All Animal Rescuers

All Animal Rescuers Volunteer Animal Rescue Service in Melbourne, Australia. paypal.me/allanimalrescuers

01/01/2026

I had a call about a mamma Pacific Black duck and 7 ducklings walking down a suburban street heading towards an industrial estate.

It is normal for wild ducks to lay their eggs in a suburban backyard hidden under bushes then when their ducklings hatch they walk them (sometimes up to 5km) to their home lake or waterway, where they will stay to raise them.

I initially suggested to the caller to leave them alone and let them continue on their journey, perhaps even following if possible at a safe distance to help stop traffic should they try to cross a road. The caller was adamant that there was no waterway that they could walk to, so I quickly checked my maps to see their location to work out where they might be headed to. There was a lake around 2km away but there was alot of factories and warehouses blocking their path which on foot would be very difficult for the little family to manouver around. I decided to head there to see if I could help them.

Once there I found the duck family making their way in and out of the yards of houses, the little one day old ducklings sticking close to their mother. Usually we would let them try to make the treck on their own but it was getting late in the afternoon, and at the rate they were going they weren't going to make the lake by dark and if they had made it to the industrial estate would struggle to find cover to hide in overnight.

So I decided to give them a hand. I was able to catch the seven ducklings and carefully placed them into a soft carrier. The mamma duck was watching from the top of the fence then when I gently picked up the carrier and started walking slowly away she did as I had hoped, and started to follow me.

It was a slow walk, but we did it safely. Me holding the carrier of quacking ducklings with the mother duck trotting behind me. We crossed several roads and manouvered our way through a park and between factories until we made it to what I believed was the lake she was headed to. As we got to the top of the hill and looked down to the lake the mamma duck excitedly ran past me into the lake then turned and waited for me to approach with her babies. As I unzipped the carrier a couple of other adult ducks appeared, one of which I believe was the Pappa duck. We were in the right place!

My heart nearly burst as the family were reunited, having all made it safely to their home lake and before dark. The ducklings immediately started enjoying the water and foraging for food with their parents.

31/12/2025

I was called out last month to a report of a native wood duck with an injured leg at a popular suburban lake.

When I arrived I spotted him immediately as his leg was sticking out at a sharp angle and he was unable to put weight on it. As I approached he appeared extremely weary of me, and as I slowly lifted my net, he flew off.

Over the following weeks I visited several times. He wasn't there for some of those visits, but I spoke to quite a few of the locals who frequented the lake and was told he usually was there early in the morning and late in the afternoon, flying off elsewhere during the middle of the day. Everyone seemed to know of him and were concerned for him. Was he in immense pain? Could his leg be fixed? My main worry was that once he was caught and taken to a vet, there was a chance he would be euthanised.

On my visits that he was there, I tried to gain his trust. The other ducks all seemed to like me with some coming right up so I could touch them with my fingertips. But not this duck. He was always wary.

The last time I visited I met up with one of the locals who visited daily to check on the duck and had taken a keen interest in wanting to ensure he ideally get assessed by an Avian vet to see if there was anything that could be done for his leg.

We spent a couple of hours observing and also attempting to catch the wood duck but he kept alluding our attempts even with my special nets. I discussed with him my observations over the weeks I had been visiting, in that the duck was able to eat and fend for itself and flee from danger, so was surviving quite well. Should we still catch him if there was a chance of being euthanised? I called on a colleague of mine to discuss.

As I spoke about the duck she started comparing it to a recent case she had. With her case she had managed to catch the duck with a netgun and take to an Avian vet. The vet advised that the duck was in very good condition so was eating well and that the injury was old and the bone calcified so the duck was in no pain at all. So she released it back to the lake where she caught it from. We then realised we were talking about the same duck! She had caught this one a few weeks ago! No wonder he was so wary of me!

I got off the phone and told the man I had been speaking with. He was as thrilled as I was. He decided to make some laminated signs to put up around the lake letting everyone know that the duck was in no pain and nobody need worry about it anymore.

So relieved!

We had a call about a galah entangled in a soccer net at a primary school. Being the summer holidays they are closed f...
27/12/2025

We had a call about a galah entangled in a soccer net at a primary school. Being the summer holidays they are closed for around 6 weeks yet for some reason have left their nets up which are a danger to wildlife, and won't necessarily be regularly checked.

