May was a hectic month, and so far June is panning out to be just as frenetic. Rescuers in our area have been getting call-outs to so many injured animals, most of them road-trauma related. Sadly, many of those victims were unable to be saved. The heart-wrenching irony is that often lives COULD be saved, if the drivers would just STOP and CHECK on who they hit, and called Wildlife Victoria 03-84007300 or nearest shelter. Heck, even if people can't remember the numbers, you can just call 000 and ask for police, and THEY will pass it on to rescue.
Luckily for some like little Posy Reilly the Brushie (pictured), there are kind people who DO stop when they see something on the road. Local Belinda and her daughter saw this poor unconscious Brushtail in the middle of the road and stopped to pouch-check, and realised she was still breathing, so scooped her up, kept her warm, dark and comfortable, and called for help. After a trip to the vets (Thank you, Eureka!) and treatment and care with a very experienced carer in Ballarat (Thank you Jen G!), little Posy Reilly was able to return home, into a custom-made nestbox (Thank you Corey's Creations in Buninyong) with the help of residents Belinda and Brett. They are now putting up additional nest boxes for all the other lovely wildlife that share their home, and planting out more native species to feed and shelter wildlife. If you want to learn more about how you can help with this, check out our Browse Gardens Project here.
Little Posy Reilly was very scared, sore and shaky when she came into care (left) and was suffering a head injury, but by the time she was ready for release (right) she was super keen to be OUT and back up the tallest tree.
Meanwhile, there were callouts to Brushtails trapped in fireplaces, chimneys, rollerdoors, cupboards... most of which were attended by the wonderful people at Snake Valley Wildlife Shelter, so you can read about those on their socials (Instagram: @snakevalleywildlifeshelter )
Soft Release has been quietly picking up, with the first Possum Caravan containing little Summer and Ruby the Ringtails being introduced to their new home in Ballarat with host property owners Cheryl and Pat. A huge thank you to these lovely and caring people for sharing your home with wildlife and watching over these marsupial teenage girls. You can learn more about the journey of Ruby and Summer, from tiny rescued joeys, to joining the wide wild world, on Snake Valley Wildlife Shelter's socials.
May also saw the launch of our Browse Gardens for Wildlife project. We have participants ready to plant out as soon as we can get the appropriate tree and shrub species to them. Alas we were too late in the year to apply for any grants, so are relying on donations to our Chuffed campaign - details here - to purchase the plants for participants. If you are interested in becoming a Browse Garden grower, please let us know via our socials (Instagram: Gordonwildlifealliance) or email to gordonwildlifealliance@gmail.com
After nearly 4 years of research, interviews, data collection, endless attempts to get sensible answers from government departments (the perfect example of an impossible task) and filming, the long-awaited documentary movie, The Koalas, is hitting cinemas!
Showing in Ballarat on June 20th at Showbiz cinemas, there will be a discussion panel after the film ends, hosted by local Koala carer Jess Robertson, with highly respected experienced conservationists and koala experts, ready to answer all your questions. If you're not quick enough to score tickets for Ballarat, check out the official movie site for showing details, here.
It's been an up and down few weeks with koala rescues too.
This cutie is Kirrilie, who was sadly hit by a car while crossing a surprisingly busy back road between Mt Egerton and Ballan. Luckily for her (and unlike so many other koala road strikes), this driver STOPPED and checked. Even better, one of our rescue group, Lidija, saw her and called for backup. A couple of hours, 3 rescuers and some seriously brilliant ladder-work later, Kirrilie Koala was down from the tree she was hiding in, and off to Werribee Zoo Hospital for assessment and treatment. Despite the ROADWORKS and endless delays, she was a pretty good passenger, just grumbling occasionally in her own version of "Are we there yet?" We were all on tenterhooks waiting for results, because so often our koalas hit on roads don't make it. Imagine our relief to hear just "Soft tissue damage" and after some pain relief, fluids and observation, she was able to come home and be released into koala-preferred trees, well away from the road.
Huge thanks to Trevor of Woodlands Wildlife Shelter, Lidija of Wadawurrung Corporation Nursery, fellow rescuer Ila, and Koala carer Jess of Snake Valley Wildlife Shelter. Thanks also to the lovely family who are watching over her and other resident koalas, and all those locals who have planted out koala preferred trees on their properties.
Video credit: Jess Robertson and Ila Blyth. Release of Kirrilie Koala - These are the moments that make it all worthwhile.
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