Woodlands Wildlife Rescue

10/09/2023

The last few weeks have been wild! There are many stories to come, but for now.. Let me show you the array of the creatures, both great and small that have been keeping us oh so busy! 💤

15/08/2023

Thank you to the wonderful and incredibly knowledgable Julie Malherbe from Wildlife Rescuers for allowing me to do my first ever Bat release! This weeee microbat came into Julie's care due to being found after an encounter with a hose. Washed out like incy wincey spider, he just needed a few days to recoup.
To handle bats, you MUST be vaccinated for the Australian Bat Lyssavirus. This virus is closely related to the rabies virus, and if a bat is infected with the virus and you are bitten or scratched, the results are more often fatal than not. So please, do NOT handle them. Only those trained and vaccinated should be doing so.
They are an amazing mammal and play a huge part in our ecosystems. Bats maintain the invertebrate populations, are essential pollinators, and without these creatures, our diets as we know them wouldn't exist.
Protect our bats and just as importantly yourselves! I hope this short and bitter sweet video brightens your day!

x Leesa

14/08/2023

As spring time looms, there will be more movement from our Wildlife. Please be mindful, careful on the roads and make that phone call, even if you are unsure. You can help safe a life and prevent needless suffering.

In recent weeks rescuers have attended several koalas who have been killed or injured as a result of a car strike. These numbers will likely increase over the next few months as koalas move about for breeding or dispersing young.

Please be mindful of them when driving, particularly between dusk and dawn.

This X-ray is from a koala called Bart. Bart’s leg was broken after he was hit by a car. Sadly, the driver continued, and Bart was left to suffer in excruciating pain.

Bart was fortunately reported to us when a passing early morning jogger found him limping along the road. Despite his injuries, Bart could pull himself off the road and climb a nearby tree before rescuers arrived.

Could you imagine being hit by a car and being left with such a painful injury?

Too often animals are left alone, helpless and in pain because a motorist does not take the time to STOP, CHECK, REPORT.

No animal should be left to suffer needlessly. And you may save a life.

We understand that accidents happen but if you do hit a koala like Bart (or any wildlife) please stop and call the Wildcare hotline on 5527 2444. We are available 24/7 for assistance and advice. Rescue and veterinary services are provided free to all wildlife.

Thank you to the staff at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for providing us with this X-ray and for their wonderful veterinary care.

Website: www.wildcare.org.au
To donate: www.wildcare.org.au/help-us/donate/
To follow us on Insta: www.instagram.com/wildcareaustralia

13/08/2023

This gorgeous little boy is Noah. He is named after a special young man Trevor and I have come to know through his incredible Mum. Noah's strength, determination, intelligence and creative mind are to be admired and his kindness and compassion for others is what we should all be striving for.
If Wally Noah is anything like his namesake, he's going to be the toughest little hero in the macropod kingdom! 💪

If you'd like to read more about this incredible young man check out
Noah Barlow

08/08/2023

A few weeks ago, we received a call from another rescuer “there’s a Kangaroo with a horribly broken leg in a Coles supply carpark in Truganina.” It is mostly fenced off, how he got in there is anyone’s guess. The rescuer kept eyes on the injured boy and did her best to avoid causing him further distress by attempting to keep the cars and prying eyes away. Due to the location he found himself in and public safety, Trevor darted the poor roo. Once finally asleep and no longer in pain, we took him away from the site to be euthanised.
With cases like this there are often many prying eyes, attempts to get closer to the Kangaroo, take photos and so on. It would appear that the furthest thing from their minds is the wellbeing of the animal at hand. Some of those prying eyes have been known try and prevent rescuers from tending to the animal and have gone as far as stepping in front of us, threatening to call the police, deformation, the list goes on… Please consider what the animal is going through, we all know suffering in one form or another. We and fellow rescuers have the ability help those that are suffering, please allow us to do that. Make that compassionate phone call, don’t assume that someone else will.
For Wildlife Victoria call 03 8400 7300 provide as much details as possible no matter how small. Trevor and I receive reported cases within a 100km radius.
Call us direct (message for our contact) if we are unable to attend, we will attempt to find someone who can.

