Central Goldfields Wildlife Rescue

31/07/2024

Welcome Jagger 💜

26/07/2024

After a couple days off from injury, yesterday was certainly exhausting.

6 calls for joey's.
3 required euthanasia.
2 are in care.
1 referred to another shelter.
3 adult kangaroos hit by cars with horrific injuries.
1 call referred to another rescuer.

1 fuel tank completely empty.

I won't add stories, I'm to tired.

But I will say, there is a desperate need for wildlife rescuers (and carers)

Where ever you are, if you have ever thought about becoming a wildlife rescue volunteer, now is the time!

Warriors 4 Wildlife hold online training sessions regularly as well as in person sessions.

Link to check out the training sessions!
https://warriors4wildlife.org/rescue-and-transport

If you have ever thought about dedicating your life to treating and rearing orphan wildlife, have a read below and become a volunteer at your local Wildlife shelter to gain invaluable information and experience
https://www.vic.gov.au/wildlife-rehabilitation-shelters-and-foster-carers

20/07/2024

Nothing like refilling the hay in these conditions 🤣 straight on my bum and landed on the one rock on the entire verandah! 😒

A huge thanks to our volunteers that have still worked rain, hail or shine this week as we deal with wet weather!

Unfortunately with this weather and continuing rain, looks like access to the shelter will be by boat soon 😬

19/07/2024

Phalaris Toxicty 😢

This past month, we have seen an increase in Toxicity cases due to Phalaris grass in the Majorca and Red Lion area.

Unfortunately phalaris toxicity can also effect sheep, cattle and horses with "staggers" and sudden death syndrome.
It is a horrific introduced pasture, that during certain conditions can have horrific effects on grazing animals.

"Kangaroos can develop chronic phalaris toxicity, or ‘staggers’ as it is commonly referred to in sheep, which causes neurological damage in animals that have eaten Phalaris grasses (also known as canary grass). Phalaris is a common pasture crop and when grown under certain conditions, the young growth of some phalaris grass species can be toxic to animals that graze on it.

Symptoms commonly seen in kangaroos that have chronic phalaris toxicity poisoning include muscle tremors and abnormal or erratic movement, such as repeated falling over, giving the appearance that the kangaroo is “drunk” or “staggering”.
Currently there is no known treatment for this condition in wildlife"

If you have any kangaroos on your property that are moving erratically, falling over, have muscle tremors or appear to be "acting weird"
Please give us call for us to come out and assess.

If you are concerned about stock, remove them off pasture immediately and call your local veterinary practice for advice!

Unfortunately there is no cure.

Though if caught early enough and removed from the pasture, the animal may survive with minor neurological issues.

Below is a video of a kangaroo suffering the "staggers" - he has minimal control over his nervous system and is continually falling down.
This kangaroo required euthanasia.

I have recently been in the the areas between Red Lion Road, Red Lion and Kendans Road, Majorca.
Those within this area I would urge to check your local kangaroos as well as stock regularly to prevent them suffering this horrific condition.
Though phalaris is widespread throughout our shire and is not limited to the areas above.

16/07/2024

🦘 How to perform a pouch check 🦘

What you need:
🌟 Gloves
🌟Scissors
🌟 Pillow case or pouch

These are items you can keep safely in your car!

Always remember:
💜 Ensure the mumma roo is deceased before attempting a pouch check
💜 You are in a safe spot to do a pouch check, you may need to drag the roo off the road to check
💜 Before removing the joey, ensure it isn't attached to the teat. You may have to cut the teat
💜 If the pouch has elongated teats, enlarged mammary glands or is quite loose - call it in, there may be a missing joey near by!

If needed, call your local shelter, rescuer or wildlife group for advice or guidance!

Keep the joey dark warm and quiet 🦘💓

Avoid taking photos, keep the radio down and noise to a minimum to reduce stress!

