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www.wildliferescuemagazine.com August 2013 Issue 7
August 2013 Issue 7
RESCUE,REHABILITATIONAND RELEASE
Cameras in the fieldPART 3
Rescuesuccessstories
ALBATROSSWOMBAT
LITTLE RED FLYING FOXBLUE TONGUE LIZARD
WEDGETAIL EAGLE
Sugargliders
6
Publisher’s wordsIssue Seven is here and full of exciting articles.Our five Success Stories are unique and wonderful and weare proud to be able to give all our contributors a copy of"Silly Baby Magpie" by Jill Morris - owner of GliderProductions who kindly donated each copy.We announce the winner of the Photo Competition -ANDREA RUSKE of NT. She won $100 worth of 'BurstonBlue Teats'. Thank-you to Burston Blue Teats forcontributing the prize. The owner of Burston Blue Teats isGlen Burston – he is our DIY GUY. He has anotherfabulous article in this issue – learn how to build a reptileenclosure – quick and easy!We Congratulate FRANCES BODKIN of NSW - winnerof the gorgeous Koala Gi-clee print - kindly donated by theartist - Geraldine Simmons.Samantha Tro has contributed a prize for Subscribers: it isan amazing kangaroo print. Title: Dakota (Digitally handpainted) supplied on Canson Infinity Ediction Art EtchingRag Paper (size 12" x 16") All our subscribers go directly intothe draw to win, and all our new Subscribers get a chance towin. Please Subscribe and support us (our subscribers willalso receive a FREE COPY of our NEW 330 page book -coming out soon).I was delighted to be able finally do an article on a uniquewoman, her husband and her journey. I have admired her fora long time. Stella Reid from Wildhaven Wildlife Sanctuary.“I hope that I was able to do your article justice Stella,” Formore photos that I couldn't fit into the magazine you canview them on our website as well.We are happy to have our Part Three of "Motion Activated
Infra-red Cameras" in this issue of the magazine. This is ourfinal part for this series. We thank all our contributors.Our MAIN ARTICLE this issue is on SUGAR GLIDERS- we have some lovely photos to share with you and we trulyhope you enjoy and can use the information provided. Wewould like to thank everyone who supplied photos and aspecial thank-you to Jodie Blackney who wrote this articlefor us.As many of you already know we are bringing out a 330 pageFULL COLOUR book on the last year’s feature articles ofthe Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release of Australian Wildlife- Reference Volume One.The book will be on: Bandicoots, Brushtail Possums,Ringtail Possums, Wombats, Tawny Frogmouth,Kookaburra, Microbats, Flying Fox/Megabat, WillyWagtail, Plover /Lapwing.All our Subscribers will get a FREE copy of this book - itwill retail for $60 - save now by subscribing and get it FREE!We are still in need of some photos of these animals in careand some information.What is an injury/illness that is most likely to occur to thisanimal? How can you pinpoint it? What are its signs? Howcan you treat it?Photos and answers would be wonderful for these questions- we are short on photos for the bandicoot in care too please,so if you have any photos you can donate we wouldappreciate you sending them to us [email protected] would like to thank everyone for their involvement inhelping us keep this magazine informative and free.
Wildlife Rescue MagazinePublisher/Advertising 0413 587 613Email [email protected] www.wildliferescuemagazine.comWildlife Rescue Magazine is published six times per year.Publisher Wildlife Rescue MagazinePhone: 0413 587 613Website: www.wildliferescuemagazine.comEditor [email protected]
Andrea DevosProduction Artizen Image Design, Brisbane, QueenslandAdvertising Wildlife Rescue MagazinePhone: 0413 587 613Email [email protected]: www.wildliferescuemagazine.com
© 2013 The materials in this publication constitute Wildlife RescueMagazine copyright. Unless otherwise indicated, you MAY download thefull magazine, store in cache, distribute, display, print and reproducematerials from this magazine in an unaltered form only (retaining thisnotice and any headers and footers that appear with the original materials)for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation.No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted in any form orby any means for Commercial Use without the prior written permissionof the publisher. Copyright Act 1968©Wildlife Rescue Magazine 2013If you have questions about the use of this magazine or would like to applyfor permission to use articles from this magazine for commercial use,please contact: [email protected] The intellectual rights in all new material vests in the author or creator ofsuch material. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act, nopart of this publication may be reproduced by any process, or anyexclusive right exercised, without the written permission of Wildlife RescueMagazine.Authors warrant that they are the owner of all intellectual property rightsrelating to all material supplied by them, their officers, servants and agentsto Wildlife Rescue Magazine.Authors hereby indemnify Wildlife Rescue Magazine in respect of allactions, proceedings, claims and demands made against Wildlife RescueMagazine by any person arising from the use by Wildlife Rescue Magazineof any material submitted to Wildlife Rescue Magazine by the authors,their officers, servants and agents for publication in Wildlife RescueMagazine.
The articles represent the view of the authors and the editorial representsthe view of the editor. Other opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of theEditor or Wildlife Rescue Magazine.Please note that the material presented in this online magazine has beenprepared for the general information of the reader and should not be usedor relied upon for specific applications without first securing competentadvice. Wildlife Rescue Magazine, its members, authors, staff andconsultants, do not represent or warrant its suitability for any general orspecific use and assume no responsibility of any kind in connection withthe information here in.WARRANTY & INDEMNITY – Authors, advertisers and/or advertisingagencies upon and by lodging material with the Publisher for publicationor authorising or approving of the publication of any material INDEMNIFYthe Publisher, its servants and agents, against all liability claims orproceedings whatsoever arising from the publication and without limitingthe generality of the foregoing to indemnify each of them in relation todefamation, slander of title, breach of copyright, infringement oftrademarks or names of publication titles, unfair competition or tradepractices, royalties or violation of right to privacy AND WARRANTY thatthe material complies with all relevant laws and regulations and that itspublication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in thePublisher, its servants or agents and in particular that nothing therein iscapable of being misleading or deceptive or otherwise in breach of PartV of the Trade Practices Act 1974.ADVERTISING CONDITIONS - See advertising rates available atwww.wildliferescuemagazine.com
7
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
Wildlife Research
Sugar Gliders
Jodie Blackney p20
Motionactivated infra-red cameras
Andrea Devos p53
Albatrossadventures
Dr Richmond Loh p72
A strugglingeagle family
Maggie Harriman p77
WildhavenWildlifeSanctuary
A;an and Stella Reidp101
Sarah’s accidentBob Cleaver p11
Little RedAndrea Ruske p87
Stumpi the BlueTongue LizardDr Susan Roberts p96
DD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYY Fabricating a small holdingenclosure Glen Burston
Classifiedsp131p66
ContentsAugust 2013 Issue 7
11
Bob Cleaver
Sarah’saccident
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
12
It happened very late on a Thursday night (1stDecember 2005) on a return journey fromAdelaide - 2.00am-ish to be precise. I should
preface the next paragraph by saying that our drivewayis about 700m in length (¾ km) and is frequented byan assortment of wildlife, especially at night.
Needless to say, at that time of the night the last 700mhome is a bit of a risky business and I am alwaysextremely careful of what’s lurking in the shrubbery atthe side of the track and especially that year as it hasbeen a very wet one, so the growth on the tracksideshrubbery had just gone berserk and was very dense.
Anyway, we had almost reached the house and, asusual I was driving at walking pace and saw two of ourwombats (Barrelbum and Wombles) off to my right inthe gloom of the extremities of my headlights and at
that precise moment the front left hand side of the cargave a lurch. I stop instantly, got out to see what Ihad run over, but saw nothing.
I saw nothing before, during or after the lurchalthough Jan thought she saw something dash off intothe darkness. Barrelbum was still standing watching us,as was Wombles. I then saw Chunky (another of ourhandraised wombats) looking at us from a distance asif to say “what’ve you got for me” but no sign of Sarah.
My immediate thought was that I had run over her,but as I had not seen or heard anything, I could not besure, even though I had that nasty sinking feeling inthe pit of my stomach.
The following morning I checked the spot in daylightand only found a single scratch mark on the drive
Sarah’saccident
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
I’m not sure how I should art this o or even how to putit into writing to express my feelings of horror, grief and
depression. It is ju too painful to think about, but if I can,it may help me comes to terms with it. To be blunt, I thought
I had killed Sarah!
(from what could have been a front paw) and somefresh tracks to a warren entrance some distance awaywhich looked like a wombat running at speed.
By the following Saturday I had not seen Sarah sincethe day before the event, which in itself is unusual, asshe is usually the one animal who is out most often andalways wanders up to you looking for a handout.
She is often spotted during the day sunning herself at aburrow entrance. I could not help but assume that Ihad run over her and she had taken off to the nearestburrow to die a miserable death from who knows whatsort of horrific injuries. At the time I could not say forsure that it was Sarah, but not having seen her for twodays is MOST unusual.
You occasionally hear of these terrible accidents ofparents who, through no fault of their own, reverseover a child in their driveway – I now know exactlyhow they feel.
Sarah was like family – correction Sarah is family! Iwould look out of the front room window where Iwould often see her lying about somewhere. Now all Icould see was nothing! I had the feeling that I mayhave to live with this for the rest of my life and I wasnot sure how to cope with it! This may sound silly butI find talking to people about this sort of thing,difficult.
I have no-one to blame but myself and I thoughtperhaps that by putting it into writing, it might make
me feel better. Try and imagine if you had run overyour favourite pet, how you would feel. The worst partwas that not only did I think I had killed her but shehad been carrying a baby in her pouch and Lordknows how that had fared.
If she had been mortally injured and was lying lowsomewhere I might have been able to take the joey andhand raise it if only I could find her. But at that stage Istill didn’t even know if it was her – I had no evidence,apart from her disappearance.
They say thirteen is unlucky for some – not for me.Thirteen days after Sarah’s’ disappearance I wentacross to our wombat enclosures with four buckets inmy hands, one for each feed dish. I emptied the firstone into a dish and then stood up and turned aroundto walk to the next one and there was Sarah!!!!!
Standing quietly behind me!! I didn’t know whetherto laugh or cry! As I turned she walked very slowlytowards me and I could immediately see that she hadlost a lot of weight and she had this enormous swellingaround her neck. The first thing I did was to check herpouch to see if she still had her baby – she did, and itmoved, so it was still alive more to the point SHE wasALIVE, and better yet - she was hungry.
The lump under her neck was so huge she could noteat out of the feed dishes we provide. The side of thedish kept getting in the way and it was obviouslypainful because when she tried to eat the lump wouldfoul the side of the dish and she would recoil in pain.
13
Sarah still had her baby
Sarah had this huge swelling
14
I then tipped her food on the floor so at least she couldreach it. She got stuck into it straight away with greatgusto – she must have been starving.
Whilst she was eating I stood there looking at hertrying to decide the best course of action. Myimmediate thought was to catch her up and take her tothe vet but on reflection, not knowing what sort ofinternal damage she had sustained I was concernedthat if I picked her up I would cause more damage. Iknew she would kick and struggle if I tried to do thatand she was no lightweight, despite her obvious weightloss. I guessed she was probably around 25kgs and sheshould have been closer to 30kgs.
So I decided to err on the side of caution and leavewell alone and to ring our Vet to ask for her advice.I thought perhaps she could provide me with someinjectable pain killers and anti-inflammatories withouthaving to subject Sarah to the trauma of beingmanhandled (or should that be person handled?) andthen transported to the Vet’s surgery. Now I hadsighted her at least I could keep an eye on her andwatch for any changes to her condition and administerany drugs without the trauma of carting her about.
Our Vet was more than happy to help out and I pickedup the drugs the following Monday. But ‘Murphy’ andhis pesky law came to spoil the picnic. Sarahdisappeared again and I was unable to administer anyof the drugs the vet had provided me. I waited andwaited and walked across to her enclosure at all timesof the day and night but she refused to put in anappearance.
She was somewhere underground in one of herextensive burrows. She eventually surfaced again onthe Friday two days before Christmas (that was twentythree days after the event). So now I had no choice. Ihad to catch her and confine her to somewhereconvenient so I could treat her. I had to be able tohave access to her on a daily basis and put her in aplace close to the house where we could administer theantibiotics.
We set up a ‘hospital’ room in our Pug and PineCottage (an old building next door to our main house).
This being December, our summertime, the
temperatures had become very hot, not unusual at thattime of year. It was not too bad in the cottage but itwas not air conditioned and somewhat open to theelements. I was a bit concerned that the warm weatherwould have a detrimental affect on Sarah’s recoveryand she was not too impressed with it either andstarted to show signs of distress. (Wombats will start tooverheat and become distressed in temperatures over35C). There was nothing else for it but to take herinto the main house under the air conditioner. Sheimmediately parked herself in front of a personal fanwe had placed on the floor to draw cool air from oneroom to the other.
At this stage we had been through all the antibioticsthat the Vet had provided but poor Sarah was notshowing any signs of improvement. The vet had alsogiven me some very large needles to hopefully relievethe pressure that was obviously building up inside thisswelling under her chin. These needles would makethe most needle hardened person tremble with fear –they were huge but certainly did the job. We had touse them to puncture the swelling and relieve thepressure – not an easy or pleasant job and you shouldhave seen the stuff that came out – Shudder!!!!
Despite all this treatment Sarah still did not show anysigns of improvement, in fact she was getting worse.The swelling was increasing in size, was as tight as adrum and obviously becoming more and moreuncomfortable.
We had to puncture the swelling and relieve the pressure – nota pleasant job
15
Christmas came and went. I rang the Vet immediatelyafter the Christmas, New Year break and told her thestory and suggested to her that we should bring Sarahto her to have this swelling looked at – opened up ifnecessary.