06/08/2023

Second Chance Sunday!
This is Charlotte & Frankie. These two little girls were both rescued on the 3rd of August. Charlotte's mum got her wings after being hit by a vehicle in Glenmore amd little Frankie was found in a paddock alone without a Mum in sight. We are so thankful for the two members of public Katie and Damien who took the time to rescue these girls and make that phone call. Another big thank you to Teresa for opening up your world to care for these precious lives. Without you all they wouldn't have that second chance.

16/07/2023

Second Chance Sunday!
This little girl was found in her deceased mums pouch. Thanks to a wonderful member of public reaching out, this little girl gets a second chance!

13/07/2023

Back in April, a beautiful little male joey was found by the groundskeeper of Mosque in Melbourne’s West. When we attended, this tiny little bundle was on the ground whilst his Mum lay injured nearby unable to tend to him. Sadly, we had to euthanise mum due to the nature of her injuries. As for her little boy, his cries for his mum were heartbreaking. We could tell he had a long road ahead; you needn't feel his tiny body you could see his tenting skin and protruding skeleton. He'd require critical care and Gayle at Hepburn Wildlife Shelter was willing to take our little man on despite having little room for another mouth to feed. I knew Gayle liked to name some of the little ones after crystals and gemstones and I put to her the name Garnet. Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones. These gems are known to have an abundance of healing properties, just what he needed. Gayle approved!
Honestly, I had some doubts as to whether Garnet would pull through. Whilst every rescue is special to us, there are a few that you pierce your heart like no other and for me Garnet was one of them. I worried about him constantly despite knowing he was in the best hands. Recently whilst having another Kangaroo seen to at Hepburn, we got to see our curious little boy and just look at him now!
Thank you Gayle and Jon! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You never cease to amaze us!

10/07/2023

On our way to taking our little 1kg male joey to a licenced carer, we got the call about a Brown Falcon caught in the grill of a truck. A sad yet common occurrence for birds however a Brown Falcon? This was a new one for us. When we arrived it was a sad sight, this absolutely stunning bird with such beautiful piercing eyes hit by a truck and travelled in that position for who knows how long. At a glance, we thought that he might just be alright. It wasn’t too complicated to manoeuvre out of the grill. He appeared so perfect, he had a healthy body condition, he was still so alert and moving his wings and legs. We had hope! When we had a more thorough look over his body, there we saw the blood and then the fracture on his wing. We thought to ourselves please don’t be in a position where it can’t be repaired. We consulted with the vets at Werribee Zoo Hospital and told us bring him in they will take a look at him straight away. At the zoo we met with the lovely Sasha. She assured us he was in great hands; they love our wildlife just as much as we do.
The following day we got the update we didn’t want; his fracture was within a joint and was too severe to be repaired. This incredible creatures time had come, and he joined all those that gained their eternal wings before him.

09/07/2023

Yesterday we got a call out for a sickly-looking Koala on a gorgeous property deep in the Brisbane ranges. When we attended, we met with Ray the property owner, upon introductions we discover just how much he adores the wild animals that share the land alongside him. He is just so grateful every day to live amongst nature as it should be. Yesterday’s weather was wild, with the gale force winds, the rain it was horrible and far from ideal for a koala rescue! We attempted to coax the boy down from his comfy spot on the small eucalyptus tree for quite some time. He sure was stubborn! He must have eventually felt that Trevor’s arms were getting sore and slowly made his way down further. I took over the coaxing method so Trevor could climb the tree to assess him further. It was an intimate experience between the two but upon assessment he appeared to be an incredibly healthy boy. What relief it was that he didn’t require coming into care and that he could stay in his home. Although… there was a big part of me just wanted to wrap him up in a nice warm blanket and take him inside away from that awful weather, but we just can’t do that as much as we’d like to. That is their home, and it is where they belong. Ray then invited us inside for a tea and a chat by the fire. How could we say no? We were frozen! We went inside and had a lovely conversation. We felt so welcome, and we are so grateful to have these experiences with those we meet on our rescues. What makes it even more special is that they always invite us to come visit anytime. It makes what we do even more worthwhile.
A happy ending, it's what we all long for.

17/06/2023

Trevor and I, we love our Kangaroo's! This isn't a recent article, but we felt that it should be shared again. Recently there has been an increase in these victims and it's absolutely horrifying for us to witness . Can you just imagine for one moment what it must be like for them?