This mumma roo was hit in Maryborough Sunday night, wonderful response from Maryborough Police Officers who attended, dispatched the injured mother who required euthanasia then stayed on scene for me to come and grab the joey 👏

Please always perform pouch checks.

Many say they don't know what to look for, well check for testicles first - if it doesn't have balls, it's going to have a pouch 😊
Often "pinkies" can be quite hard to visually see or feel.
The pouch is located on the abdomen and the opening can be quite small.
If you can't find a pouch, give us a call! We will talk you through it 🥰

Please share and save the video, as you never know when you may need it.

Even if the kangaroo has been there a day or two, we have had joey's come in 5+ days after the mother has been killed - in both freezing and hot conditions.
They rarely perish over night - so please, always check 🦘💜

12/07/2024

Fresh bandage change & getting to see this little "pinky" wriggle about in mummas pouch while she has a good snooze 💖

06/07/2024

Well this little swamp wallaby was lucky to be found!
Poor little darling should still be warm in his mother's pouch, but thankfully he was called in to rescue and rescuer Trevor was able to head out and locate him, he is now in great hands at the shelter where he will be raised with other orphaned swampys.

05/07/2024

Those 1am deliveries 😴

Thank goodness for the kind member of public who stopped & checked the mummas pouch.
As it's 1am and 1 degree outside, I'd hate to think of this little bundle perishing due to the elements 😪

Pouch checks are important 💗

05/07/2024

This time of year is crazy for rescuers and carers, joey's just keep rolling in.

Gwen, Joplin, Avril, Fergie, Van Morrison, Ruby, Hendrix and Lady GaGa

Missing is Dusty & Bono (the swampys)

Can you guess the theme?

Thank goodness for the network of other carers able to take in some and share the load 🙏

05/07/2024

Chaos at feed time 😳
These three were velvet not long ago, now becoming just furred and lots of personality!
Though same development, Hendrix is double the size & weight of his buddies. Yet isn't as developed as the furred gang

Placed Van Morrison, Hendrix and Lady Gaga in the basket post feed, in seperate individual pouches and Van Morrison decided he would prefer to snuggle up with the big boy Hendrix 😅
Van Morrison seems to be a pouch hopper, always looking for a snuggle buddy to jump in with 🤣

28/06/2024

Today I was called to these two kangaroos.
Both young, both suffering immensely, both from our two most common types of kangaroo rescues.

The first photos are from a kangaroo in Mt. Glasgow, she was only young and due to presence of phalaris and her irregular movement - the member of public suspected toxicity.
Upon arrival, she was already deceased.
I noticed an injury on her leg and during the assessment noticed wire in her leg - skin had healed over it.
It's likely she was suffering from tetanus as she had partial body stiffness as well as chronic infection.
Now I can only hope she freed herself, as often "Fence hangers" are freed by people thinking they are doing the best thing, often seeing the kangaroo hop away with adrenaline and the determination to survive.
But this is the reality of those cases, they often suffer from acute infection, they become so unwell they slowly die.

The next photos are from a call in Dunolly for a kangaroo with a swollen foot and not really moving. While I approached her, I could smell the infection, I could see her pain, struggling to move away. I was able to safely cover her with a blanket and assess her injuries.
She was more then likely hit by a car weeks ago, with bone sticking out of her toe, multiple fractures in one leg, and a broken, infected hock on the other side - full of maggots.
I suspect she is one that was hit by a vehcile, but "hopped off ok"
Please, even if you can't see the kangaroo - call it in, report it. We can keep an eye out, we can search and let others know there is a missing, suspected wounded animal - to hopefully prevent this from happening and unnecessary prolonged suffering.

Now we can't know what the circumstances surrounding these traumas were, but we can safely guess the first was a "Fence hanger" and the second was "hit by car"
We understand accidents happen, we understand people take action not realising the consequences - but these two heartbreaking rescues show us the reality of what often does happen when help is not sought immediately.

