The call was placed by one of the local police officers in the St Kilda suburb who reported a possum stuck in a street drain.  Now, from experience, I know to never expect anything; because rescue situations never turn out as preconceived.  So I headed down with a rescue pack, a dog noose, and a swiss army knife (how is that for McGuvering it).

As I struggled to find a place to park, dodge pedestrians, locate the address, and answer the call that was coming in on my phone, I realized that this rescue was on a busy street packed with bars and happy drunk Australians.  I decided to just park in a loading zone and put on my hazards – luckily the person I was meeting at the rescue was Melbourne Police and so I was guaranteed no to be hassled in the spot – awesome.

I was shown to the drain location and I was greeted by an extremely weak Brushtail Possum stuck in an overflow pipe (see pic below).

Now she (yes, it was a female  sub-adult) was very weak, but still rather bitey.  I used a glove to see if I could pull her out – no go, she was wedged in too tight.  If I were to get a shoulder out, I figured I could pull the rest of her out – no go.  The police officer held the dog-noose pole while I tried to work that around the possum – no go.

Finally, out of shear frustration, I phoned another rescuer and asked her to bring down a cold chisel and mallet.  Yes, I was going to break the drain pipe out of the sidewalk.  We’d figure out the repairs later.  While the other rescuer was in transit to the site, I pulled out my trusty pocket knife and started to cut the inner pipe.  Using wire cutters, I was able to break out the inner pipe which bought us some more room.  It also gave the possum a bit more room and she moved forward and got both arms into the opening.

Now mind you, all this was happening while I was being dictated 101 ways to resolve the issue by every passing drunk Australian on the street. And those comments were interspersed by the occasional fauna expert who thought the creature was a large rat.

The other rescuer showed up and we worked the noose around the head and shoulder (if just the head, you can strangle the animal).  Once all cinched up, we pulled the possum out through the hole.  She was fully soaked, grossly underweight, and reeked of her own excrement.  I imagine it was as traumatic for her as one of those humans buried in Haiti.

The possum went back to a wildlife shelter, was bathed, rehydrated, fed, medicated, and currently is under monitor until recovery.  She will be released in a week or so after everything checks out.  I receive daily updates from the shelter as I feel connected to this creature and hope to release her back into the wild when the time is right.

So while most were celebrating the diversity and spirit that Australia has to offer, I celebrated the opportunity to preserve what I consider to be one of Australia’s most special treasures; its native wildlife.

First, a bit about Australian Magpies.  These lovely creatures raise their young on the ground for a period of one to two weeks, a fact that many Australians are unaware of.  Needless to say, this warrants a severely ruthless swooping and pecking attack response from the parent birds if anyone or anything approaches their young; a response I highly respect, but unfortunately a view not shared by many.  For those sharing a similar compassion for wildlife, this ground-rearing practice also compels many to pick up the young and bring them into care so as to protect them from predators and other elements of nature.  Although all intentions are good, this causes an unnecessary burden for the rescue and shelter volunteers of Wildlife Victoria, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife.

Now a bit about the task.  Someone had picked up a Magpie chick off the side of the road and brought it to one of the shelters in the morning.  Often, when these young come in and are deemed a clean bill of health, they are returned to the spot of pickup as soon as possible to be reunited with the parents.  So there I was, a re-released Magpie chick hopping about an urban greenway, donning the bright fluorescent rescue vest, and no adult Magpies anywhere to be found.

Magpie Fledgling

For about twenty minutes I followed my flock of one through the low grasses and along side a building wall, keeping a distance of about ten meters (+30 feet).  Occasionally the bird would stop to regain its bearings and look around, but it was evident that it was making progress toward some known destination.  But still no Magpies anywhere.

The building wall soon changed to a solid fence line, then to a low fence line and finally, an open fence demarcating the end of a residential street terminating at the linear park.  The Magpie chick gracefully snuck through the open slats of the fence and into the adjoining street.  I clumsily hopped over the fence and nearly left my shirt on a sharp nail.