She agreed.
We transported Sarah to the Vet in one of our wombatboxes and left her, and the box, with the Vet. She tookone look at Sarah’s swelling and was horrified. She saidit would definitely need to be opened up and that shewould operate the next day.
It was now over four weeks since the ‘event’. At thatstage we did not know the extent of the problem andour Vet was concerned that Sarah may have rupturedher windpipe or oesophagus. We had this nastyfeeling that she would not get through the operationparticularly as our Vet went to a great deal trouble toimpress upon us that she might not survive theprocedure, especially if there was damage to theoesophagus and infection was being continuallysourced from any foodstuffs that she consumed byleaking into the cavity beneath her neck.
Apparently any small rupture of the windpipe oroesophagus could be nigh on impossible to find. It
would only take a very small hole to cause this sort ofproblem. We left the surgery with heavy hearts andfeelings of trepidation.
The next twenty four hours were very very longindeed.
The following day our Vet rang just before she startedthe operation to tell us just that she was about to start;but needed to be reassured by us that if she found anymajor problem what should she do? She neededaffirmation from us as to whether to press on or toeuthanase, knowing our finances were limited.
Silly question really! This was around 3pm. I told herto proceed but to ring if she came across anything thatcould be classed as terminal. Two hours went by andwe still had not heard anything and were starting toworry but then no news was good news (or so Ibelieved).
Knowing the surgery normally closed at six I said toJan that if she hadn’t rung by six, I would ring her. Sixo’clock came and went and I paced up and downwaiting for the phone to ring but kept putting offpicking it up myself. It eventually rang at about twentypast six. I had dived on the‘phone before the end ofthe first ring. It was the Vet (of course). She said theoperation had gone reasonably well and that Sarah wasin recovery.
She had removed over a litre of blood, puss and foulsmelling fluid from Sarah’s neck but could not find anyrupture of the oesophagus or windpipe so theprognosis was reasonably good, although not out ofthe woods yet. We heaved a collective sigh of reliefand lived to fight another day. All this time Sarah hadstill maintained her joey in her pouch.
Then came the daily donkey work. We had to irrigateand clean Sarah’s wound daily as well as give heranother round of injections for another ten days. Bythe end of that time she knew exactly what was comingwhen Jan picked her up and I walked towards her with‘something’ in my hand. Despite this she wasamazingly good and never once attempted to biteanybody and her joey was growing in size andseemingly unaffected by all the traumas Mum wasexperiencing.
The vet examined Sarah and decided that surgery wasnecessary
16
We were now well on the road to recovery and she wasstarting to enjoy herself exploring the house andgenerally making a nuisance of herself. She would dive into the clothes basket in the bedroom andthere was the night she leapt on our bed at 3.30 in themorning, following which, we kept her locked up in her box overnight. An experience she seemed tocope with very well and slept very peacefully all night(as did the rest of the household).
Mind you, we did let her roam around the houseduring the evening and at the time we werehandraising two orphaned Western Grey Kangaroojoeys (Wallace & Grommit) and she would insist onwalking up to them to investigate– something theywere not too sure about.
By now we had removed the drain in Sarah’s neck andthe hole was beginning to heal but I did not want herto go back into her enclosure until it had healedcompletely for fear of something getting into it andthe infection reoccurring. However Sarah had otherideas. She would sit on the lounge and look out of thewindow as if to say “Please can I go home” buteventually gave up and settled down for a doze.
However, the time was obviously getting closer to herbeing reacquainted with her own home.
And so the day eventually arrived and after examiningher neck, even though it had not healed completely welet her return to her enclosure under her own steam.The day was the 23rd of January which was seven
Sarah shared the house with two orphaned Western GreyKangaroo joeys (Wallace & Grommit)
Sarah liked to explore the house
Sarah would gaze out the window as if to say “Please can I gohome?”
Eventually Sarah would settle down for a snooze on the lounge
17
weeks following that fateful day. After that the houseseemed somehow empty despite the fact we still hadWallace & Grommit to care for.
I have reproduced a series of photos of Sarah makingher own way back home which say it all really. She wasobviously pleased to be back in her own environmentand her joey survived well and at the time of writinghas vacated the pouch and has been ‘parked’somewhere underground where Sarah will protect itfor some weeks to come. I hope sometime not too farinto the future she will bring it to the surface andallow us to see it.
Sarah is a very accommodating animal and is alwayshappy to checkout any newcomers (either human ornon human) without any fuss. To date, apart from theoccasional friendly soft nip, I have never known her tobite anybody. But, I guess there is always a first time!!
Bob CleaverWombat Rise Sanctuary, South Australia www.wombatrise.com
Is this the way out? The beginning of Sarah’s walk to freedom I remember this: down the gravelly driveway
This is where I got run over Nearly home
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
Jodie Blackney
Sugar Gliders
21
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
Sugar Gliders(Petaurus breviceps)
Jodie Blackney
Sugar Glider. Photographed by Steve Amesbury
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The Sugar Glider is also known as other names: Honey Glider, Short Headed Possum.
The Sugar Glider is the most commonly known species of glider in Australia. It is a small, arboreal gliding possumnative to most of the eastern and northern mainland of Australia, and Tasmania. Its name Petaurus breviceps means“short headed rope-dancer”. Its common name ‘Sugar Glider’ refers to its preference for sugary nectarous food and
ability to glide between trees.
Description: Sugar Gliders are generally 12-32cm long with a tail that is 15-23cm long, and weight 100-160g.
Their fur is a thick bluish-grey with a pale belly and a dark stripe that runs down their back. They have a longprehensile tail which has a white tip on it. Being nocturnal they have large eyes to help see at night, and their ears
swivel to help locate prey in the dark.
Weight:Males: averaging 140g (115-160g), females: averaging 115g (95-135g)
Sugar gliders have five digits on each foot, this is their frontfoot, each toe has a claw. Photographed by Hannah Marco
Sugar Glider Hind Feet are different to the front foot as theyhave an opposable toe, their second and third digits arepartially fused together, forming a grooming comb.Photographed by Hannah Marco
Teeth of a juvenile Sugar Glider. Photographed by HannahMarco
The pouch of a female sugar glider. Photographed by Ryan Lee
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Sugar Gliders have large eyes to help them see at night.Photographed by Hannah Marco
Sugar Gliders membranes are called patagiums and stretchfrom the wrists to the ankles. Photographed by William JamesTychonievich
A Sugar Glider gliding. Photographed by Lyn Hampson
Sugar gliders are similar to Squirrel Gliders and havegliding membranes that allow efficient movement. Thesegliding membranes are called patagiums and stretch fromthe wrists to the ankles. Sugar Gliders can glide up to 45
metres using their tails to steer and balance.The males are larger than the females. The mature males
have scent glands on their forehead that look like baldspots. They are a similar scent gland on their throat and
near the base of their tail. The males use their scentglands to mark each other and their territory.
Lifespan:In the wild, up to 9 years;
typically up to 12 years in captivity; in zoos, maximum reported is 17.8 years.
Sound:Sugar gliders have a loud cry similar to a YIP-YIP-YIP,they also make a variety of noises ranging from a shrill
yapping (when a predator is near), a sharp shriek (whenfighting) to a “gurgling chatter” (when in their nest).
Distribution & Habitat
The Sugar Glider is the most widespread of all theglider species and the most widespread of all arborealmarsupials in Australia. They occur in every state andterritory of Australia, however are largely confined to
the northern and eastern parts of Australia. Theywere introduced into Tasmania in 1835. They occuralso in New Guinea and other various neighbouring
islands. They can be found in any forest where there is a
suitable food supply, but most are commonly foundin forests with eucalyptus trees. They occur in both
wet and dry woodlands usually those with acaciapresent. They depend on tree hollows for shelter, and
to nest. They are arboreal, spending most of theirlives in trees, and being nocturnal, they sleep in their
nests during the day and are active at night.
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Behaviour:Gliding
Sugar Gliders have a remarkable ability to glide from tree to tree, they rarely descend to the ground. They glide withtheir membranes of loose skin (patagia), which extends from their wrists to their ankles to locate food and to flee fromevading predators. Sugar Gliders launch themselves off trees, spreading their limbs to expose the gliding membranes.
They are able to glide up to 50 metres or more between trees, steering which direction to go with their tail.
TorporSugar Gliders go into a state of torpor, which is a form of hibernation when food is scarce or it’s a cold season, droughtor a rainy night. It differs from hibernation in that torpor is usually a short term daily cycle. During torpor they lowertheir body temperature and use less energy and oxygen, this helps the glider to conserve its energy. When the Sugar
Glider is in torpor it becomes immobile and unresponsive.
Torpor, which is seen as an emergency measure, saves energy for the animal by allowing its body temperature to fall toa minimum of 10.4 °C to 19.6 °C. When the food is scarce, as in winter, heat production is lowered in order to reduceenergy expenditure. With low energy and heat production, it is important for the Sugar Glider to peak its body mass
by fat content in autumn (May/June) in order to survive the following cold season.
Diet and Nutrition:The diet of the Sugar Glider in the wild primarily consists of insects and small vertebrates, and they feed on the sweetsap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. Sugar Gliders seem to prefer acacia under-story, banksias,
along with tea trees and other shrubs. A favourite sap tree is the Red Bloodwoods. They are seasonally adaptedomnivores with a wide variety of foods in their diet.
In summer they live primarily on insects and in winter when the insects are scarce, they live by feeding on acacia gum,eucalyptus sap, manna, honeydew or lerpes. They can be carnivorous (preying mostly on lizards and small birds) and
eat many other foods when available, such as nectar, acacia seeds, bird eggs, pollen, fungi and native fruits.
Sugar Gliders should be kept in a minimum of pairs while in care, even while feeding. Photographed by William JamesTychonievich
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Sugar Gliders are fed mealworms in captivity, along with manyother varities of food. Photographed by Lynn Tobias
Newly rescued sugar Glider lapping warm milk formula.Photographed by Cherie Reid
Reproduction:The age of sexual maturity in Sugar Gliders varies slightly between the males and females. The males reach maturity at12 - 15 months of age, while females reach it from 8 to 15 months. In the wild, sugar gliders breed once or twice a year
depending on the climate and habitat conditions.
A Sugar Glider female gives birth to one or two babies (joeys) per litter. After mating, the gestation period is 15 to 17days; this commonly takes place between August and December. After which the tiny joey will crawl into a mother's
pouch for further development. Males also assist with the care of the young; it is not all left to the females.
Once a joey climbs into the pouch, the joey will attach itself to its mother's nipple, where it will stay for about 60 to 70days. The mother can get pregnant while her joeys are still in pouch and hold the pregnancy until the pouch is
available.
The joey gradually topples out of the pouch, growing too big for the pouch, unlike a possum who nurses the wholejoey fully in the pouch, the sugar glider emerges virtually without fur, and the eyes will remain closed for another 12–14 days. During this time, the joey will begin to mature by growing fur and increasing gradually in size. It takes abouttwo months for the offspring to be completely weaned, they will forage with their mother until they are 7-10 months
old.
When a glider leaves its birth area to establish a niche of its own, their survival prospects are very slim, due topredation, lack of nest sites, and competition from other groups. A new glider may only be accepted by another groupif the family needs to replace one of their own which has died. The longevity for a Sugar Glider has been recorded for
12 years in captivity and 5-6 years in the wild.
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This is a joey on the teat of her mother - notice the way it has toppled out of the pouch. Sugar Gliders are unable to carry theiryoung fully in the pouch like their cousin the possum. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
Mother Sugar Glider in nest with her baby. Photographed by Steve Parish
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Sugar Glider joey on the teat of her mother. Photographed by Steve Parish
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The teat of the mother must be cut as close to the mammary gland as possible (as the mother is dead their is no blood). Then put asafety pin through the teat to prevent the joey from swallowing the teat. Photographed by Lyn Hampson
Rescuing:Rescuing adult Sugar Gliders
Rescuing an adult Sugar Glider requires approaching the injured glider with caution. Wearing long sleeves orprotection gloves scoop the glider up into a towel, or blanket. Make sure you cover its head, as this will help keep theglider calm. Then place it gently into a box or animal transport cage, which has a towel or blanket in the bottom of it.
Rescuing a Glider JoeyIf you come across a dead adult Sugar Glider, check if it is a female with a joey in the pouch. If the joey is pink andwithout fur, DO NOT forcibly remove it from the teat, this will cause its death. Cut the teat close to the mammary
gland, leaving the joey attached to the teat, make sure you attach a safety pin to the end of the teat so the joey does notswallow the teat. If the joey is furred, remove it from the pouch, cover and wrap it in a towel or blanket to keep it warm
and calm. Handle as little as possible, as to not cause more stress.
Handling:Avoid handling Sugar Gliders by the tail as the fur will strip off after which the tail will die, wither away and drop off.Gliders have very sharp teeth and claws and are capable of inflicting quite painful scratches and similar injuries. Thus,
inexperienced handlers may care to wear gloves. A pillowslip can be used like a glove, which is great for grasping SugarGliders and it saves you being bitten or scratched.
There are several things that can be offered to counteract shock –1. Glucose and water – 1/3 of a teaspoon of glucose mixed with 25mL of water. Offer small amounts,
perhaps 1-2mL for the first few hours. Once the baby is warm, offer milk instead of glucose.
2. Rescue Remedy – a couple of drops of Rescue Remedy – available from Health Food Shops – in the mouthwill help calm the animal.
