Rehabilitate Wallabies & Other Native Wildlife

A Very Special Visitor – Gizmo the Greater Glider

Our rehabilitation facility was honoured to be entrusted with the care of a very special visitor — an injured Southern Greater Glider.Gizmo was found curled up on the ground during the day and was taken to a specialist wildlife veterinary hospital for treatment. Once he had received the care he needed, the hospital approached our facility to continue his rehabilitation and treatment.

The Southern Greater Glider is a remarkable Australian native marsupial and the largest gliding possum in eastern Australia. With its endangered status, these elusive creatures are rarely seen in the wild and are seldom brought into rehabilitation, making the opportunity to care for Gizmo an especially rare and precious experience.
One of the biggest challenges in caring for Gizmo was meeting his very particular dietary needs. Greater Gliders feed on eucalyptus leaf tips, but they can be extremely fussy about which varieties they will eat. Finding the right eucalyptus tips, in the correct quantities, could take anywhere from one to two hours each day to prepare for his nightly feeds!

After six weeks of the immense pleasure of caring for Gizmo, the wonderful day finally arrived when he was ready to return to the wild.
He was released back into the area where he had originally been found, which is particularly important as Greater Gliders have relatively small home ranges.
These incredible animals are generally solitary and can glide distances of up to 100 metres between trees, using their specialised gliding membranes (patagium) to move through the forest canopy.

Caring for Gizmo was a truly special privilege. Knowing that he had recovered and was ready to return to his natural home made every hourspent finding those perfect eucalyptus tips worthwhile.
Stay safe Gizmo!