‼️GRAPHIC‼️ KANGAROO MOTHER’S HORRIFIC GUNSHOT WOUND

Imagine being called out to a sickly kangaroo only to discover she had a gaping maggot-filled wound in her neck and a joey in her pouch that had starved to death. This is what happened to Leesa Cullen and Trevor Crawford from Woodlands Wildlife Rescue. The devastated Greendale local who called them had heard shooting in the area. Whilst these shooters had their fun and likely made money, residents and wildlife volunteers were once again left to deal with the horrendous aftermath. Graphic footage in the comments section 😣

Leesa says, “wildlife rescue volunteers have to deal with enough devastation from the impact we humans have on these animals but to have people actively harming these incredible creatures just makes me sick inside”. Read her story here 👉 https://vickangas.org/home/f/kangaroo-mother-horrific-gunshot-wound

Our thanks to these dedicated rescuers for ending this mother’s agony and telling her story. Our leaders have the power to end this nightmare, it’s long past time Dan Andrews, Ingrid Stitt MP, Gayle Tierney MP, Tanya Plibersek.

05/06/2023

Whilst Phalaris is a widespread grass, there are several areas that are just inundated with it Riddles Creek being one of them. In just less than 3 weeks we have had to euthanise 11 kangaroos. Yesterday we received a notification that there was a kangaroo showing signs of Phalaris toxicity again in Riddles Creek. The property just so happened to be the neighbour of John, the kind farmer from the week prior. Another awful sight, this poor boy couldn’t get up anymore. His fur was dry and crusted over, his inner legs rubbed raw likely from trying to get up and keep moving with his mob. We said how sorry we were and sat with him holding his hand until his heart stopped beating. Since we were only next door, we decided to go say hello to John and his gorgeous horses. Whilst talking away and patting Gracie and Windy (side note, oh my goodness do I absolutely adore Windy! Massive cuddle bug who had a hell of a time zipping my jacket up and down over and over! Okay I’m side tracking…) In the distance Trevor spotted a lone roo and decided to approach slowly to assess her behaviour. She too was affected, so much so that her body was just wasting away. As I sit here and write this, we are just leaving Riddles Creek again, there were another 3. Mother, son and approximately 200g daughter. Her son was the worst I’ve witnessed yet. When the gun fired his mother didn’t even react, she too couldn’t move anymore just like yesterday’s boy. Her pouch was visible, unkept and smelly, her poor joey wriggling away was already off the teat. We were just wishing that there was something more we could have done for them, but all we could was take away their suffering and lay them together, side by side finally at peace. It is only a matter of time till we return to the riddled with phalaris creek!

28/05/2023

More and more developments, more and more displaced Kangaroo's. This one found his way under an excavator in a large industrial development site in Truganina. The lovely Winslow guys were caring enough about the wayward roo to not only call us but cease using the machine for the day. Trevor darted the boy; we removed him from under the machine and prepared to take him into care. For wildlife rescuers it isn’t easy taking an animal to a shelter to be cared for knowing that they are all struggling for time, money and the space but that evening we ended up with more. A young male kangaroo that had been hit by a car and suffered head trauma, a furred joey that was found standing beside his deceased Mum and a Australasian Grebe that was found on the wet road likely mistaking it for water. We felt awful that night going from 1 animal to 4. Our shelters are inundated, our carers are exhausted, our rescuers are riddled with guilt for those we save and those we can’t. We are all financially suffering because of the little to no help from our government. (Why do we do it though? Who else will?) Our only support is each other and you reading this. Sadly, financial support is the most needed but that isn’t the only way you can help. Reading these stories, sharing our posts, even beginning a discussion with those around you or those you know that may be able to assist us further are such a huge help and we really want to thank those who have done so. We appreciate it and thank you so much for it!
As for the 3 kangaroos and the Australasian grebe, we have received updates that they are all improving each day. We take comfort in this and the extremely challenging work that Hepburn Wildlife Shelter & other shelters do. Hepburn have taken in so many animals for us recently and we’re forever grateful for it.

Just remember without our wildlife shelters we would all be at a loss, especially our wildlife.