29
Sugar Gliders in Care:Use a variety of pouch sizes to fit the growing glider. Check for no loose threads that can be chewed or cause
entanglement, or loops of cotton or wool in which claws or nails can be caught. And always maintain a sheet ofinformation about the glider, including age, stage of development and if relevant the illness of the joey in care.
Make sure your cage or basket is glider proof – they do tend to go walk-a-bout even with their eyes still closed!
Bottles and teatsEmpty vanilla essence bottles make good sized bottles for baby gliders. Sugar Gliders prefer a long and thin, or pointyteat, so make sure you have put a hole in the teat, a suitable size for the baby. Use a large needle to make the hole. The
teat will need to be soft and malleable for the baby to use. Ensure that bottles and teats are washed after every feed.Small bottle brushes can be purchased for cleaning the bottles. Always rinse them well. Some carers prefer to use
syringes – use what is best for you and the joey.
Milk storageOnly make up enough milk formula for one day’s usage. Made up milk formula must be refrigerated, and never reheat
milk formula. If you are going out or away, milk formula will need to be taken on an ice pack to stop it going ‘off ’.
FormulaThere are several formula milk powders you can use:
Divetalac – 1 scoop to 40mL warm waterWombaroo formula for possums is ideal for gliders as well
There are three brands of formulas in Australia.Biolac, Di-Vetelact and Wombaroo.
All brands do a similar thing (provide a low lactose formula for your joey), which one you choose to use is your preference.
The <0.8 Possum Milk Replacer is for joeys with less than 80% of their pouch life completed: ie younger joeys not yet emergedfrom pouch, furless to fine fur; eyes closed to just opened; ears drooped.
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Sugar Gliders in Care:Feeding
Make sure that the animal is warm and comfortable before attempting to feed it. A cold animal will not feed. Hold it firmly but gently in one hand whilst offering the syringe or bottle in the other.
Milk needs to be just over finger warmth, but not HOT.
Small gliders should be fed with their head horizontal with the teat or syringe. Do not feed them so much that the milkcomes back out their nose – inhaling milk into their lungs is dangerous. Let them lick at their own pace. A very youngbaby may not have its mouth open enough to take a teat or syringe, so in this case drip feed it. Place a drop of milk on
its mouth and let it lick it in – have patience, experience at drinking will come!
More experienced animals can be fed in an upright position, and their frequency of feeding will depend upon thesize/age/need of the sugar glider. Very young babies will need feeding two hourly, working up hours as their body
weight increases. They are usually weaned between 30 and 50 grams. Gliders lap readily, so encourage your baby to lapfrom a small size. If the glider is very small or a pinky, try wrapping it in a tissue to hold it still whilst feeding – have
their head out but the body wrapped up. Try holding them with one hand around their body and their head betweenyour thumb and first finger. This will help give you control and help to keep their head in an upright position and
facing in the right direction.
Furless babies may need a little moisturizer on their skin to stop them drying out – if their skin feels dry, put a little on– moisturiser must be non-fragrant, a suggestion is to use pawpaw ointment,
Stimulation for body hygiene may be necessary for young gliders. Mother gliders lick the cloacae to encourage thebaby to toilet - you are not expected to go that far! A damp tissue gently rubbed over the area will stimulate a baby to
toilet. Baby gliders often make a ‘ch-ch’ sound whilst toileting. Sometimes part of the cloacae protrudes, which isnormal for gliders. Once a baby has fur and is grooming itself, keep a check that the glider is toileting itself before
stopping entirely.
Human contact is necessary – babies bond with their carers. Like all babies, they need love to thrive – as they growolder, contact is decreased. Making a ‘tut-tutting’ noise lets them know you are approaching the cage, so they do not
stress. Contact with pets is not to be encouraged, as cats and dogs are natural predators in the wild.
Diet in CapitivyBy around 35 grams a baby is ready for an inside cage. They need to learn about exploring their environment, and howto climb and glide, and land safely. A variety of food should be offered, always remembering that gliders are omnivores
– they like meat and vegetables!
By 40 grams gliders should be ready to drop a milk feed, and start showing interest in other food stuffs. Offer banana,avocado, and other soft fruits. Baby may not show much interest at first, but interest will increase. Gliders are
individuals, as we are, and their tastes will vary. Try custards, apples, pear, baby cereal, fruits, rice, pasta, vegetables;fresh sweet corn, carrot, cucumber, eggs – especially scrambled, unsalted nuts –peanuts, cashews and almonds, shelled
sunflower seeds, dry dog or cat food moistened with a little water.
Don’t forget the insects- grasshoppers, mealworms, beetles, cockroaches. Placing the insects inside a container like alarge base of a flower pot (which prevents them escaping) with some leaf litter encourages the gliders to hunt their
own food..
Flora – Gliders enjoy scrabbling in the bark from trees – all the little goobies like to live in the bark. They also like thesap from the bark – putting the off-cut branches into water will encourage the sap to flow.
Flowers – gliders also enjoy pollen so offer flowers from native trees.
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Sugar Gliders in Care:A Sugar Glider mixture, which contains honey, hard boiled egg, sustagen, pollen, Wombaroo Small Carnivore mix,
water, Wombaroo High Protein Supplement and a high protein infant cereal.
Fresh water should be readily available.
By the time your Sugar Glider is around the 90-100g weight, you should be looking for a colony for it to join. Sugar Gliders are social animals, and they stress if they are raised on their own. They have a greater survival rate if they
are colonised.
Donated by Lyn Hampson - Glider Carer
The food we introduce to gliders to start with is:Avocado mashed with a little honey, baby cereal and the milk you are using.
Make it quite milky to start with so they can lap easily and then it gets a little thicker later. Also in the milk we add a drop of Pentavite (Bayers) to the whole day’s bottle.
A small long teat is preferred for feeding a small Sugar Glider. Even at this young age they can lap. Photographed by Cheryl Bickham
Sugar Gliders in Care:Please note: Squirrel Gliders can be taken care of the same as Sugar Gliders, however – Feathertail Gliders,
Mahogany Gliders, Yellow-bellied Gliders and Greater Gliders have specific needs and there is detailed articles on these andother gliders later on.
Sugar Gliders prefer to live in colonies when in the wild, so it is necessary for them to be raised in colonies whilst incare. Babies can be raised individually to begin with, but must be placed in a colony to learn the skills necessary for
survival upon release.
A small long teat is preferred for feeding a small Sugar Glider. Photographed by Cheryl Bickham
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A cannula is also used to feed young sugar gliders – they are capable of lapping from a young age and should be encouraged todo so. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
A small teat on the end of a syringe also works well. Photographed by Lyn Hampson
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Sugar Glider lapping from a curve tipped cannula. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
A curved tip syringe is useful to feed young Sugar Gliders. Photographed by Cherie Reid
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This pouch is too small for this Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
4gm Sugar Glider - this sugar glider is not viable and should be humanely euthanised. Photographed by Lyn Hampson
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Sugar Gliders in Care:Unfurred or under 20g
You will need perseverance and patience to raise a little one like this. Be prepared to do night time feeds throughoutthe night. Once a glider hits around 20g they have a much better chance of survival. Their eyes start to open anywhere
from this weight on.
When a baby glider first comes into care it will require a pouch to stimuli that of the mother’s pouch. The pouchshould be made of natural fibres so that it breathes, such as cotton or wool. As shown in the diagram, the hospital box
or basket should have three layers: Towel for padding, hot water bottle or heat pad to offer constant heat.
If using a hot water bottle, you must ensure that the water is kept up to temperature, wrapped in a towel, then anotherlayer of towel or blanket. Joey in pouch, then a towel or blanket on top. As these babies must be kept warm at all times.
There must be an ambient temperature of around 30 -32 C.
A hot box or humidicrib are preferred methods of caring for these joeys. (You can learn about how to make a 'hot box'in Issue 5 Part B of the Wildlife Rescue Magazine – the article is by the DIY Guy).
A young Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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This is a young male Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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A young Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
A young Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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A Sugar Glider joey. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
A Sugar Glider joey. Photographed by Ryan Lee
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A young Sugar Glider. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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Sugar Gliders need to be released where they have their natural food source, note the grey-white tip on the tail, this is one of thefeatures distinguishing the Sugar Glider species from the Squirrel Glider. Photographed by Steve Parish
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Sugar Gliders feed on pollen from native flowers. Photographed by Cheryl Bickham
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Sugar Gliders feed on pollen from native flowers. Photographed by Cheryl Bickham
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Sugar Gliders in Care:Health
Development of teeth problems can occur if not supplied with a consistent supply of fresh eucalypt branches. A varied diet is also necessary.
Fighting can occur within family groups and between other family groups - do not house them together where theycan bite at the toes of others in their cages. If fighting breaks out you must separate them.
Smell plays an important part as far as gliders go knowing and accepting each other, so care must be taken whenintroducing gliders together. The scent gland is not usually active till around 6-8 months of age. If you have an animal
that already has a scent it would be from the scent gland of the parent, this smell seems to stick with the animals, whilstit's in care. The best time to group Sugar Gliders is when they are at nest/pouch stage if possible before their scent
gland becomes active. If it's older and both have a scent then caution must be taken.
• Try to have a mixed sex group so they will stay together as a family after release.• The biggest problem for small gliders is carers who tend to baby them.
• They should not be encouraging the glider to leave their nest box during the day time otherwise they willend up being an expensive loss (consider the money and time spent whilst in care) and an easy meal for the local
predators - pythons, owls, goannas, local cats and resident gliders.• Make sure you pair gliders before they are placed into the outside aviary so you can keep an eye and ear forany disagreements that may occur and therefore remove the introduced glider before it gets injured.
By the time your Sugar glider is around the 90-100g weight, you should be looking for a colony for it to join. SugarGliders are social animals, and they stress if they are raised on their own. They have a greater survival rate if they are
colonised.
Sugar Gliders take to nest boxes quite easily. Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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Photographed by William James Tychonievich
Photographed by William James Tychonievich
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Sugar Gliders like to nestle together to sleep. Photographed by Andrea Devos
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Sugar Gliders nest together and so should be kept together ingroups, especially for sleeping. Photographed by Jason Fether
Branches and thick ropes should be placed in the enclosure forgliders to play and hide. These are two Squirrel gliders, noticethey have no white tip on their tail as Sugar Gliders do.Photographed by Lyn Hampson
Sugar Gliders in Care:Cages and Aviaries
An aviary or cage should be used to house Sugar Gliders as it provides security from predation and extreme weatherconditions and allows natural behavior and development. The size of an aviary is important in that it must allow theSugar Glider sufficient room to move/glide and build up muscle condition in preparation for release. The enclosure
should have some weather protection on it.
Cages can be placed inside or outside. If kept inside, regular cleaning will be necessary to avoid unacceptable odours(usually scent marking by the dominant males). Cages for keeping two or three Sugar Gliders can be as small as 1800mm x 900 mm x 1800 mm. The standard 12 mm square weld mesh (light gauge is strong enough) is recommended.
Young gliders can squeeze through 2.5 cm wire mesh without any trouble.
Numerous internal branches, nest boxes, etc are required. Fresh eucalypt branches with leaves are necessary forproviding nesting materials. Care must be taken with outdoor enclosures to avoid extremes of temperatures and
adverse winter weather conditions.
The cage should be covered in shade mesh for privacy and will also keep flies and bees away from the food. Ants can bea problem during the hot weather, so, place the legs of the cage into a dish of water, surround it with non perfumed talc
powder or rub Vaseline jelly onto legs of cage.
The aviary should be located in a quiet corner of the garden if possible, away from areas that are frequently used so asto provide some isolation from humans and pets. Additionally the aviary should be orientated so that open sides are
facing east to north with northeast being ideal. The closed areas should face west to give protection from the hotafternoon sun during summer.
Only clean the cage out during the day time, do not disturb them during the night, you do not want to entice them outof their box. Place milk formula ( 8mls per glider) in separate small shallow containers so the glider will not climb into
it! To stop the container from being toppled over, apply 'blue tack' under the base. Once they have drunk their milkquota you can then place solid food inside the cage. Fruit must be a suitable size for the glider to hold, small moths,
crickets and beetles can be placed into the cage for them to seek out.
Sugar Gliders have acute hearing and they need to stimuli their senses, and also need to forage for food. They can alsobe given a couple of pine nuts, She-oak seeds and acacia seeds each night with a few meal worms.
A light can be placed outside the aviary to attract insects into the aviary.
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Place fresh branches into aviary, include acacia - gliders like to chew on them. Make sure the Sugar Gliders cannotclimb into the containers and drown.
• Housing young Sugar Gliders; A medium sized enclosure (minimum size 1 metre x 1 metre x 1.2 metres) • Housing adult Sugar Gliders; An aviary (minimum size 3 metres x 2 metres by 2 metres)
Hygiene and Cleaning• Always maintain good hygiene habits. Clean out all cages and perches daily.
• Water bowls should be emptied, scrubbed and refilled daily.• Food bowls should be cleaned every day. Excess food removed, food bowl washed in disinfectant and rinsed
thoroughly. The mess around the feed areas should be cleaned up.• Faeces should be scrubbed daily from perches, aviary wire and walls.
• Regular changing of the tree branches so they are always fresh.
ReleaseSome months prior to release, do not give food to the Sugar Gliders in food bowls on the floor. Randomly place food
around their enclosure, so they have to hunt for it.
Because they are highly territorial, Sugar Gliders should always be released backinto the area they were rescued from.Any Sugar Glider kept in care for more than two weeks should go back with their nesting box that they had in theirenclosure, this will give them some security until they can sort themselves out and hopefully be accepted by otherSugar Gliders that may have moved into its place. Their nesting box will be scent marked and it will enable them to
detect the nesting box easiler in an unknown environment.