Sometimes we can't find the animal, no matter how hard we try or how quickly you call it in.
But I just hope this post makes 1 person think twice, the next time they assume the animal hopped off fine 🙏

25/06/2024

🦢 MARYBOROUGH SWANS 🦢

The iconic swans of Maryborough are loved and adored by all, they bring joy each year raising their cygnets and walking around our town going between the lakes and res.

Yesterday, another Swan was killed.
It was killed by an off-leash, uncontrolled dog.
This is the second to be killed in recent years because of irresponsible dog ownership.

Our focus is on yesterday's attack.

If anyone witnessed the attack and can provide critical infomation regarding what you saw - please contact Central Goldfields Shire Council and request to make a report to local laws.
CGSC can be contacted on 54610610 and DEECA for a wildlife offence on 136186.

We need signs installed to ensure dogs are kept on leash only in areas that we share with wildlife like the reservoir, Princes Park and Philips Gardens.

Not only do we need more signs installed, we need Central Goldfields Shire Council to enforce these laws.
As a community, we need to let Central Goldfields Shire Council know we need these signs, we need enforcement and we need penalties for those who allow dogs off leash in these areas!!
Contact Central Goldfields Shire Council via email [email protected]

As a community, we need to speak up.
We need to let others know these places ate not suitable for off-leash dogs.
Call people out, request their dogs be adequately restrained and under control!

Not only keeping our iconic swans safe, but also the wildlife that call these habitats home and other on-leash dogs!

This attack could of been avoided.

A life was lost because of irresponsible dog ownership.

I am asking for all of our followers to speak up.
Email our local council to let them know we want signs, we want enforcement, we want fines for those breaking the law and posing a risk to our swans and beautiful water birds.
There is no excuse for this attack.
There is no excuse in accepting irresponsible pet ownership.

Email Council below, asking for action!
[email protected]

I would also like to thank our beautiful shelter volunteer for her quick response, getting evidence, photos and speaking with people around the lake. What a superstar!

RIP, another beautiful Swan gone - due to human carelessness.
It is not acceptable.

Let's do better, let's advocate for better - but we need community support and those in the community to speak up and let council know we need better!
💜

21/06/2024

Great first step into wildlife rescue and transportation 🙏

Keep an eye on Warriors 4 Wildlife for more upcoming sessions and join the network of Wildlife Rescuers 💜🥰

Our workshop covers a wide range of topics, including rescue equipment, health and safety, handling and capture techniques and our rescue communication platform.

21/06/2024

Wildlife Rescue 🦘

I'd like to start by saying that Wildlife Rescuers are unpaid, we are volunteers and we choose the amount of time we can volunteer to our organisations that we work with.
Fuel, supplies and equipment all comes from our own pocket - we are not superheros, we are human.
We assist native wildlife, this is not because we only care about wildlife - it is because if we responded to everything in need, we would need 40 hours in a day!!

We understand finding help for animals in need can be frustrating, traumatic and disheartening - trust us, we know!

We try our best to offer a 24/7 service for our region, but ultimately we are made up of 1 carer, 1 rescuer and a handful of shelter volunteers who we sometimes call on to assist in rescue.

Wildlife emergencies such as;
🦘 Vehcile collisions/hit by cars
🦘 Entanglements/Fence injuries
🦘Animals orphaned/alone young
🦘 Broken bones/obvious bleeding

Please Call us, day or night.
Whether it's 3am or 3pm!
This IS a wildlife emergency.

Please do NOT call for things like;
🐾 Stock on road (this is a shire ranger issue)
🐾 Stray cats and dogs (again, shire ranger will handle this)
🐾 Pest control (rats, mice, wasps)
🐾 Snake Catching

If your call is not an wildlife emergency but a question, query, a non urgent matter or advice regarding wildlife - please send us a FB message, text or call us between 8am-8pm.

I have recently had series of calls between 10pm-6am that have NOT been wildlife emergencies - things like stock on road, wasp nests, foxes and feral cats.