24/05/2023

Phalaris, have you ever heard of it? It is a species of introduced grass, a common sight throughout Australia. Not only can it be toxic for our livestock, but for our Kangaroos it’s a death sentence. This grass is everywhere, it is detrimental to our wetlands and impossible to control. Once a kangaroo is affected, they develop what’s known as “the staggers”. To us, this terminology doesn’t come close to describe what we witness. Phalaris affects them neurologically, they are unable to control their bodily movements, their heads tremor, unable to see straight, hop straight, often falling over until it reaches the point where they can no longer get up. These kangaroos are also more likely to fall victim to fence hanging, breaking bones and being hit by vehicles. Think a severe case of Parkinson’s and being horribly drunk simultaneously. We attended the property of the kindest farmer you could meet. John loves his kangaroos, and he made the call after noticing several of his residents were severely affected by the toxic grass. Initially the call was for 3 and it was obvious who the victims were when we arrived. It was a horrible sight.
Due to Johns gorgeous horses and cattle being within such proximity to where the kangaroos were, Trevor made the call to dart them. Whichever method is decided upon, none are simple choices to make. Another major side effect to Phalaris toxicity is hyperactivity, and this makes them extremely flighty. 4 beautiful kangaroos had to be euthanised that day most female and still joeys. We were devasted, but it didn’t end there….
The following day John gave us a call “there’s more” and we headed back out to his property. These kangaroos were proving more difficult than the last, it was impossible for them to stay still. A total of 6 kangaroos had to be euthanised over the 2 days, all because of a grass that shouldn’t exist here. Over the coming months, weeks even, we know we will be back again. It’s heartbreaking.
We would like to thank John for his kindness towards us and his animals. They are very much loved and it’s a wonderful thing to see.

06/05/2023

This morning Leesa and I responded to call out for a rescue of a kangaroo trapped in water at a new prison facility in Melbourne’s West. When we arrived, we were let in by security and taken over to a large plastic lined water storage dam. The dam was fully fenced, yet somehow this poor girl managed to find her way in and had become trapped in the water unable to climb out. We made our way around the slippery dam wall and I approached slowly to assess the kangaroo’s response to our presence. In cases like this, we would normally have to dart the animal but that can come with risks. The last thing we would want is to put her life and ours at further risk. She was so exhausted, she just shook her head and clucked while she stood there cold and shivering. I shook my head and clucked back to her. Wearing my waders had made the plastic lining even slipperier. I got closer to her and I tied one rope around my waist and Leesa held me while I slowly made my way down to the water’s edge. It was like she knew we were there to help. Hesitant at first, she allowed me to place a rope over her head and under her arms. With her now secured, I quickly administered sedation. Leesa put a little pressure on the rope preventing me from sliding into the dam, but allowed me to get hold of her and pull her out. As more of her body became exposed, we saw 2 little legs poking out of her pouch. She was a mother. A mother who would have been trying desperately to protect her baby. Once we had her on the embankment we removed the newly furred baby from mums pouch. She was perfect, her little body still warm but there was just no signs of life.
We have no idea how long this girl had been standing in the water and was lucky to be found at all. Staff were not supposed to be on site today and thankfully one of them just happened to see her and call her in. The mum now on a stretcher and with our 3 new helpers we made the slow journey back around the dam wall, careful not to slip. Back at the car we met the lovely Natalie from Vets For Compassion. We dried the girl off as much as we could whilst administered warm IV fluids and vitamins then we were off to a shelter. There she was set up with multiple heat packs and just as many blankets. Her perfect joey now dried off, was placed beside her so she could say her goodbyes. Today was a challenging rescue and it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. A huge thank you to the prison staff and our amazing crew at Vets For Compassion for all the assistance Leesa and I received. We have all done the very best we can do for this girl, we only hope that she recovers from her traumatic experience and becomes a mother once again.

08/04/2023

Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you all have a wonderful day no matter what it is you may get up to. Stay safe and be kind to all kinds! Much love, Leesa & Trevor ❤️

06/04/2023

Wire fencing... Here are just some of the reasons why this fencing is so detrimental to our wildlife. Kangroos aren't the only animals that fall victim to them. These Kangaroos, however, are just a few that we have made it out to before they have had to endure the slow horrific death they cause. IF they are lucky enough to be found, unfortunately 95% of these cases do irreparable damage to their body/limbs and are unable to be saved. The poor Kangaroo in the last photo, we were too late for.