Release Sugar Gliders from around 90-100g. Make sure there are some good nesting trees and food trees in the areabefore release. Release them as a group with their nesting box. A soft release is a must for juveniles because it gives
them a safe home to come back to if they need it and allows them time to adjust to the wild. Weeks before the releasedate, move the group of Sugar Gliders to an outdoor enclosure so they can customize themselves with the natural
surroundings, smells and noises.
For a few weeks after release, place out food for them at feeding stations around the area, just until they get used to thearea, and they learn where all the feeding trees are. Once they have established themselves in the area, they will stop
coming to the feeding stations.
Sugar Gliders take to nest boxes quite easily. Photographed by Lyn Hampson
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Sugar Glider. Photographed by Jeremy Ringma
Sugar Gliders in Care:References
http://wildliferescuemagazine.com/sugar-glider-article-references.html
Specialising in the supply of qualityproducts to Australian carers of marsupials,
mammals, birds, reptiles andbreeders/keepers of avian birds.
Foods & SupplementsSpecialised Seed & Feed, Vitamins & Boosters
Feeding EquipmentHygiene, Emergency & Critical Care, Housing, Laboratory
Parasite ControlLive Foods, Books & Manuals
Australian Wildlife Supplies Pty LtdUnit 8/96 Gardens Drive, Willawong, Qld 4110
Ph. 0417 749 501 Web: www.wildlifesupplies.com.au
AWS is a mail order company shipping Australia wideoffering an efficient door-to-door service, friendly
assistance/advice and low prices. Local pick up available.
Nutritionally complete.Just add water.
Oxbow’s Critical Care for Herbivores, the world standard, grass-based recovery food,can be fed to herbivores with poor nutritional status resulting from illness or injury. Thisspecially-formulated product contains all of the essential nutrients of a complete diet as
well as high-fibre timothy hay to support proper gut physiology and digestion.Key Features: Powdered formula mixes easily to desired consistency; high in fibre and
low in carbohydrates; high digestibility and palatability; easily flows through syringe;stabilised vitamin C and no added fat or sugar.
Ideal for: Possums, Wombats, Koalas, Macropods, other Herbivorous Mammals and Reptiles.
Please visit our website for more information and related wildlife articles:http://www.oxbowaustralia.com/
Specialised Animal Nutrition2 Baraka Court, Mudgeeraba, Queensland 4213
Phone 07 5525 1014 Fax 07 5530 3817Email us on [email protected]
Available from your veterinarian or directly from SAN with pre-approval from your vet.
Changing the way we feed our
herbivores
Wildlife Research
Andrea Devos
Motion activated infra-red cameras
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Wildlife Research
Motion activated infra-red cameras
Introduction by Natalie McHugh – WildlifeQueensland
The use of motion activated cameras has dramaticallyimproved field surveillance methods in the world ofconservation science in the last decade. It has becomepossible to document the presence of some of the mostelusive animal species on the planet, as well as capturespecies new to science. Such technology has enabledzoologists and conservationists to study animals withouthaving to disturb or trap them, proving to be a much lessinvasive and less time consuming method.
Improvements in camera trapping technologycontinue to offer an invaluable resource for conservationbiologists, allowing incredible still shots and live footageof some of the rarest species on earth.
A huge worldwide camera trap study encompassingAsia, Africa and the Americas has been carried out andcaptured over 50,000 images of over 100 mammalspecies. Such a massive project has given biologists aninsight into the lives of some of the worlds mostendangered and threatened species, and how they arestruggling to cope with habitat alteration anddestruction. Camera traps have helped confirm whatconservation biologists suspected would result; adramatic decline in species diversity and abundance.
Camera trapping is also proving to be successful inmonitoring the abundance and distribution of rare, butwell-known species. It has also become a significant toolfor capturing footage of animals that have never beencaught on camera before and are very rarely seen.
The Amur leopard in China was captured on camera,and this was the first time it had been seen in 62 years!Camera traps have also helped prove that the extremelyrare Siamese crocodile still inhabits Cambodia, as wellas the discovery of a few new species.
Successful conservation relies on a thoroughunderstanding of the ecology and behaviour of a species,and in particular population trends. Through the use ofcamera traps, data can be analysed and assist biologistsin prioritising their conservation efforts. References
www.guardian.co.uk/environmentwww.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/camera_traps
Wildlife Queensland have been using camera trapsfor the last four years, capturing some wonderful stillimages of an array of Australian wildlife. They havefound camera traps to be an invaluable tool for collectingdata about some of Australia’s more elusive marsupials,and helping contribute towards their conservationefforts.
In particular, camera traps have been an importantasset for monitoring quolls. In Queensland, we are luckyenough to have the northern quoll and spotted-tailedquoll; however the latter species is classed as Vulnerable(SE mainland species) under the Nature ConservationAct 1992, and is notoriously difficult to see in the wild.Camera traps have allowed Wildlife Queensland tomonitor areas around Brisbane, and south-eastQueensland for the presence of quolls.
Through identifying the existence of quolls in anarea, Wildlife Queensland is able to liaise with localgovernments and engage the community to help protectquolls and their habitat. Camera traps will continue tobe an important tool for wildlife Queensland providingvaluable information aiding to the conservation ofAustralia’s wildlife.
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A wedgetail eagle captured by camera helping itself to some meat meant for a quoll. Photographed by Wildlife Queensland-QuollSeekers Network
A brushtail possum. Photographed by Wildlife Queensland-Quoll Seekers Network
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A Brown Goshawk captured by camera helping itself to some meat meant for a quoll. Photographed by Wildlife Queensland-QuollSeekers Network
A wedgetail eagle captured by camera helping itself to some meat meant for a quoll. Photographed by Wildlife Queensland-QuollSeekers Network
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Bronwyn Fancourt who is doing a PhD on the studyof quolls in North East Tasmania says:
“We use Reconyx PC800’s and HC600’s.We bought them directly from Reconyx in theUS. I use the cameras for monitoring carnivoresas part of my research looking at declines ineastern quolls. I have just completed a series ofcamera surveys around the state looking at quolland feral cat numbers at a number of sites. I alsouse cameras at my study sites to monitor quollnumbers and compare the changes on camerawith the changes we are seeing when we trapquolls.
Accordingly, remote cameras haverecently been incorporated into this study to helpmonitor quoll populations at each study site, andto provide additional data about communitystructure and relative carnivore abundancebetween sites with declining and stablepopulations.
Twenty Reconyx infrared motion detectorcameras have been deployed at each of the four
monitoring sites for 3 weeks in early 2012 andagain in mid 2012, with a third survey scheduledfor late 2012.
This adds a new dimension to the researchand enables correlations between quolls andferal cats to be assessed at each site. Species suchas feral cats are notoriously difficult to trap, socameras provide a non-invasive approach todetecting the presence of cats that cannot bereliably achieved using trapping.
Cameras also enable activity times to berecorded and compared between species andsites, giving additional insight to anybehavioural adaptations in the presence of feralcats. Cameras have also been deployed to anumber of sites across the state over the past fewmonths to compare relative carnivorecommunity structures in different regions andcorrelate these with observed changes in easternquoll populations. “
The research is ongoing, with field work continuinguntil late 2013.
Eastern Quoll. Photographed by Bronwyn Fancourt
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Eastern Quoll. Photographed by Bronwyn Fancourt
Eastern Quoll. Photographed by Bronwyn Fancourt
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Eastern Quoll. Photographed by Bronwyn Fancourt
Cassowary at one of the feeding stations. Photographed byPaula Ingerson
A curious Cassowary at one of the feeding stations.Photographed by Paula Ingerson
“We have a NightTrakker NT50B. Its a black flash camera. We bought it to monitor Sugar and MahoganyGliders, also Cassowary feeding stations on our property after the cyclone. Its been terrific. We bought it fromWildlife Monitoring.” Paula Ingerson
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A Tasmanian Devil
Driving through an area at the base of Mount BenLomond we saw many eastern quolls, we decided tocome back and erect an infra-red camera to show proofso we can make this area known to PHD students whoare doing research on these amazing creatures.
We collected a wallaby roadkill and moved theroadkill 100 metres into the trees in the area it wasfound.
We put the camera out at 7pm (daylight saving time)
and picked it up the next day in the evening around 5pm.We used a Scoutguard infra-red camera from
Outdoor Cameras.We were astounded to find that we had captured
photos of 18 different eastern quolls, 3 differenttasmanian devils, a wombat and a brave brushtailpossum in that short time. Our findings were handed onto the necessary people.
Here are some photos that the camera took.
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Very exciting to see a Tasmanian Devil in the wild but if you look closely you will see that this one is carrying pouch young.
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Black eastern quoll and in the background you can see a wombat.
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A very brave brushtail possum as you can see in the forefront of the photo an eastern quoll.
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Two brown eastern quolls.
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Glen Burston
Fabricating asmall holding
enclosureDD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYY
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Fabricating a small holding enclosure
Well a friend was in need and I am a bit of a softie [but don’t tell anyone OK!] When it comes to the offer of scones, jam and homemade cream – I can be bribed.
She had a bobtail come into care and did not have a “quarantine” enclosure available.You know the motto – off to “The Man Shed” I go.
Chuck on some AC/DC [look that up on your I-Can-Do-Anything-Pad]. Now search for materials.
As she is a carer after all and money does not grow on trees [yet!]. Let’s see what’s in the Glen’s building pile of STUFF!
DD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYY
A size of 2m long x900mm wide x 300mmhigh. Sounds great.
This will also fit into therescue vehicle noproblems and I candeliver as well. She did say scones, jamand homemade cream.
DD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYY
I used 75x35mm pine[non treated] as wedon’t want any nastychemicals. Cut the lengths andglue and screw themtogether. Nothingdifficult here.
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DDIIYY GGUUYYDDIIYY GGUUYY
Now measure and cutyour corrugated tin. Ihad some left overColorbond. Don’t forget to takethe sharp edge offotherwise you get cutfingers. [Yes I did it butno stitches – sillyhandyman.]
DD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYY
Screw the corrugatedtin to the frame. Youcan use tek screws orwood screws, whateveris laying about justwaiting to be used.
DD
IIYY GGUUYYDD
IIYY GGUUYYI knocked up a nicetimber frame for thetop and added hinges.
I have one of them airstaplers [everyoneneeds one].
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DDIIYY GGUUYYDDIIYY GGUUYY
Stapled some left overaviary wire to the top.
DD
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Some little side beamsto stop it droppingonto her head whencleaning and nothingfor the base as it willbe on grass and thebobtail won’t bedigging.
DD
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Oh and some handles for the sides so that shecan move it around the backyard. Don’t forget to seal the timber with somenatural sealer.
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A short 4 hour drive [well we were staying overnight in Perth for a meeting after all] and one happycarer.
Total cost – Nothing, Nada, Zip.
Well it did cost her – did I say scones, jam and homemade cream – YUM!
A bigger version – one happy Missus [That’s always good] and a Reptile Retreat to boot.
Happy Building!
DDIIYY GGUUYYDDIIYY GGUUYY
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Wildlife Research
Dr Richmond Loh
Albatrossadventures
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Ihad the most amazing trip ever. To summarise it allin a sentence, I'd say that the trip to Albatross Islandwas like living in a National Geographic
documentary! And if you have any phobia of drowning,heights or of birds, this would really test those nerves.
Rupert Woods (a wildlife veterinarian) together withKaye Humphreys (a microbiologist from Taronga Zoo)set up a scientific expedition to Albatross Island tocollect material to study why the Shy Albatrosspopulation had been on a decline.
My journey started on Wednesday night. A guy with twofirst names (David James) picked me up from my houseat ~10:45pm and we drove to Stanley (a little town bythe sea about 240km north west of Launceston) arrivingthere around 1am. en on ursday morning, we setoff with the Marine Police at 8:30am.
We each got a really cool warm jacket that doubled as alife jacket to wear. One of the officers commented, "It'sgoing to get real fresh out there." I didn't know what hemeant by ‘fresh’, but I soon found out.... or at least Ithought I did. For the first hour or so, we had a prettyrocky journey. e swells were 2-3 feet and I washanging on tight. But then, as we approached the openseas with not a land in sight, we had 2-3 metre swells!
e walls of water on either side made me think that itwas another "parting of the sea". Now this really tossedthe little boat around. When I thought I was holding ontight, well,.... it was then that I found out that I couldhold on tighter and longer!
I held on for dear life as the boat became airborne about3-4 times! I nearly hit my head on the dashboard severaltimes as the boat landed back onto the water. istopped even the scariest amusement park ride I've everhad, and I sure didn’t want to be tossed out of the boat,for beneath us, the waters were not only freezingly cold,but is supposed to be infested with sharks!
Even the snazzy life jacket with all the gadgets attachedwere of no comfort to me in the rough seas. As weapproached Albatross Island the waters calmed tosmaller swells. Rupert (the vet who’d been on the island)
remarked that he saw our little boat get tossed around inthe big Bass Straight. He couldn't believe that he andseveral others could even see the sky beneath our hull!
ankfully the jump onto the rocks from the boat wasn'ttoo difficult because the cop knew how to bring the boatjust a step away from the rocks. en with our luggage,we clambered up some pretty steep rocks.
Aer unloading, we were taken around to 3 of the 4nesting sites to see the birds. It was amazing. ere werefledglings (i.e. chicks that are almost ready to fly off)sitting atop their mud nests so quietly and in such greatnumbers. If they are endangered now, I wonder howpacked this little island would have been years ago!