As much as I would love to provide helpful infomation and I'll happily attend a Wildlife Emergnecy at 2am - I am not available 24/7 for non urgent matters.

As a rescuer, I also work, have a family and dedicate countless hours a week to our wildlife.
I am stretched to my limits physically, emotionally and finacially!
I wish I could do more. But I am not superwoman, I am a human, a mother, a daughter and a partner.

If you find an injured "pest species", or non native - we will still do our best to assist! We do not want any animal to suffer but as I sit here, beyond exhausted - I feel we need clarification on what wildlife rescuers can and can't help with.

And please, if we cannot help or you are asking us for assistance with something that wildlife rescuers do not do (eg pest removal) please be understanding and kind.
We are unpaid. We are volunteers. We make many sacrifices. We do not need unkind words.
These leave us hurt, defeated and not wanting to provide the service we have for many years.
Kindness to both humans and animals goes a long way 💜🦘

Thank you! 💜🦘

14/06/2024

💫 Auction Time 💫

Below we have two donated beautiful handmade items to auction to raise much needed funds for our wildlife in care 💜

To bid, please click on the individual photo and comment your bid on the item of your choice.

Auction closes 7pm on Wednesday 26th of June.

Winner will be contacted via messenger and details for payment and delivery will be arranged 🦘🦘

These gorgeous items were kindly donated by Di from Dizie artworks - check out her beautiful work in this link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552647770320

Pick up Maryborough or postage available at buyers expense!

Please share with friends 🥳🥰

If you wish to make a donation, rather then bidding our details are below 👇

Paypal
https://www.paypal.me/cgwildliferescue

Bank Transfer
BSB: 814282
Acc: 50386525
S. Peterson

THANK YOU 🥰🦘

25/05/2024

We need more volunteers 🙋‍♀️ 🙌🦘🤩

Assist with the daily care and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife by becoming a shelter helper 🤩

We are looking for volunteers who can donate time on a weekly basis to help us with the upkeep, cleaning roo pens, aviaries, preparing feeds and general day to day operations at the shelter 🦘

You must be
- over 18
- compassionate
- reliable
- commit to a minimum of 3 hours weekly

Gain hands-on experience in wildlife rehabilitation, make a meaningful impact on animal welfare, and join a supportive community of fellow volunteers, whether it be a stepping stone to become a future wildlife carer or you just would like to make a difference and volunteer your time.

We need volunteers for both morning and afternoon shifts, weekdays and weekends!

To find out more or to discuss further, please send us a message with any questions 🤩🦘

22/05/2024

Happy National Volunteer week! 🥰

Thank goodness for our incredible shelter volunteers, Carmen, Nell, Selena and Kristian 💜🥰🙌

Without these guys, dedicating a day each week - we couldn't manage without their help!

From picking up poo, to transporting precious cargo and everything inbetween. They help us with the day to day operations.

Not only have they become wonderful friends, but a huge part of our family 💜🥰

12/05/2024

Happy mothers day to all the great mummas out there! 💐
No matter what type of mother you are, we hope you know you're appreciated! 🙌💐💗

A special happy mothers day to all the beautiful carers, being the mother to many orphaned and injured wildlife - day in and day out! 🥰💜🦘

Here's a photo of my role model, best friend and the one who not only raised me, but raises many orphaned wildlife each year 🙌🦘💗

01/05/2024

Little Lana 💜

Lana was found by a kind person who stopped to do a pouch check, upon finding a little joey in the pouch, she took the mums body to the vets and little Lana was assessed and her wounds treated 🥰 thankfully xrays showed no fractures, as the wounds and bruising around her hock was reason for concern. As she grows and develops, we will learn if she gains the strength required to live a full, wild, healthy life one day- so far, the prognosis looks good.

Our beautiful volunteer Selena offered to pick up the special bundle and take her to the shelter.

These photos are 14 days apart, little Lana has grown so much and gone from "Pinkie to Velvet".
She came in at a tiny 500grams and has required specialised care.
Lana has required special formula, feeds around the clock, additional heat and keeping her skin clean and moist as well as pain relief and treatment of her wounds.