As the bird hopped along into the street a car was backing out of an adjacent driveway toward the chick.  I decided that it was time to “throw in the towel”, so to speak, and I wrapped the bird up and carried it back into the park.  This time, however, the chick was a bit more vocal and active, clearly fed up with its numerous human interactions.  As I unwrapped the chick from the towel and worked to untangle a claw, the magpie chirped and cried out.  As it broke free from the towel and moved into the grass, I backed away slightly.

As I turned, there it was.  A very large adult Magpie looking me right in the eye.  I cannot say where it came from, or how it got there, but there it was.  And looking to reclaim its young, I presumed.  Now I must say that this is normally where one gets swooped and attacked by an angry parent, and rightfully so.  But the Magpie glanced down at the chick, back up at me, and then paused as if to acknowledge my presence was peaceful and allow time for me to step back.

You know those scenes in fantasy films where a great search for some mystic unicorn is being undertaken and all methods have been exhausted, including playing some magical instrument and all…and then…suddenly…the thing appears from the fog in an instant?  Yea, it was something like that.

But the job wasn’t done.  I couldn’t be sure that this was the parent, so I waited and observed.  At first, the adult bird ignored the chick’s cries and hopped away each time approached by the needy juvenile.  This went on for about ten minutes and I began to worry.  I called one of our resident bird experts to seek advice and was educated about typical Magpie behaviour — if the adult didn’t attack the young it was a good sign.

After about five more minutes of observation, my efforts were rewarded; the adult began to bring food to the young bird.  It was incredible to see such an interaction.  What was even more incredible was to consider the amazing cognitive recollection ability in Magpies.  This young bird was taken from its territory in the morning, returned in the afternoon to an approximate location, and still managed return to its parents.  More incredible yet, was the extraordinary sensory perception of the adult Magpie to recognize that I was no threat.

Moral of the story– don’t ever underestimate the power of the family bond.

I entered the wonderfully day-lit activity room to nearly 100 occupants all sitting facing the front in which a projected image of a roadkill-lined roadway was flanked by several varieties of nets, carriers, cages, poles, blankets, stuffed animals representing several species endemic to Australia, and other miscellaneous gear.  Speaking about the slide was Manfred Zabinskas, one of Wildlife Vic’s premier trainers.  And you could tell he was quite versed in rescue operations.

Human animals were not the only occupants in the room; a few current patients were also hanging out amongst the crowd with their respective care providers.  A small wombat, adorned with blankets, stirred occasionally in the seat in front of me and three small Brushtail Possums restlessly ran about their carrier just to the rear of where I was sitting.  The room was a mixture of people; some care givers, some current rescuers, some hopeful rescuers, and others that were just curious about injured wildlife.  One thing was certain, that we were all bonded in our quest to preserve Victoria’s delicate and unique wildlife.

So what did I learn?  So much interesting stuff it would be impossible to list it all in a single posting.  Here are some interesting tidbits:

When you rescue a kangaroo joey from its expired mother, swipe the inside of the pouch with a pillow case and then turn it inside out before wrapping the joey in it.  This will retain the familiarity for the joey making it easier for the care providers and also reduce the seams that the joey might get caught on.

If an injured wombat runs into a roadway drainpipe, use a pole and flashy end to startle it out but be sure to go in the side that the head is on; wombats feel more comfortable backing out of spaces.

Give a grey-headed flying fox a grape to nibble on and it won’t even consider biting you as you wrap it up and transport it.

…and so many others.

Needless to say, I have my rescue kit assembled and waiting for that local call.  Most of the wildlife calls in my area are for possums, flying-foxes, birds, and an occasional reptile.  But I couldn’t stop there, I was fortunate to have been hired on to Wildlife Victoria as an Emergency Call Operator and will be starting in a few weeks.  So expect some interesting posts as I venture into the world of Australian Wildlife.