As you get close to them, they start snapping their beaksat you. I wondered how this was going to scare anythingaway. But I was told that if you really get up close, they'dvomit on you. A good one, with the wind behind canproject up to 6 feet away!
Luckily I didn't get vomited on. But Rupert did and hesaid that it's a real oily smelly slick. Yuk! So each day, wedo about 4 or 5 of what is termed "Death Runs". is iswhere we scan the nesting sites for any dead chicks andcollect them to do post-mortems on them. So this wasour whole day starting at 8am each morning with breaksfor morning tea, lunch and then break for the night withdinner.
And at night, there are these small birds (twice the sizeof budgies) called "prions" that return to the cave fromthe sea. ey return in the pitch black and travel at fullspeed and literally crash land. So whenever we see oneflying in, we'd hear a thud (bird meets cave wall)..... andthen..... another thud (bird then meets cave floor).... thenthe sound of their quick tiny legs scurrying to the smallcrevices in the cave.
ere in the rubble they'd chase each other and makelots and lots of noise. One night, while we were havingdinner, one actually crashed smack bang into anotherguy's face! It was a wonder that it didn’t fall onto hisdinner plate. So, this kind of worsened my bird phobia.
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Unloading the boat at Albatross Island
Me with a friend!
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On Albatross Island you have.... albatrosses (or is that albatrii?)!
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As more birds returned from their daily voyage to oursleeping quarters (cave), the volume of the racket rose.So, there was constant noise up till about 6:30am thefollowing morning when the sun rises and they wouldfly back out to sea. I wonder if they ever sleep.
But the scary sounds did not actually come from them.e scariest noise was actually made by, would youbelieve me, cute little penguins! Zipped up inside thetent at night it felt like I was in Jurassic Park since thepenguins made noises much like the Velociraptors in themovie. Freaky!
One morning aer toileting by the edge of the rocks, Iwent to another side of the island for a bath. I chose tobathe in the morning because the water was muchcalmer at that time of the day. But geeez was it cold! Itwas like bathing in local anaesthetic!
I could not feel a thing at all while I was bathing. It wasreally THAT COLD! Definitely not the luxury of whatyou’d get like in the TV series ‘Temptation Island’. AndTemptation Island it wasn’t since we were surrounded by‘chicks’ of a different kind.
Sunday morning we had to pack up everything and lugall the camping gear and lab equipment to the rocksbelow. at was so tiring. Carrying heavy stuff non-stopup and down, and up and down, and up and down therocks from 7am-11am. Did I mention that we climbedup and down a lot?
e Marine Police fetched us in the late morningarriving back in Stanley at around 2pm. en we droveback to Launceston. Stopped by a bakery for some latelunch. Man was I hungry! Anything would have tasteddelish, but there was one thing I had been craving for,and that was MEAT! A mince pie was the substitute.
We had to stop off at my work to drop all the specimensoff. It took over an hour because the stuff got stuck in theliquid nitrogen container and we had to dig them out. Sothere we were, in the car park, in the dark probing a bigbottle for little plastic containers to drop out.
It was like playing one of those casino slot machines.
Aer much probing, it’d credit us with maybe one or twotiny bottles, but if you were patient enough, jackpot! elittle sample containers poured out and rolled all overthe car park.
I got home aer 8pm and so was buggered and hungry.Had dinner, watched a bit of tele and had a very nicelong, long hot bath..... A bath never felt so good before!
en back to work since it was a Monday the next day.
And so that was my little adventure.
Story by Dr Richmond LohBSc, BVMS, MPhil (Vet Path), MANZCVS(Aquatics), MANZCVS (Pathobiology), DipPM.
Veterinarian | Adjunct Senior Lecturer MurdochUniversity | WAVMA CommunicationsCommittee Member |
Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter -Australian and New Zealand College ofVeterinary Scientists (ANZCVS)
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia,AUSTRALIA. Mobile Veterinary Service for fishand other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Dr Richard Loh showing the wingspan of an albatross
77
Wildlife Research
Maggie Harriman
Astruggling
eagle family
78
And then the eagle glided about 300 metresdown the cow pat laden hill, Phil Harrimanand Jeremy Wilson, made their way down
through the long dry grass in close pursuit. As theytripped over yet another barbed wire fence and throughthe blackberry bushes that the eagle had just glided over,instead of gaining on her she seemed to be gettingfurther away.
“Oh we're not going to get anywhere near it” Deb Kerrdespaired. However, as the Eagle faltered on the inclineof the next hill Phil replied, "OH YES WE ARE!!!“ andoff he sprinted, passing Jeremy at full stride. Jeremy thanstepped up a gear and in a flash they were both uponthe eagle, throwing towels over it.
They were taken quite by surprise when the eagle threwherself on to her back and looked very menacing withher talons up! Phil and Jeremy managed to avoid thetalons, netted the bird under a blanket, bringing the
gallant pursuit to a peaceful end (except for the heavypanting).
Trained raptor carers, Jeremy and Deb from SydneyWildlife Service, then had the delicate job of courieringthe eagle to a hospital care facility on a nearby property.Deb drove while Jeremy held the Eagle on his lap.Jeremy was very careful of the close proximity of thetalons to the major arteries in his legs.
Wedge tail eagle talons have been known to piercestraight through a full grown mans wrist and with theratchet mechanism capable of locking the metatarsalsshut, the feet of a full grown eagle are somewhatawesome. Under the guidance of an eagle expert hercare began with rest and a good feed.
“She appears to have an injured wing and was strugglingto fly, that is why I called Sydney wildlife”, thelandowner advised. He also added "she has been on theground for a week or two now, the other one is still onthe nest".
Jeremy Wilson installing the feeding platform, 2 metres high and a wire top
Previous page: The father was alone on the nest. The nest wasat least 10 metres above the ground
79
The nest was monitored Mother Wedgetail in care
Deb Kerr supplying food on the feeding platform
Sure enough dad was indeed still on the nest, lookingafter the eggs. An eagle usually lays two eggs. This raiseda second dilemma, if the female does not return to takeher watch on the nest the male either cannot leave or,runs the risk of the eggs being destroyed in his absence.
Also without mum to help feed the chicks the male willfind it very hard as a sole parent and could risk his ownhealth struggling to feed them all. The nest wasmonitored; keeping an eye out mostly for a second eaglevisitor and to make sure that dad did not abandon thenest and eggs.
After two weeks and no signs ofanother eagle it was decided toinstall a feeding platform so thecarers could offer support feeds.The platform, a large woodenpost with a wire top stands about2m high, tall enough to preventofferings being taken by the localscavengers (like foxes, cats anddogs) and also strong enough tohold food the size of a goat.
Jeremy and Deb erected theplatform and supplied food everyday or two. This was no easy feateither; an adult eagle will eat arabbit a day and as the babiesgrow this will have to increase. Wealso needed to feed the female that was in care.
Local hunters where recruited to supply the feed, theywere asked to use clean shooting techniques so the meatwas not contaminated with lead. Eagles can easilysuccumb to lead poisoning. The freezers quickly filled.
The meat has to be supplied fresh because even thoughthe adult eagle can tolerate the toxins in carrion androad kill the chicks cannot. The parent eagles will slowlyintroduce older meat to the young so that when theyfledge they can tolerate most carrion.
Dad and the eggs were monitored regularly and thingsprogressed well. Mum was being fed a 500g rabbit or
equivalent daily, which was helping her to gain theweight back that she had lost due to her injury and itwas now time to visit the vet.
After the first trip in the car Jeremy decided that anothermethod of containment was needed. A box with aremovable lid large enough for Jeremy himself to fit in,and quite appropriately labelled fragile and this way up,was acquired. Her appointment was at Canley HeightsVeterinary Clinic, where she was sedated, x-rayed andhad her injuries assessed.
Now referred to as Wendy, herelbow joint had been injured andhad filled with fluid making itvery hard and painful for her touse her wing.
There were very small bonefragments seen, but not enoughto operate on. While still undersedation 120ml of fluid wasdrained from the elbow joint. Leftout in the wild this would havebeen a fatal injury.
Wendy was then returned back toher hospital facility. The hospitalfacility is a cage large enough forher to get to her food and waterbut small enough to prevent her
from using her wings. The enclosure has wire andcorrugated iron on the outside, however it is lined withshade cloth so that her feathers suffered as little damageas possible.
The shade cloth also offers her a sense of security asstress can kill a bird very quickly. Wendy was offered avariety of foods so as to balance it out and mimic hernatural diet.
Meanwhile back at the nest site the feeding platform hadnot been touched after weeks. The platform had beenplaced in almost direct view of the nest. There was noway the eagle did not know it was there. While it wasdisappointing that the efforts had gone to waste, it did
80
Meanwhileback at thene site the
feedingplatform had
not beentouched after
weeks.
81
mean that dad was able to get enough food withoutresorting to eating the offerings.
Food continued to be changed on the platform everyday or so as a “just in case” solution, if the adult eagleneeded the food it was there.
The landowner rang one night very excited, saying "Iwas watching the eagle at lunch today when it stood upand I could see a white ball of fluff "! One of the eggshad hatched.
This was an immense relief; dad had not left the nest,was eating without assistance and was doing a goodenough job that the chick had hatched. However, on ourvisit to observe the new family not one, but two LaceMonitors where seen in branches not 10 metres fromthe nest tree.
One of them was over 2 metres long. A Lace Monitor ismore than capable of climbing into the nest anddevouring both chicks and eggs. This gave us many
sleepless nights, but on returning the chick remained inthe nest. We also noted how alert the chick was, a loudnoise was made while clearing an observation area (usedto view the chick without disturbing it) and the chick’shead immediately shot up and looked over the rim ofthe nest before quickly popping back down.
That is when I noted a small peephole in the nest that ithad been watching us through. A Wedge-tail can see anobject the size of newspaper text at 2km away, providingit is moving. There was no way we could visit withouthim noticing us. Or being noticed by Dad, who wasnever seen on the nest after that, but there were alwaysnew foods around the rim.
On one visit we were amazed to note that the food leftfor the chick to eat was a swamp wallaby and not a joeyeither! Other foods we observed like swamp hens wereall native, and while there were plenty of rabbits andother feral species around, none were noted on the nest.Dad was doing a surprisingly good job.
Not one but two Lace Monitors were seen in branches not 10 metres from the nest tree
82
Mum was also improving; during her second visit to thevet Wendy had a much smaller amount of fluid removedfrom her elbow. A week or so later and now fully rested,it was time to start physiotherapy to strengthen thewing. Jeremy, in rather animated fashion, quickly said,“how the hell do we do physio on a 4kg, 1m tall Wedge-tailed Eagle”!
The flight (physio) aviary is again wire, corrugated ironand shade cloth and is approximately 8m long by 5mhigh and 5m wide. There are branches both up high andlow, with ramps for her to run up and balance on, usingher wings but not yet flapping or trying to fly, so as tonot over work them. This worked a treat and she beganto recover.
The next step was somewhat more difficult. Aftermulling over the findings of countless consultations andsuggestions it was decided to erect a couple of posts.Two 2-3m high posts - tree trunks/branches with thebark left on - were concreted vertically into tubs anderected in the flight aviary. Food was placed on the topof these so that Wendy had to climb and use her wingsquite hard in order to eat, only small portions of foodwhere placed on the posts so to get her fill she wouldhave to visit all of the food stops.
It was a very delighted Deb that contacted me onemorning to say that Wendy had actually flown from thetop of one perch to the other.
The food on the platform had still not been touched.We now believe that this was because the adult eagle sawthe carcasses that we were leaving out for it as carrionand therefore not good for the chick. It was also notedthat there was still plenty of food sighted on the nest, sodad was obviously still doing a great job.
The nest was visited weekly to check on the chick and itseemed that it doubled in size each time. Now being thesize of a large turkey it was growing feathers and lookedvery vulture like.
Its sense of adventure had also increased, it openlystudied us observing him and found pleasure indropping twigs over the edge of the nest, watching them
fall. With the nest being more than 10 metres above theground, we mused as to what it thought as it analysedthe sticks crashing to the earth below.
From this point its growth accelerated and it was tryingits wings out and roosting on close branches. It was onlya matter of time before he took his first flight - a fledgingWedgetail will fly from the nest and not return. He willbe watched over and taught by his parents while movingfrom tree to tree. The family group is being observedflying around home range regularly, the chick is doingvery well.
We only stopped supplying support feeds when wenoted that there were now two eagles within the nestterritory. Observers had noted two eagles hunting andsoaring together as eagle couples do. We are not surehow long the second eagle had been around, but itwould have been a really hard job for just one bird tofeed the chick right through to fledging.
And now that the chick has flown the nest it would beeven harder for just one adult to keep it alive and fed forthe next year or so. So having a second adult now on thescene is a great relief.
Wendy is still with us, but has gone as far as we can takeher. She is now going to a bigger facility and moreexperienced hands. The longer she is in care the lesslikely it is that she will be releasable. It is also likely thatwe will not be able to release her back in to the sameterritory so we will have to find her a new one.
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Wendy the Wedgetail will have to remain in care while her wing heals, one day it is hoped she can be released back in wild
The little white fluff ball peeked over the edge in a curious way
87
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
Andrea Ruske
Little Red
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My name is Andrea Ruske and I am member of Wildcare Inc NT. Weare the only organisation up here in the Northern Territory. You canvisit us at http://wildcarent.org.au/
This is the first year we have had mums and babies in care from barb wire injuries, so it is a biglearning curve. I hope they will be okay and grow quickly so they can be released beforeSeptember because this is when the Reds are leaving Darwin, if not they either stay in care orwe will have to transport them down to Katherine where the colony arrives later.