Joey's at this age have complex care requirements and require experienced care with a Wildlife Carer.
They come in compromised already, from the trauma they have endured.

Lana is going to be in a care for many months to come, before she one day is released back to the wild.

It is so important to do pouch checks and to ensure this little darling ended up in the correct hands of an authorised carer.

So many joey's end up in "illegal care" where they will not receive veterinary treatment, pain relief, thorough assessment or the specialised care to thrive.
Many more joey's, end up perishing in their mother's pouch due to no one stopping to check! This isn't a quick death, but a slow, cruel one, of starvation, dehydration, the elements or predation.

Please always call your local Wildlife Shelter or rescue group for assistance 🥰💜

26/04/2024

This is a bit different to my regular posts of rescues & Shelter stories, but this is so important.
I have woken up to see a post on Facebook and am sitting here wondering why do I even bother, should I quit now? What is the point?

BIG W is now selling kangaroo skins.
They sell large and small.
These skins, are inhumanely harvested.
It isn't monitored.
Kangaroos leave wounded.
The kangaroos that us, and so many others spend 10,000s of thousands each year raising, rehabilitating and rescuing to get back to the wild just to end up as dog food or as a decoration in your home.

Please tell BIG W this isn't acceptable.

Below, are photos of future skins and those I've been called to assist that are still alive - that have had bullets lodged in them or jaws blown off.
Whether it be illegal shooting, permits or the industry - it needs to STOP.

This is the reality of the kangaroo harvesting industry.
Horrific.
Confronting.
Distressing.
Cruel.

26/04/2024

Some of the cheeky wallabies in care 🥰

Lulu & Julio 🏵
Jake & Elwood 🌼
Lana & Dusty 🌸

All such little characters, requiring specialised feeds and care at the shelter after becoming orphaned.

25/04/2024

Mt Cole, 2 months post the Bayindeen Fires 🔥

We are still busy, we are still heading out there, just less frequently these days.

Today was a busy one, starting with doing some repairs at the shelter and putting up shade mesh and of course sending Jack on the roof to clear gutters 😅

Then we loaded up some hay & roo feed, thanks to Warriors 4 Wildlife and possum boxes, and headed to the fire grounds.

These possum boxes were made by students at Maryborough Education Centre 👏
We reached out during the fires and with enough student interest, they started to make possum boxes for us to help rebuild habitat after the fires decimated the state forest! 💜

We checked on local mobs and looked for any injured or those not coping well post such a horrific event, but were glad to see mostly healthy kangaroos and wallabies in surrounding grounds.

We know they are back on the burnt out ground, as slowly vegetation grows back but food is limited.

So with beautiful native grass hays, we laid feed in the "hot spots" to help support the kangaroos and wallabies... Now these "hot spots" were just areas with lots of fresh p**p 😅 but it's a great indication that they are coming back to their home.

A little over 250km just on this little journey but well worth it.

I couldn't do this all without the support and help of my partner, son and my mum.
Especially my mum, who is just kickin' on behind the scenes, caring day in and day out - giving support and encouragement.
This is a crazy journey we embarked on 🫣

I am proud of what we are achieving and will continue to do, post fire to support our native wildlife.

It's always a great time to get involved with your local rescue organisation or shelter to become a volunteer!

Volunteer. Advocate. Share. Donate. Raise awareness. Rescue

We can all do our bit 🥰💜

If you would like to support the work we do,
Donations can be made via
Paypal
https://www.paypal.me/cgwildliferescue

Bank Transfer
BSB: 814282
Acc: 50386525
S. Peterson

24/04/2024

Lest we forget 💜

24/04/2024

Happy ending, a little team work and two free kangaroos 🥰
* kangaroo in photo is heavily sedated, but in good health *

Yesterday I received a call regarding a trapped kangaroo in a business in Maryborough.
I went down to assess the situation and relaised we had two trapped kangaroos after the recent replacement of fencing.