I must admit that I was not alone in this endeavor; a fellow student in the OEP, Yassi, was my partner in the Co-op experience. Allow me to digress for a moment and comment about Yassi.  If ever I had a female counterpart; similar in interests, ideas, and temperament…but much better looking and fluent in three languages…Yassi would be it.  She is a wonderfully expressive and gifted person whom I feel very fortunate to have met.  Ok, that said, back to the food co-op.

We were greeted and mentored by Emelia, one of the food co-op coordinators.  And it was the most laid-back, easy-going, yet very effective, training I have ever received.  We are in Australia after all.

Every volunteer shift comes with a complimentary meal and 20% off of all bulk goods which I will get to in a moment.  I enjoyed a gluten-free pumpkin and tofu baked pie of sorts which was delicious.  Nearly all of the food is prepared on-site utilizing organic, non-GMO produce and goods from local farms and suppliers.  They even have fair-trade coffee from a plantation in Northern Queensland.

After a bit of customer service, we met another semester coordinator named John who was busily preparing some soups for the next day.  And the chopping began.  We chopped pumpkin, onions, yams, and garlic — all for a variety of soups that were being prepared in kettles on a simple electric dual burner unit.  It is amazing the variety of items that are prepared using very minimal gadgets.  I paid close attention, for this knowledge could come in handy if ever I had limited resources and wanted to prepare a wide variety of menu items, such as on a ship at sea, perhaps.

John was an interesting fellow and I got the distinct impression that he had cooked for vast amounts of people over the years.  Ex-military?  Restaurateur?  Co-op enthusiast?  I didn’t pry…maybe after a few more volunteer shifts I will secure more details.  John, just like everyone else in the place, mentored us and was very approachable and helpful.  Not characteristic of many supervisors, might I add.  Maybe that was the nature of a co-op, maybe the nature of an Australian, or perhaps, just John’s personality.  Whatever the reason, it was a great first day and I plan to return on a regular schedule to volunteer.

My consolation prize was 20% off of the bulk items in the back of the co-op, which, might I add, are already less expensive and of better quality than what you find in the grocery stores.  I purchased some real peanut butter which was delicious and will work nicely for pb&j sandwiches — I am a starving student now.  I plan to purchase all of my bulk items here in the future and will finally be able to reuse all my containers on a regular basis.

But my contribution couldn’t simply be the prescribed tasks of serving, cooking, dish-washing, and cleaning…oh no, I needed to make a greater commitment.  It came to me as I was scouring the equipment in the co-op.  Large buckets…check, electric burner…check, large strainer…check, refrigerator storage…check.  And it was expressed to some of the fellow co-op peeps when I discovered them splitting a jug of ale at one of the tables.  I was going to brew beer that we could serve at the co-op.

My suggestion was met with great enthusiasm and interest; and this enthusiasm created a beaming smile that I couldn’t wipe off my face for several hours after.  In my post lecture the professor either thought I was making a mockery of his talk, or he figured I was overjoyed by his subject of discussion.  Regardless, I plan to launch a small test batch in the next few weeks.  Hopefully this will lead to something great.

The Melbourne University Food Cooperative is located in the Student Union Building on the first level (or second as we in North America say).  The union building apparently has multiple floors, and I apparently have not been so keen to my surroundings.  And this spot definitely deserves a blog entry.

Now these were definitely people I resonated with…aside from the dreadlocks and the hemp clothing, we all shared similar passions for environmental stewardship.  The students working there were delightful, and even more encouraged when they sensed my enthusiasm for the establishment.  Not only could I purchase my bulk items, such as coffee, olive oil, spices, etc, in reusable containers, but everything was local, organic, and fair trade — no reading of labels required.

Great vibe, inexpensive and organic food, sustainable shopping, and convenient spot…could it get any better?

Sure could.  If you volunteer for two hours a week preparing and serving food you are awarded an additional 20% off of all purchases and a free meal.  And the organization offers a produce box program in which one receives a weekly compilation of the freshest seasonal veggies and fruits from local organic farmers around Victoria.  Soooo fine.

Be sure to search your local area for any food co-ops or produce box programs.  These often benefit small local farmers and are a good step toward improving nutritional health.