All three babies and mums are fine so far but all are still very nervous. The barb wire injuries arehealing. I am still not sure about the last mum and baby. It was born on the wire and is still verysmall, I manage to feed it once or twice a day but mum has milk, so I hope it just takes time.
The oldest baby Ronja is getting more independent and tries to hang a bit on her own but mumis very protective.
I also have a baby boy in care now but the mums don't like him at all and will bite him when hecomes close.
I separate Ronja with him and she is fine hanging with him for a while without any trouble.
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
Little RedAndrea Ruske
Previous page: Our smallest baby red is lucky as she still has her mother. Her mother is still nervous and we have to feed baby,we move the mother’s wing aside and drip milk on the nipple
89
Ronja hanging out with our baby boy who came in alone with no mother
Ronja the oldest of the babies that came into care with their mums is getting more independent
90
One of the mothers with her injured wing and her baby tucked under it
Our baby boy - alone after his mother was killed on the barb wire
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Belita and Bella - another Mum and Bub who was rescued from the barb wire. This is the smallest of my babies, she was born onthe barb wire, mum was only caught in the trousers. She had FAL of 54mm and is now 58mm. I am really surprised she survived.Mum is still very nervous even after a week in care. Usually I feed baby when she is hanging on her by bending her wing aside anddripping milk on the nipple but today I took her off to measure her.
I am still not sure about the last mum and baby. It was born on the barb wire fence and is still very small
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Smallest of our baby reds in care Smallest of our baby reds, she was measured and is doing wellwith an increase in FAL of 4mm
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Dr Susan Roberts
Stumpi the Blue Tongue
Lizard
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
97
In March of this year, Dr Susan Roberts, had thepleasure of being able to provide treatment forStumpi the Blue Tongue Lizard.
Stumpi was brought into me after being attacked byanother lizard in his enclosure.
It turns out that poor Stumpi has not had a lot of luck inhis two years of life so far, most Blue Tongue Lizards willlive to around 12-15 years if they are provided with a safeenvironment to live. He was previously attacked by thefamily cat, and at a young age had lost the majority of histail, and earned him the name Stumpi.
This incident left him with a very deep laceration justbelow his cloacal opening, which made it impossible tofurther amputate any tissue. I made the decision to try tosave the remaining tissue and suture the wound. He alsosustained some injuries to both of his eyes, and they wereclosed and swollen on presentation following his attack.
“I gave Stumpi intramusclar anaesthetic to perform therepair of tissue, he did not require intubation as theanaesthetic was short acting and chosen due to histraumatised state. I also was able to open his eyelids toexamine his eyes. He was actually very lucky as thedamage was only superficial to his eyes, and nopermanent damage was present.”
The surgery involved removing a small amount ofnecrotic tissue at the wound site and then suturing thewound closed with dissolving sutures. The wound closedup well, and I was able to preserve enough tissue so as toprevent interference with the cloacal opening.
Stumpi recovered very well from his surgery. To ensureoptimal tissue healing and prevent infection Stumpi wasgiven a course of antibiotics which I gave as injectionsevery 3 days. This ensured that the correct dose wasgiven, and in my experience it is much easier and moremuch more efficient and effective to give via injection
Large laceration the tail of Stumpi. Dr Susan Roberts was able to repair the wound under anaesthetic
98
rather than trying to give him oral medication. Followinga course of 6 injections, and ensuring that he was housedwith 12 hours of UV A/B light, stumpi made a fullrecovery. His eyes also recovered fully with the use of eyedrops and daily cleaning.
I have treated a large number of various reptiles duringthe last 7 years when I was practicing as an exoticsveterinarian in Hong Kong. Reptiles are a very commonpet in Hong Kong with people often keeping largepythons and various monitor lizards as pets. UnlikeAustralia, there are no licencing laws there for keeping
reptiles as pets. This unfortunately allows inexperiencedpeople to keep some very exotic animals, often withoutany knowledge of care or housing requirements. This wasalways a very challenging experience, but one whichallowed me to become very familiar with treatmentregimes that were most effective for various species.
It is very important that blue tongue lizards are providedwith a ‘temperature gradient 'within their enclosure. Thismeans they need a hot end and cooler area within theenclosure. The temperatures must be monitored withthermometers at both of these ends.
Stumpi's eyes were badly swollen shut on presentation. Dr Susan Roberts applied antibiotic ointment to the eyes during theprocedure
99
The hot/basking area end can be heated with athermostatically controlled ceramic/reflector globe tocreate a basking temperature of 30-35C. At the cool end,aim for 24-28C. Overnight temperatures should not fallbelow 17-18C.
The use of heat mats or weaker ceramic heat lamps maybe required to achieve this. Do not use heat rocks, asserious burns to the lizard can result.
It is important to remember that Blue Tongues areomnivorous. To ensure they receive correct nutrients incaptivity, feed them equal quantities of fruits/vegies &fresh proteins.
Salad greens/vegies/fruits offered can include Chinesegreens, endive, dandelions, mustard greens, sweet potato,squash, carrots, beans & peas, apple, pear, melons, figs,
pitted stone fruits, berries & occasional bananaProtein sources can include snails, insects (crickets,roaches, moths, beetles etc), and even boiled egg.
Dr Susan RobertsVeterinary Surgeon (BVSc MEnvSc BSc DipAppSc)
Stumpi made a full recovery following treatment and went to a separate enclosure to prevent further attacks
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Changing the way we feed our
herbivores
101
Alan and Stella Reid
Wildhaven Wildlife Sanctuary
Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release
102
iLdHAveN is a property dedicated to caringfor the beautiful native wildlife of Australia.The animals roam free and are protected by
Stella and Alan Reid, who care so deeply for the wildlife that theychanged their lifestyle and in return, these beautiful animalschanged them forever.
W
Alan Reid walking one of the joeys for exercise and to train the joey
103
Stella Reid with her joeys at Wildhaven
104
We lived in a fog. Our neighbours’ homes wereall gone, our neighbours on either side of us weredead. There were no houses, people or cars. It wasa lonely, sad task walking the land looking for my
little friends. Only to find death. The only helpcame from the police.
105
Nearly a year after Black Saturday animalscould be seen again in the fore -
the beautiful Goanna.
106
Animals returned to the burnt fore but it tooknearly a year - wombat
107
Wallabies returned nearly a year after Black Saturday
108
A year after Black Saturday we saw our fir echidna
109
We were needing to feed the wildlife who had nofood - we relied heavily on donations during these
many many months
110
Fir year after Black Saturday and animalswere returning
111
For over twenty two years Alan and Stella Reidhave rescued, cared for and loved their beautifulwildlife. However in 2009 a catastrophy
happened, - it was the 7th of February 2009, a dayforever remembered by the world as 'Black Saturday'.Fires swept through 78 townships and displaced anestimated 7,562 people. The fires killed 173 people anddestroyed over 2,030 houses and more than 3,500structures and damaged thousands more.
Black Saturday was a day of some of the worst bushfireweather conditions ever recorded. Backgroundtemperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius (115°F) andnorthwesterly winds were over100km/h (62mph). This had beenprecipitated by an intense heatwave and almost two months oflittle or no rain.
The road outside our propertywas closed off for 3 months, asthey searched for the bodies of allthe missing.
Black Saturday fires destroyed themajority of wildlife between StAndrews and Kinglake inVictoria.
Wildhaven situated in St Andrewswas completely destroyed.Tragically, the fire took all thewildlife in care as well as domesticpets and all buildings - over 800animals died at and aroundWildhaven; all buildings wererazed to the ground.
Stella was on a fire truck putting out a fire at aneighbour’s home. Alan was at Wildhaven with thewildlife: animals were running from the fires and fromthe house as the smoke alarms screeched. As thebuildings caught fire and the gas bottles vented, Alanthrew open all the doors then followed the animalstowards the forest. They were all running, but there wasno where to go. Our world was on fire.
It took us over a month to collect the bodies of our littleones from around the house, where our little friends had
tried to shelter. There was so much death at Wildhavenour minds could not and never will comprehend thatday. We lived in a fog for over a year and sometimes thefog comes back.
It was probably an unconscious decision - if it had to bedecided at all - to rebuild Wildhaven. The day after thefire we were discussing how to go about bringing ourhome back to life. Within six days we were living on ourproperty in a site office generously lent to us by acontractor in Panton Hill.
The only 'surviving' structure was one third of our hayshed - 10m x 6m - which weturned into our newaccommodation with some helpfrom friends at the CFA (CountryFire Authority).
We then started constructing thefirst new enclosure to houserescued wildlife and to plan theconstruction of the newWildhaven. A visit from BobIrwin inspired us even further andwe thank him for his kind spirit.Little did we know that it wouldbe two and a half years in themaking.
The house was put on the bottomof the list and we started with fourinternal (within a four and a halfacre enclosure) and one externalshelter sheds. We then fenced theenclosure, ensuring it was fox anddog proof.
Within a matter of weeks orphaned and injured animalswere being brought in and, while we did what we could,we had to pass them onto shelters outside the burnt zonebecause we did not have the facilities or environment tolook after any animals until August 2009.
The old house site's slab was still reasonably solid whichallowed us to put a large shed on it which is now the firstaid complex and includes a very well stocked first aidroom and five 'stables' for the larger animals brought in.The new wombat enclosure was a big project for us. We
"There is nothing moredelightful than to scoopup a wild joey in your
arms and smell the windand eucalyptus in the
coats of the gentleKangaroo or the deep-
earth smell of tinywallabies. It is
wonderful to see thetru in their eyes andthe gradual realisationthat you mean them noharm" (Stella Reid)
112
The shed is lined and winter has come
We cut off the burnt bit of where we once housed animal hay and feed. The windows were laser lite clear. Now it was to be ourhome. Donated furniture started to fill our shed. We had some protection from the sun and wind. It was heaven.
113
Burnt but alive
Inside our shed, I cared for and rescued the little ones that survived the fires.
114
Winter inside our shed our babies were warm, well-fed and happy
Merlot & Cooper (Eastern Greys), and Little Alice the Wallaby. Our shed is now full and alive.
115
Our first aid complex as it can be seen today
Logs being delivered, so the tiny creatures would have a home. These came from Strathewen.
116
The old wombat enclosure - completely destroyed
New Wombat enclosure
117
were told other shelters were closing down, and theywere holding wombats from our area. We had to design,clear the land and construct the fencing and building infive weeks.
All the clearing was done with the help of Bill Watson(Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria). Bill organised 30Fire Fighters to come to our aid. The area was ready forthe new occupants with two days to spare. Bill and histeam, along with some assistance from the St AndrewsCountry Fire Authority, returned over a year later toconduct a huge clean-up and a burn-off on the property.
We moved in to our new home on 1st October 2012.John Costantini and Carson Dawson built our home.They did everything we asked, even if it did not makesense to them.
We have kept the temporary shed we lived in as it was. Itis a reminder of the two and a half years it took us torebuild Wildhaven. Our home has one bedroom forhumans. One Bathroom. No air-conditioning, no clothesdryer, no dishwasher, no large exhaust fan in the kitchen. The floor is recycled car tyres, non slip and soft. Our
home is quiet, warm, easy to maintain and holds twohumans and many many little ones. It sits inside fiveacres of fenced land where the little ones can play androam at night. Safe and sound.
Rescuers were bringing animals to us before we had anyenclosure finished. We were the only Wildlife shelterthat took large animals. All the other shelters were notset up for the bigger animals, and they had noexperience in caring for them. One boy was 35kg. Webooked him in to Healesville Sanctuary to have himchecked and took him to an area where there was grass.
We did not have a car at this time, we were waiting fora friend to help out. Just after this was taken we boughta mobile phone, so people could speak to us. We werevery cut off from the outside world for 4 months. Werelied on the donations, it took 4 weeks before we gotsome ID, it was strange having no identity.
Our neighbours homes were all gone, our neighbourson either side of us were dead. There were no houses,people or cars. It was a strange time. It took 6 monthsbefore people started to return.
Inside the new wombat enclosure
118
Enjoying the sun on the verandah
A large sun room was built for our furry friends
119
Hanging around!
In the 1940's the koalas were lost due to hunting. Theyhad been recovering and over the years we have releasedmany koalas into the National Park behind ourSanctuary.
After Black Saturday we had not seen any koalas, but inAugust 2010, 15 months after Black Saturday we hearda Koala call from way up in the burnt trees. He lookedwell, stayed a few days and we hope he is still close. Hewas in the area where we had released them some yearsback.
With the koalas coming back it was decided that ournext project would be a koala enclosure, it was startedon 18th Feb 2011 and finished 18 months later.
The Koala Enclosure was built by Alan, to house Koalas,the trees have been planted so they will give shade andspace. It is also used as a fire look out each Summer.
Our first koala came into care one week after it wasfinished. Her name was Wattle and you can see her inthe photo. She was successfully released and many morehave followed her since.
There are no two days the same at Wildhaven. Themornings begin with a quick shower for us and a quickerbreakfast followed by a more sedate sequence of bottlepreparations, toileting, feeding and cleaning up after theyoung ones in care who share the house with us - eitherin the nursery made for them or in cots throughout thehouse.
Once we have seen to the washing, the house cleaning
(sometimes left too much later in the day!) and otherdomestic duties, we turn our attention to the outside'kids' in care. There are (always it seems) Eastern Greykangaroos who have progressed from the inside nurseryto the outside four and a half acre enclosure.
