop together, before their release.
‘Poppet’ pictured below was separated from her mother during the recent floods. She was found in a back garden, exhausted, wet and very cold.
She’s now been buddied with Gus and Bear, who both lost their mothers in recent car collisions. Both had been relatively protected in their mother’s pouches and had escaped with just a few scratches on their heads.
Wombat joeys stay with their mother in the pouch for 7-10 months, so all three were far too young to fend for themselves and are now receiving dedicated long term care.
As you can see from the photo below, they are now at the second stage of their rehabilitation, learning to dig and burrow in their natural environment and it is very thirsty work!
Thank you again for making these rescues possible. In the last financial year, our Wildlife Rescue Line received over 200,000 calls! This is a significant increase on the year before and we thank you sincerely for making sure so many native animals get the second chance they so desperately need and deserve.
THANK YOU
Without you, none of this is possible. If you are able to give a gift to support the ongoing rescue, rehabilitation and recovery of wildlife, please donate today and share our project.
Links:
The past month for WIRES has been extremely busy due to the recent catastrophic floods across the east coast of Australia. There have been many animals who have not made it, however the ones that we can help rescue and eventually release, make the efforts of volunteers, members of the public and staff all worthwhile.
Echidnas saved from flood waters
An echidna was found floating down a river clinging to a mattress in a flood impacted town. It had some cuts on its beak and his skin appeared to have been submerged in the water for some time.
Most of our volunteer carers were struggling with significant flooding to their own homes at that time, with many entirely cut off. The echidna was taken to a WIRES carer, however had to be quickly evacuated when her home became at risk. The echidna was picked up by one of our emergency rescue vans and is now recuperating in an animal hospital.
Echidnas have been seriously affected by the floods with one rescue group reporting 32 in care by early March. Several orphaned puggles have been found alone, likely to have been washed from their burrows and are now in WIRES care. The lucky echidna above, was clinging to a pole in flood waters, when a member of the public, herself being evacuated in a tin boat, rescued him, and with advice from WIRES, transported him to high ground.
Displaced and exhausted birds
Many hundreds of birds have been found displaced, waterlogged and grounded in flood impacted areas. Often, they’ve simply been too exhausted to fly through relentless days of heavy rain. One juvenile white-tailed tropic bird was found a remarkable 300km from her natural home. Often these birds have been successfully released back to suitable habitat after they've had a chance to dry off and rest.
Orphaned joeys
Many orphans have been found wet, isolated, and alone after floods and storms have destroyed their habitat. Burrow animals have been particularly affected. In some places, flood waters were witnessed completely submerging established gum trees.
This eastern grey joey below, was found in a paddock during stormy weather, possibly thrown from her mother’s pouch by the wild storms. She was transported by one of our emergency rescue vans to a nearby vet.
THANK YOU
Thank you for the vital role you play in helping us rescue and care for these survivors. We are deeply grateful for your support.
Without you, none of this is possible. If you are able to give a gift to support the ongoing rescue, rehabilitation and recovery of wildlife, please donate today and share our project.
Links:
Meet Billy, a tiny hairless wombat joey whose mother had been killed by a car. It was only thanks to a passing motorist who’d stopped to check the pouch, that the joey was found and brought into WIRES for care.
It's nine weeks since Billy was rescued and he’s now covered in velvet fur and weighs almost one kilogram. Deb his carer is currently providing Billy four feeds a day and expects him to be in care for another 14 months before he’s ready to be released back into the wild. Billy is one of many wombat joeys currently in our care, and nearly all are orphaned after vehicle collisions. Thank you to the kind motorist who stopped and checked on Billy's mother, and thank you for the very important role you play, in making sure he's now receiving this vital rehabilitation and care.
Rare Glider Rescue
Also in October the female Yellow-bellied glider pictured below was found entangled in barbed wire surrounding an electricity substation. We always recommend fencing alternatives to barbed wire to reduce the number of animals impacted by this sort of entanglement.
The Yellow-bellied Glider is one of Australia's six gliding marsupials. They are an active species and feed on nectar, sap, pollen and insects. They live in small family groups and have a large home range where they forage for food.
These gliders are very vocal and have a distinctive call, consisting of a loud, high-pitched shriek, followed by moans and gurgles that often subside into a throaty rattle. They can be heard up to 500 metres away and although to our ears it can sound like distress, it is in fact just the way they communicate. WIRES Volunteer Sandy who was caring for this glider tells us that as she recuperated, she was often calling through the night.
While she was being examined and treated for a tear to her patagium, it was discovered that this glider was carrying young in her pouch, making it even more important to get her back to the wild quickly and fully recovered.
The patagium is the membrane that extends from the front paws to the hind paws and is used for gliding between trees. It is essential for survival and is one of the most frequently seen injuries in gliding marsupials who become entangled in barbed wire
We are very pleased to report the patagium tear healed well and she was released recently, to hopefully raise the young she was carrying.
Thanks to everyone who is supporting wildlife from rescue to release, you are directly helping us save more very precious lives.
Links:
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you will get an e-mail when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports via e-mail without donating.
We'll only email you new reports and updates about this project.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
Make a monthly donation & get 