31/03/2023

Trevor and I don’t often work, rescuing is what we are most passionate about (that’s even how we met) But when there are more animals needing rescue than there are rescuers, we feel we must go otherwise they suffer in ways we simply won’t ever understand.
Rescuing takes a huge toll financially. There is little to no assistance or recognition from our government for what rescuers and shelters do for our wildlife every single day and yet they continue to promote these very animals so heavily as a reason to visit this country. However, last week we attempted to do SOME work, and of course rescues came up, and one of those rescues just happened to be on our way… A kangaroo had been hit by a vehicle in the busy streets of Footscray. Yeah, Footscray! We met with police on scene and a kind gentleman who stayed nearby keeping eyes on the slightly mobile Kangaroo. The officers didn’t even believe what they were being called out to. The gentleman nor the officers had ever heard of such a situation in their years residing in Footscray. This just continues to highlight the ever increasing impact we are having on the very lands that these animals call home. We thank Victoria Police and the members of public for their assistance in caring about these animals to alert us and the efforts the police provide trying to keep us all safe.
Rest easy sweet boy.

30/03/2023

[CONTAINS GRAPHIC PHOTOS] This morning wasn't a great start when we got called to an injured Kangaroo on the Gisborne Golf Course. Not the first time we have attended the golf course for a rescue but this one just broke our hearts. We got to the 8th hole where the little girl was laying alone, the mob had moved on. When we saw her we thought surely she's been hit by a car with the severity of the injuries to her legs. Once relieved from her suffering, we returned to the club to thank the staff for alerting us to the poor girl when Trevor happened to run into the man who'd actually injured her, only it wasn't with his car, it was a golf ball. He said he'd hit a bad shot and as it travelled low, it took out both her legs. You'd never think a golf ball could do such damage, but they do! Sleep sweet little one.

19/03/2023

[WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS]
As I was writing an update for you all yesterday morning, Trevor and I were attending a Kangaroo that had been hit by a vehicle on an exit ramp to Melton.
I can't reiterate enough that if you hit a Kangaroo regardless if you think it is dead or especially "hopped off". You call Wildlife Victoria, Vets For Compassion, Us, or any rescue organisation you can find, even police.. Give as much detail as possible, landmarks, unique tree, anything. This is graphic, but it needs to be shown. This is what we and many rescuers get called to. He hopped off, he still tried to get away. As you can see the horrible nature of the injuries, they can still get away and then they die like this waiting... PLEASE call it in. This boy only had one person making that call and it wasn't even the person who'd hit him. One person... Please don't assume someone else will. Love them or hate them. Nobody deserves to die waiting like that.

18/03/2023

[WARNING: CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC PHOTOS]
Hey everyone!
We apologise we haven't posted any stories lately
We are still trying to navigate this new venture of ours. We have been incredibly busy, sadly this is a constant for us. Here are a few photos from what has been going on for us these past couple of weeks.
Bare with us, we will endeavour to post more stories of what our Wildlife go through every day.

22/02/2023

For those who would like to donate to Woodlands, our details are the following

Bendigo Bank
Name: WOODLANDS WILDLIFE RESCUE INC.
BSB: 633000
Account number: 198762049

Any donation great or small keeps us on the road helping our Wildlife. We appreciate you all and the support you give.

Thank you!

22/02/2023

Everywhere we look there's land development occurring. Soon enough all the outer Melbourne suburbs will be connected. We got called out to this morning to an injured female Kangaroo on the side of the road in Melton. Before we'd arrived the poor girl had made her way out onto the road where she passed away. Not a care in the world by those who passed on by. She died there alone.
Where do our native animals go?
We are taking over at a rapid pace and this is the devastating results they face.