They may share this, and the shelter sheds within, withyoung wallabies and or wombats - all of whom are stilltoo young to be returned to the wild. There are alsospecial enclosures within the larger one for possums,birds and any animal which may need to be isolated fora time.
A young (pinkie) kangaroo may be with us for eighteenmonths and a baby wombat as long as two years beforethey are developed enough to be released. We becomevery attached to each and every one, of course, but theymust be returned to the wild and it is absolutelydelightful to see them free once more.
A major part of the daily routine (bravely handled byStella) is the 'roo poo collection'. This is part ofmaintaining a high level of hygiene at the shelter. Itlimits the potential for the outbreak of coccidiosis(coccidia are one of many types of parasites ofherbivores) an insidious disease which can destroy anentire mob - especially in times of stress.
The 'roo poo collection' probably takes two hours a day.In the meantime, Alan is either shopping, attending tomaintenance around the shelter or building a newenclosure.
The early evenings are taken up with the next to last
120
35 kilo Kangaroo in need of help, he was taken to the Healesville Sanctuary to have him checked over and later he was able to bereleased in an area where there is grass.
Our home was built to accommodate our joeys in care
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Under the koala Enclosure shelters the kangaroos from the heat
The New Koala Enclosure - it took 18 months to finish. Doubles as a fire tower in summer.
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Wattle was found with head injuries. With care and rest, she recovered. Wattle is our first Koala in care since Black Saturday. Part ofthe koala enclosure can be seen in the background.
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Inside our fire bunkers for our little ones
Cement water tanks now are fire bunkers for our little ones
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feeding sessions for the day (some of the younger joeysrequire bottles every 3-4 hours for several days if notweeks). An injured or orphaned animal may be broughtin at any time of the day or night (more often at night)and we either treat it immediately (if necessary) or waituntil the morning to assess them more closely.
They may need to be taken to Healesville Sanctuary fortreatment. If the animal returns from Healesville (sadlynot all do, due to injuries from road trauma or beingcaught in fences) they are taken back to where they werefound or (if patently unsafe) released as close as possibleto their home territory.
As you can probably gather, this is a lifestyle. It is not ahobby or a fleeting distraction. Once we decided, sometwenty years ago, to devote everything we have to thecare of our precious wildlife, our lives changed for the
better and to see the trust shown us by those littlecreatures is payment beyond price.
Each week we receive calls from individuals and groupswishing to help at Wildhaven. Most people think theycan come and hold the joeys. But that is not all the workthat needs to be done. If you'd like to cuddle Australia'sWildlife, we suggest you visit a sanctuary such asHealesville. That is a public facility where you canadmire and interact with a wide range of Australia'sWildlife.
However, when you come to Wildhaven, you need tounderstand that it is a private home, just like yours. Weare not a public facility, and we're not geared up to letyou wander around, looking at the wildlife in our care.In addition to creating significant difficulties for us andthe little ones in our care, it is against the rules (under
Coopers Cottage remains today - a memory of our 3 years we spent in rebuilding.
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Stella with a very grateful rescued joey
Stella with koala joey
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which we hold the DSE licence) to allow the publicaccess to the wildlife.
If you are interested in helping us at Wildhaven, thework that we need help with is much more mundane tomost people. But we are always in need of help. Here issome information which may help you decide if you areboth willing and able to help:-
Hours: Volunteers start at 7.30am and finish at 10.30am every morning. These are set times, being the timeswhich fit in with our routine and the natural daily cycleof the wildlife we care for.
Type of work: Naturally, the only everyday workavailable is cleaning out the wildlife enclosures. Thatmostly means that kangaroo poo needs to be picked up- and quite large quantities of it. We also have plantingand or weeding days when larger groups wish to help.
Helpers: We are happy to work with children who haverestricted abilities to function, homeless people,depressed people, Church Groups, School Groups, aswell as large corporations, from 2 to 30 people – and itdoes not matter what race, culture or religion you are -provided that the needs of our wildlife are being met atall times.
Other work: We might plant wild flowers, sit on thegrass and pull out weeds, we might spread mulch and, ifthe wildlife in our care approaches, we allow them to bepart of what we are doing. We provide a safe, gentlespot for those who need to see the world in a differentlight. There are always jobs to do, far too many to note.
Children: We have found that with children, if we tellthem they will forget, but if we can show them, theyremember and understand. Children must be supervisedby a teacher or parent at all times.
As you would appreciate, our main priority is the healthand wellbeing of our wildlife. If you are willing torespect the needs of our wildlife and the ways we believethey need to be treated, you are welcome to come toWildhaven and help us maintain the high standard ofthe enclosures and the health of our Wildlife.
We do not have the finances or the time to provideaccommodation, food or transport for people wishing
to visit. The money donated to us is spent directly onthe wildlife for milk formula, hard feed, blankets, heatpads, pouches, enclosures, vet bills and fuel.
If you're still interested in helping, please phone to makethe arrangements with us. Please understand that wecannot accommodate all requests to visit and we mustput the welfare of the wildlife first at all times.
You can contact Alan and Stella Reid from Wildhaven,St Andrews, Victoria, Australia.
By mail:2290 Heidelberg-Kinglake RoadSt Andrews 3761 Vic, Australia (Wildhaven is located about 50km NE ofMelbourne,Victoria).Phone: 03 9710 1024Mobile: 0448 832 031Email: [email protected]
Wildhaven is self funded.Donations are appreciated and can be made as follows:Bank: Commonwealth BankBank Address: Diamond Creek 3089BSB: 063 594A/C: 1029 78 21A/C Name: Wildhaven CTBAAU2S (swift code) (for overseas use)
To view more wonderful photographs of Wildhavenand its wildlife please visit:http://wildhavenstandrews.com.au/contact.html
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Alan with a corella and bottle feeding a kangaroo juvenile
RESCUED!Rescued is the first book of its kind in describing and bringing attention to the unsungheroes of wild animal care – the wide range of wildlife rehabilitators throughout Australiaand beyond who dedicate their lives to caring for wild animals who become orphaned,injured or sick. Many people don’t realise how emotionally and financially draining thiswork can be, or that wildlife rehabilitators generally receive no government support.
Rescued! is in a soft back format, with a collection of 43 true stories about the work of wildliferehabilitators. The book has colour illustrations and includes contributions from wildlife rehabilitators,veterinarians and veterinary nurses who have a professional working role in animal care.
This book is available NOW to purchase online for only $9.95 R.R.P. If you are a wildlife carer ororganisation and are interested in purchasing copies to sell as a fundraising idea. This fantasticdiscounted price, allows you to sell the book at normal R.R.P of $15.95 or $19.95 at your Wildlife Centre.
http://www.fauna.org.au/Rescued.htm
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SPONSORS’
OUTDOOR CAMERAS AUSTRALIAMotion cameras for wildlife monitoring
Ph: 07 4638 3939Email: [email protected]: www.outdoorcameras.com.au
MICROCHIPS AUSTRALIA PTY LTDA wide range of portable, hand-held and
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Tel: 03 9706 3100Email: [email protected]: www.microchips.com.au
SPECIALISED ANIMAL NUTRITION PTY LTDOxbow Critcal Care for Herbivores - helpsherbivores with poor nutrition. Great forPossums, wombats, macropods and other
herbivores & reptiles.Tel: 07 5525 1014
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AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE SUPPLIES PTY LTD8/96 Gardens DriveWillawong Qld 4110Ph/Fx 0754 268 088Mb. 0417749501
Email: [email protected]: www.wildlifesupplies.com.auCelebrating 10 Years in Business!
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SAFELY KEPT IN POUCH - JOEY BAGSProduct: Kangaroo and Wallaby Joey Pouches.Australian made. 100% cotton. Specially
designed.Email: [email protected]
www.longgrasssystems.com.au/joeybags
WILDLIFE VICTORIAWe provide a vital emergency phone service to
the community by responding to callsregarding sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Emergency Phone Service: 13 000 94535
Office Phone: 03 9445 0310Email: [email protected] Web: www.wildlifevictoria.org.au
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ANNE-MARIE'SWILDLIFE SUPPLIESHerbal remedies forThrush and E-Coli
Homeopathic remedies Large selection of teatsand stainless steel
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POUCHED LIFEHand made Hanging Bags, snuggly Mums, andpouches for kangaroo, wallaby and possum
joeys. As seen on sale at the WildlifeConferences Perth and Townsville.
Contact: 08 975436150417185011
Email: [email protected]: www.pouchedlife.com
AUSTRALIAN BIRDSin Paintings and Reproduction Prints
by Artist Janet [email protected]
NATIVE WILDLIFE PRINTSby wildlife carer Samantha Tro
Professionally printed using fine art papers andpigment inks.
Visit www.aussiecritters.com.au(discount for wildlife carers)
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WOMBAT PROTECTION SOCIETY OFAUSTRALIA
The Society a Not for Profit CharitableOrganisation raises money for projectsthat protect wombats, develop habitat,
and supports research.Tel: 02 64938245
Email: [email protected]: www.wombatprotection.org.au/
SPRINGBROOK LYREBIRD RETREATPrivate, secluded, rainforest holiday cabins for
couples. All profits go to the AustralianRainforest Conservation Society's rainforestrestoration project, Springbrook Rescue.
Tel: (07) 5533 5555Em: [email protected]: www.lyrebirdspringbrook.com.au
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Bonorong WildlifeSanctuaryTASMANIA
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary’s passion andwork centres around helping our native
wildlife survive. We thrive on educating as many people aspossible about how we can all help save,rehabilitate and release injured animals. All of Bonorong’s ‘residents’ undergo
meticulous assessments to ensure they arehealthy and happy in our care.
www.bonorong.com.au/
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ANITA NORRIS ANIMAL & WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHERApart from taking that special photo for you I offer a variety of products
such as canvases/photo cards/enlargements, etc.Phone: 03 97148855Mobile: 0402087053
Email: [email protected]: www.anitanorris.com
ARK WINE AGENCIESWines, Organic Grape Juice, Gourmet Foods-Italy, France, Spain,
Australia; Wine Appreciation Classes, Fundraising, supporting animalwelfare longtime.
Tel: 02 9327 8883 Mob:0410 98 36 98Email: [email protected]: www.arkwines.com
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bankmecuSwitch to a bank where the biggest shareholder is you. Every accountcomes with a share, say and benefits from our profits. Now that’s
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BONORONG WILDLIFE SANCTUARYProtecting Tasmanian Wildlife
593 Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania 7030Phone: (03) 6268 1184Fax: (03) 6268 1811
Email: [email protected] Website: www.bonorong.com.au
CAT ENCLOSURE NETTINGSpecially designed and manufactured ACE Cat Netting available now
for purchase for DIY!Ensure that our wildlife is safe, whilst at the same time providing a safe
and happy environment for your pet.Contact: Tel: 0438 139 045
E: [email protected]: www.advancedcatenclosures.com.au
EAGLE'S NEST WILDLIFE HOSPITALAims to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release injured & orphaned
Australian native animals.Ph: (07) 4097 6098
Email: [email protected]
EMBROIDME PENRITHEmbroidMe Penrith, is your full service Embroidery, Screen
printing, Laser Engraving, tPromotional products & much more Servicecentre.
Tel: 1300 GET BRANDED Mob: 0425840276
Email: [email protected] Web: www.penrithembroidery.com.au
F.A.W.N.A. (NSW) IncLicensed Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation NSW Mid North Coast LGAsPort Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey, Taree, Gloucester, Great Lakes,
Stroud and DungogRescue telephone (02) 6581 4141Email: [email protected]
Web: www.fawna.org.au
FREEDOM WHEELSHarley Davidson Trike & Bike Tours on the Sunshine Coast
Contact: Tel: (07) 5485 3513Email: [email protected]: freedomwheels.com.au
FRIENDS OF THE POUND (TWEED) INC.,We are a not for profit volunteer animal rescue group, please see our
web for animals needing a forever home. Tel: 0755248590
Mob:0439766243 (Cat) 0449049136 (Dog)Email: [email protected]
Web: www.friendsofthepound.com
HANCOCK HOUSE PUBLISHERSRehabilitation Reference: Raptors in Captivity by Lori Arent
ISBN 978-0-88839-613-6, 8.5 x 11 inches, hardcover, 304 pages,$49.95 [USD]
Phone: (01) 604-538-1114 / 1-800-938-1114Email: [email protected]: www.hancockhouse.com
HOUNDSTOOTH STUDIOHoundstooth Studio is one of Australia's most successful pet andanimal photography studios, photographing over 1200 animals each
year.Contact: 0413 174 069
Email: [email protected]: www.houndstoothstudio.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoundstoothStudio
JACQUI CLEIJNE - SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTDepicting Tasmanian wildlife and wilderness in her beautiful
interpretations of theState's unique native and domestic animal life.Mob: 0437 171 421
Web: www.jacquicleijne.com.au
JANET MATTHEWSWildlife and Pencil artist
Specialising in detailed, realistic drawings of our native wildlife, bothanimals and birds. Large and small artworks, including miniatures,
(8cm x 9cm). Commissions accepted.Tel- 0418 546 554
email [email protected] http://matthews.alphalink.com.au
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JILL MORRISEditor, Your Writing about Wildlife (for general
audience/educational/children’s)Experienced author/editor/publisher Jill Morris can help you by editing your
creative writing on wildlife.Contact: Greater Glider ProductionsEmail: [email protected]: greaterglider.com.au
Phone (07) 5494 3000
PETJOURNO - PET EDITOR/WRITERSydney, AustraliaMob: 0403 550 730
Email: [email protected] Website: www.petjournalist.com.au
"KASH & KO" Live entertainment- country, Neil Diamond style, for your indoor or
outdoor event (generator available). 2009 MO Award nominee...call Alan
Mob: 0429 038 471Email: [email protected]: www.shownet.com.au/alankash
LAZMAR AIRPORT TRANSFERSPrivate transfers for South East Queensland, specialising in Airport/Hotel
transfers and private tours.Tel: 0754767367 Mob: 0402918099
Email: [email protected] Web: www.lazmarlimousines.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lazmatransfer
MAIN STREET GALLERY167 MAIN STREET, MONTVILLE, QLD 4560
www.mainstreetgallery.com.au(07) 548785050
We carry an extensive range of Christopher Pope (wildlife artist)originals and prints. Please go to website.