Thankfully the owners were just as concerned about the situation and made the call for help!
Wanting the kangaroos to be safe, they were more then obliging to anything we required 🙏

Being on a large block, with high fences and gate facing a road - it wasn't ideal for them to leave via the gate.

A plan was made and the following day we would return, locate and with assistance have them darted to safely remove them out of this property and back to the mob.

This morning at 7am, i got a call from the same number who reported the trapped kangaroos, I wondered if they had escaped overnight, but nope! Some horrible person hit a kangaroo outside her property and left him alive and struggling on her nature strip 😡
So I headed straight out and the poor young male eastern grey was in a bad way, but thankfully he was found by the incredibly kind-hearted Wendy and she knows what to do when finding injured wildlife - call us!

As i continued with the morning, We made the plan for the afternoon for Trevor to come and meet me at the property to dart the kangaroos.

We were able to successfully get the kangaroos out safely and into the facilities next door where I could stay and safely recover them after the injection of sedation from the dart gun.

Thankfully they were in good health, with no signs of injury and were able to re-join their mob! 🥰

Definitely couldn't have done this without Trevor's assistance!

Of course once sedated, I had to have a smell of this beautiful Western Grey boy - who smelt divine! Anyone who handles kangaroos knows the smell but of course Trev caught a snap of proud me after sniffing his head 😅

Please always make a call to either your local Wildlife services if you find any native wildlife injured, orphaned or in a spot of bother like these two were today 🥰

And please remember to be patient and kind, wildlife carers & rescuers are self funded volunteers - just doing our best, from our own pockets, from our own hearts.

Moments like this make it all worth it 🙌

14/04/2024

This big boy was lucky to be found this morning by property owners cutting wood right next him! He didn't move and blended in with the surrounds, and once he popped his head up, they saw him and knew to call me immediately.

He had a severe compound fracture, that was infected and fly-blown. We can only assume he was hit by a vehicle then found a safe place in their paddock to rest, his injuries looked to be a week old 😭

Rest easy big man, no more pain 🙏 💔

13/04/2024

The "Wally Yard" 🤩

13/04/2024

🥰🥰🥰

Waru integrating with the mini-mob 🙌

Waru was a victim of the Bayindeen Fires, with his wounds healing nicely - he still has his snazzy bandages on for protection as he begins to transition to spending time outside and meeting other "friends" in care 💖

03/04/2024

Six weeks on from a bushfire that ripped through 22,000 hectares of land west of Ballarat, wildlife carers say the impact on already stressed wildlife is heartbreaking.

01/04/2024

Another exhausting Easter 😪

So many cars on our roads, so many people away holidaying, camping and adventuring = absolute carnage for our native wildlife.

SLOW DOWN. DRIVE TO THE CONDITIONS. BE ALERT. BE AWARE.

Sadly, not one was called in by the person who hit the animal.
All called in by motorists passing by.

This weekend, I wanted to take it easy, enjoy time with family and slow down a little for health reasons so I can be back and fighting fit.
But unfortunately there were animals in need.

Thank goodness for my mother Sharon & my partner Jack for helping 🙌

Wildlife rescue is exhausting. It is mentally, financially and physically just exhausting.
We see the best and worst in people.

Please remember, we are not paid. This is our own time, money and equipment.
Please be kind and patient, especially in times we can't get their immediately or simply cannot assist.
We do our best.
We always refer and advise.

30/03/2024

It's hard being an absolute sucker for all creatures! 🥰

This rescue isn't going to the shelter, but instead will be going via Lambcare to be raised.
Till then, I get to enjoy the lamby cuteness, cuddles and bottles!

A very kind woman heard this lamb in distress, after trying to locate the ewe and the farmer, she finally spoke with him and said he was likely a rejected twin and she could take him 🥰

Little Olly is enjoying the couch life till his next chapter in care begins 💖