Planet Once Blog

Wildlife Victoria is an exceptional organization.  In addition to providing a complex network of dedicated volunteers for the rescue and care of wildlife, it offers several informative training sessions for the public to participate in.  Today I attended an all day seminar on the rescue and transportation of wildlife and it was phenomenal.

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.