MANGE MANAGEMENTTreating mange in free living wombats using the “Burrow Flap” method
Contact Tel. 03 5942 8518Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mangemanagement.org.au
MEL HILLS * WILD ARTWildlife and Landscape Art
Tel: 0362535170Mob:0448135517
Email: [email protected]:
NOONIES DOG WALKING & PET CAREDog Walking, Pet Care/Minding & Boarding (dogs, cats, horses, small
caged animals), Pet Taxi. Operating in Sydney’s Inner West
Mobile: 0411398395Website: www.noonies.orgEmail: [email protected]
TAGS 'N TAILS~ PET & HORSE SITTING:offers pet owners of Penrith NSW & surrounds,
exp. & trained mobile carers. Visiting ALL pets/horses daily;PH: 0404 630 904
email: [email protected]: www.tagsntailspetminders.com
KANGAROO FOOTPRINTSA 72 page information and activity book for children aged 7 to 12.
Web: www.kangaroofootprints.com.au
PICTURE PRODUCTSOffering a fundraising product with a 60% margin, which captures the
creative images of childhood.Contact: Tel: (02) 4572 1625
Email: [email protected]: www.pictureproducts.com.au
PICTURE STOREPicture Store is Australia’s first and largest online poster, print andframing retailer offering over 150,000 prints and posters. We have art
for everyone.Tel: 1300 137 670
Email: [email protected]: www. picturestore.com.au
PINE RIVERS KOALA CARE ASSOC. INC.We rescue & rehabilitate Koalas & all Native Wildlife - North Brisbane including
Pine Rivers & Redcliffe.We also pick up deceased koalas.
Contact 24/7 rescue No. 0401 350 799Web: www.prkoalacare.com.auEmail: [email protected]
QUEENSLAND AGATEWe sell 2 books “fossicking for Queensland Agate” and “Queensland
fossicking Guide” Also Agates from Agate Creek QldTel: 0755243044 Mob:0429896703
Email: [email protected]: www.queenslandagate.com.au
QUEENSLAND WILDLIFE ARTISTS SOCIETY30th Anniversary Art Exhibition,
The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, ClevelandJanuary 18 - February 10th Open daily 9.30am - 4.30pmwww.qwasi-wildlife.com
0407 126 908 for more details
QUOLL SEEKERS NETWORKWildlife Preservation Society of Qld
Adopt a Quoll program: $60.00Great Christmas Gift
Contact: (07) 3221 0194Email: [email protected]: www.wildlife.org.au
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SIRTRACK LTDSirtrack specialise in the design & manufacture of wildlife tracking
systems for Avian, Marine & Terrestrial species.Contact: Tel: +64 6 877 7736Email: [email protected]: www.sirtrack.com
ROBIN WINGRAVENATURAL HISTORY ARTIST
Finely detailed graphite pencil drawings or watercolour and oilpaintings depicting the natural world of Australia.
Tel: 03 6334 9261Email: [email protected]: www.robinwingrave.com
SHUCKER'S COTTAGESself contained private accommodation centrally situated,adjacent to
Pelican Bay on the FREYCINET PENINSULAcontact: tel. 0418579980
email: [email protected]: [email protected]
SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT INC.Raising funds and awareness to assist with the conservation of
gibbons; especially the critically endangered Silvery (Javan) Gibbon.Mob : 0438 992 325
Email : [email protected] : http://www.silvery.org.au
RAPTOR SNAKE HANDLING EQUIPMENTEndorsed by RSPCA and DPIPWECheck out our website or ring us
www.snakehandlingequipment.comPhone: Ian Norton 0407 951 437
SOUTHERN BIRDING SERVICESOffering scheduled and private bird tours and expert bird guiding
throughout Southern AustraliaContact: Tel: (0409) 763172Email: [email protected]: www.sabirding.com
STOP LIVE EXPORTSA Fremantle-based grassroots organisation campaigning against crueland unnecessary live animal exports since 1995. Please join us!
Tel: 08 9430 8839Email: [email protected]: www.stopliveexports .org
TERRA-FIRMAEcological Consulting & Landscape Design.
Providing professional Ecological Assessments, Ecological RestorationPlans,
Landscape Designs and Project Management on the Sunshine Coastand throughout SE Qld.
PO Box 9522 Pacific Paradise Qld 4564Tel: 0431 462 828
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THE HERBAL TEAPOT ONLINE SHOPPatrick Obrien, HH(Dip)MH, Herbalist
Organic Herbal TeasPh: 0408 711344
Email: [email protected]: www.home-herb-garden.comWeb2: www.herbalteapot.com.au
blogspot: http://patrickobrienseasyweightloss.blogspot.com/
THRIFTY CAR RENTAL Huge range of vehicles to suit every ones needs.
03 63 330911 [email protected] www.thrifty.com.au
VETERINARY ADVANCES LTDFoal CPR, free App available for all horse owners and veterinarians. Available through Apple iTunes store or see our website for more
information:www.veterinaryadvances.com
ZOODOO WILDLIFE PARKAustralian Wildlife and Exotic Animals on display
Ph: 03 6260 2444Web: www.zoodoo.com.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE REHABILITATION COUNCIL(WAWRC)
Please visit our website Marketplace pages for Basik Syringes, WildlifeRescue Vests, Mikki-style silicone teats, and much more
http://www.wawrc.org.au
WILDLIFE AUSTRALIA MAGAZINEPublished quarterly by Wildlife Queensland, we aim to educate,
entertain and engage you in understanding and protecting all Australianwildlife. Proceeds fund wildlife projects.
Tel: 07 3221 0194Email: [email protected]: www.wildlife.org.au
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/WildlifeQueensland
WILDLIFE CARERS GROUPOffering rehabilitation of sick, injured, orphaned native wildlife,
lobbying, running campaigns fighting to save and protect all nativewildlife and their habitat under the wildlife protection laws , animalwelfare and rights run solely by volunteers. Membership Available-
please email us only. Email: [email protected]: http://wcg.awardspace.com/
Wordpress: http://wildlifecarersgroup.wordpress.com/?sn=lFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1649024860&v=info
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wildlifecarersg/and please sign our 3 petitions.
ELIZABETH COGLEYAustralian Wildlife ArtistWeb: www.ozwildart.com
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LATROBE WILDLIFE SANCTUARY NESTBOXESHuge variety of nestboxes
Ph: 03 9479 1206Email: [email protected]: www.latrobe.edu.au/wildlife
WILDLIFE FRIENDLY FENCING & NETTINGProtect the wildlife today!
Web: www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com
F.O.C. WILDLFIE PROGRAMFriends of Carers - 24hr volunteer wildlife assistance
service for TasmaniaFor more information contact Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
Ph: 03 6268 1184Email: [email protected]
FOURTH CROSSING WILDLIFEFauna First Aid Program - wombat and macropod training available
Email: [email protected]: www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com
ROCKLILY WOMBATSOnline shop of unique wildlife giftsWeb: www.rocklilywombats.com
BURSTON BLUE TEATSSilicone Wildlife TeatsEnquiries to Jo.Ph: 0409 086 973
Email: [email protected]
NATIONAL KOALA CONFERENCE17-19 May 2013 at Westport Conference Centre, Buller Street, Port
Macquarie NSW AustraliaWeb: http://www.koalahospital.org.au/
GERALDINE SIMMONSWildlife Artist
Web: www.geraldineswildlifeart.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/geraldineswildlifeart
ADVANCED ASBESTOS COATINGWe are the only product/coating system made specifically for
encapsulating and /or coating asbestosTel: 1800 200 444Mob: 0418 711 945
Email: [email protected]: advancedasbestoscoating.com
Wildlife MonitoringPh: 1300 103 101
Email: [email protected]: www.wildlifemonitoring.com.au
Southern Wildlife Rescue & Care0466 888 107 or 0415 375 164
Email: [email protected]
Native Animal RescueTel: 08 9249 3434
Email: [email protected]: www.nativeanimalrescue.org.au
Tasmania Zoo116 Ecclestone Rd, Riverside, Launceston,Tasmania
Tel: 03 6396 6100Email: [email protected]
A Kanga A DaySign up to receive a free daily picture of Brett Clifton's beautiful Eastern
Grey KangaroosEmail: [email protected]
http://brettclifton.com/wordpress/?p=2722
Bruce Bain PhotographyTel: 03 6397 8363
Email: [email protected]://brucebainphotography.com.au
Trowunna Wildlife Park1892 Mole Creek Road, Mole Creek, Tasmania 7304
Tel: 03 6363 6162Email: [email protected]
Tasmanian Devil Conservation ParkPort Arthur Hway, Taranna, Tasmania 7180
Ph: 03 6250 3230Email: [email protected]
Kimberley Wildlife Rescue inc.Ph: 08 9169 1229 or 0438 015 881
Email: [email protected]
Kimberley Vet CentreKununurra WA 6743
Ph: 08 9169 1229 or 0407 6910229
Tolga Bat Hospital134 Carrington Road, Atherton, Queensland
Ph: 07 4091 2683www.tolgabathospital.org
Batworld Sanctuary IncTexas - United States of AmericaEmail: [email protected]
http://batworld.orghttps://www.facebook.com/batworld
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140
Animalia Wildlife ShelterPh: 07 9789 0400 or 0435 822 699Email: [email protected] www.animaliawildlife.org.au
Boo and the Big Storm - New BookAuthor: Wendy Lawrence Illustrated by Glen Vause
http://wildpublishing.com.au/wp/https://www.facebook.com/Boobookstorm
UOVISION AUSTRALIAUOVision Trail Camera products
Head Office: Units 3-4, 72-76 Fenton street, Huntingdale Vic 3166Ph: 1300 305 559 or 0439 445 507Email: [email protected]
www.uovision.com.au
East Coast Natureworld18356 Tasman Highway, Bicheno, Tasmania
Ph: 03 6375 1311http://www.natureworld.com.au/
Tasmanian Fox PreventionPh: 1300 FOX OUT (1300 369 688)www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/fox
Rescued Book43 Rescue stories in one book - get yours today!
www.fauna.org.au/Rescued.htm
Kevin BakerAuthor of 'Puggle in a Pocket' & 'Wombat in the House'
books recommended by Wildlife Rescue Magazine. Get yours today!http://wildliferescuemagazine.com/wildlife-books.html
Minton Farm Animal Rescue CentrePh: 08 8270 1169
Email: [email protected]: www.mintonfarm.com.au
Catriona Hoy - Children's AuthorPuggle - Author Catriona Hoy & illustrator Andrew Planthttp://www.catrionahoy.com.au/books/puggle.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catriona-Hoy-childrens-author/274783726960
Wombaroo Food Products / Passwell Pty LtdPO Box 151, Glen Osmond, SA 5064
Ph 08 8391 1713Fax 08 8391 1713
www.wombaroo.com.au
Animal Experience InternationalAEI empowers students, professionals, animal lovers and adventureseekers to travel by providing exceptional volunteer adventures with
domestic an dwild animals around the world.Email: [email protected]
Web: www.animalexperienceinternational.com
Halo of MooloolabaHair/beauty.nails/tanning
Available: Mon-Sat,Wed & Thurs late nightsTel: (07) 5452 5540
Email: [email protected]: www.halo-mooloolaba.com.au
BestGameCamera.comBestGameCamera.com offers wireless and non-wireless trail cameras.
Receive pictures straight to your cell phone in the matter of 60seconds. $40 international shipping.
Contact (800) 257-9532Email: [email protected]: www.BestGameCamera.com
Inala-Bruny IslandAccommodation and personalised tours on 500 acre private wildlifereserve. Stay and see our abundant wildlife including hand-reared
orphans!Phone: 03 6293 1217
Email: [email protected]: www.inalabruny.com.au
Get TrappedHumane Cage Traps / Wildlife Monitoring Cameras
Product: Large range of humane traps, products & accessoriesavailable.
Contact: Tel: 0421 630 945Email: [email protected]: www.gettrapped.com.au
Wildlife NestboxesAttract native wildlife with this proven habitat system designed fromscientific research and extensive field trials that's easy to install.
Tel: 0427 591 269Email: [email protected]: www.wildlifenestboxes.com.au
Wild Watch AustraliaPhone: (07) 4097 7408Mobile: 0429 438 064
Email: [email protected]: [email protected]: www.wildwatch.com.au
The Reptile DoctorThe Reptile Doctor is a department within Karingal Veterinary Hospitaldedicated to providing high quality veterinary care for reptiles and
amphibians.Tel: (03) 9789 3444
Email: [email protected]: www.thereptiledoctor.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheReptileDoctor
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Proudly produced by We invite you to support us with your wildlife stories –send them to me at
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From all of us here at Wildlife Rescue Magazine wesay goodbye and thank you for reading the seventh
issue of our exciting new wildlife magazine!