16/02/2023

Yesterday, Trevor attended a call out about a very stressed male kangaroo that found himself trapped in a new estate being built in Deanside. In order to relocate him to a safer place, Trevor had to dart him. I met up with Trev to help him move his furry friend to his new patch of grass. We set him up in a nice shady spot so he could wake from his long slumber, and we set up camp for ourselves to monitor from a distance and ensure he'd wake safely.
We positioned ourselves under a beautiful gumtree, but little did we know until leaves were falling and branches cracking that we were sitting beneath a koala! I thought I was dreaming. It was a first for me to see a koala in the wild. Only have I ever seen them through rescue. I couldn't believe my eyes. She sat at the top of the tree, but extremely curious about the new visitors, she ended up making her way down the tree until she was a mere few metres from us! She was so content by our presence. She sat and watched us, she snoozed and provided us with a bundle of laughs with the hilarious positions she'd move herself in and we just sat and watched in awe. It really was an incredible experience.
As for the beautiful Kangaroo, he woke slowly taking in the scenery and it wasnt long before he was up on his feet, and eating grass. We ventured back to the car, trekking slowly as we just didn't want this unique experience to end and made our way home again. What a day!

We apologise that we haven't posted much lately. We are still finding our way around our new venture with our NFP. Look out for some more stories soon. It's been a hectic couple of weeks! Take care and be kind! ✌️

25/01/2023

Our first day in Axedale Monday and it bought us this little girl. Wish her luck on her journey to a healthy safe future! ❤

22/01/2023

It was barely 9:30am and Trevor was on already on his 4th rescue of the morning.
One male Kangaroo that was hit by a vehicle.
Two Pacific Black ducklings, the mother was killed by vehicle. The rest of the tiny flock went missing.
One female pinkie Joey, mother was killed by vehicle.
Now a juvenile Austalian Hobby, a species of falcon that was caught in barbed wire fencing. The worst of the worst of fencing.

What a sad start to the day.

19/01/2023

We had another busy day Saturday just gone. Our morning started off attending a beautiful property in Greendale where a small kangaroo, unable to get up was found. We met with a lovely couple and 3 very excited dogs keen to say hello! Taken on a short walk to the bottom of the property to a picturesque dam and there beside the dam wall, the little girl laid. Her injuries were obvious and awful, and we relieved her from her pain. Looking over her delicate little body, it was clear the injuries were far from new. Just a joey, she should be hopping around freely, discovering the world alongside her Mum. It is heartbreaking.

The next call was about a large male kangaroo, he appeared unwell was hanging around a home in Bullengrook. Met with a very caring family who were sad to see that their resident roo was not himself. They took us to where he’d set up camp, he was upright, hunched over and didn’t budge despite the presence of all these people. We knew something wasn’t right but also nothing was noticeably wrong. Trevor made the decision to dart the boy so we could get some idea as to what could be causing his behaviour. As soon as he was asleep, we saw how incredibly skinny he was and then we found the horribly infected, fly-blown wound under the base of his tail. This must have been agonising and likely going on for some time for him to be this unwell. The decision was made for him to be euthanised. Sad to see him go, but glad he was no longer suffering, the family farewelled us with the kindest of words and made a generous donation towards our rescue work. David, Lynn, Hunter and El we thank you so much for caring about our wildlife and supporting the work we do. We will be forever greatful!

We ‘d just left Bullemgrook and call came about a large gumtree that had fallen in Macedon, displacing the possums that were residing in it. The property owner was concerned for the possums and contacted us. One little ringtail hid in a bush and the other made its way to a small tree and sat on a low hanging branch. Trevor got hold of the possum within the bush, however his little body was limp. He didn’t survive the fall. With Trevor’s focus now on the surviving possum, he went over and captured the female. She had some fight in her and didn’t appear injured, but due to the loss of her mate and the height she fell, we decided to take her to a shelter in Gisborne to be monitored.

We got good news today that she’s recuperating well and ready to be released. The shelter’s carer will set up a new drey for the little ringtail to settle into at the property she came from.

On our way home, another call came. A lovely woman Alexandra, who
was making the most of the 38-degree heat with her kids at Melton Waves Leisure Centre. She noticed one of the resident ducks there had a severely injured leg and alerted staff. They informed her that it had been that way for weeks. Sad and concerned she tried capture the duck but was unable and contacted us. By the time we got there we had just 25 minutes before the pool closed. We found the little wood duck and still being able to fly, our every attempt failed. After the last attempt she landed in the main pool. One last shot, unprepared and fully clothed I got in the water hoping to get the net underneath her. She appeared more comfortable with me in the water and just a couple of metres from her… She outwitted us again. The duck has won this round. We can’t leave her with a broken leg and will return with a better plan.