By the time I got there the juvenile galah had managed to chew its way free but was sitting nearby, not flying, mouth full of blood.

Thankfully didnt have permanent injuries and Is now with a carer recovering.

We had a call a few days ago from someone attending a tennis tournament who spotted an injured Indian miner bird on one ...
19/12/2025

We had a call a few days ago from someone attending a tennis tournament who spotted an injured Indian miner bird on one of the courts. Being a non native species sadly there weren't many rescues who would help. I didn't hesitate so headed straight there.

When I saw it, it was evident the little fledgling was in a bad way. As there was a match being played on the court I had to wait until they had finished their set before being able to enter the court. The little bird had moved closer to the players and I watched with my breathe held a little hoping a tennis ball wouldn't hit it causing it further pain. Thankfully that didn't happen and soon I was able to hurry onto the court to rescue it.

From the looks of it had been attacked by other birds and would have been in immense pain.

I was able to get it some pain relief before the little one passed away on its own a little while later. At least was warm and safe and pain free when it did so.

A resident who had just moved into a new home got the surprise of her life when she went to roll up the garage door for ...
13/12/2025

A resident who had just moved into a new home got the surprise of her life when she went to roll up the garage door for the first time only to discover a little family of brushtail possums sleeping inside the roller!

Concerned that she may have injured one of them in the mechanism when the door was moving, she called for wildlife help in a fairly distressed state, meanwhile placing a bowl of water in the roller as it was quite a hot day.

When I arrived I observed the little family for some time noting that none of them appeared to have any injuries or any issues with movement. On the contrary, they seemed very relaxed! I advised the resident to leave them as they would all likely head out again that night to do their foraging for food. If any further issues she will call me.

13/12/2025

We had a call last weekend from a gardener who had turned up at a vet clinic on Sunday morning to mow their lawns. The clinic was closed all day on Sundays however someone had left a sad little bundle needing help on its doorstep. On closer inspection the gardener realised it was a fox so called for help.

As we have said previously, very few animal rescues will assist a non native species, especially a fox. But it was an animal that was reported to be suffering and we dont discriminate, so headed immediately there.

Upon arrival I discovered the poor little thing had dragged itself out of the towel it had been wrapped in but had only managed to get to the corner of the step. The little cub had a severe head injury and broken leg. A note had been left by the well meaning person who had brought it there letting the finder know the baby had been found on the side of a highway so assumed hit by a car.

At least they stopped and attempted to get it help, assuming doing so in the middle of the night. Unfortunately the vet they attended wouldn't have found the injured creature until Monday morning, by which time it would either have been suffering the entire time, or possibly mauled by another animal.

The baby is no longer in agony.

08/12/2025

We had two more cases recently of possums caught in possum traps that were left inside them for an extended period of time.

A little ringtail was spotted in a trap ontop of a fence on a private property by a passer-by just before 6pm one night. We assume it had been in there at least from the night prior if not longer. The poor thing was dehydrated and had fly eggs on it with an injury on its nose from trying to escape.

A brushtail possum was spotted in a trap on a suburban roof by a neighbour around 11pm one night. The next morning the resident of the house phoned the pest control company that she had hired to set the trap advising them that a possum had been caught. They told her they were busy at other jobs and would get there later in the day. I arrived around 12.30pm to find the stressed brushy still in the very exposed trap now also with an injured nose from trying to escape. So he had been there for over 12 hours at least.

Note that possums are protected native wildlife. The trapping of ringtail possums is illegal without a permit. Brushtails can be trapped in a trap designed to avoid injury as long as strict guidelines are followed. These include the trap being on a stable level position protected from wind, rain and direct sunlight. The trap must be checked no more than 2 hours after sunrise and if a possum is found inside it must be removed.

NONE of the above guidelines were adhered to. This is especially concerning when we know for a fact that the brushtail was caught in a trap set by a professional pest controller who advertise on their website that "We follow strict government guidelines to ensure possums are handled humanely and relocated safely. Your home is protected without causing harm to the animal."

We were able to rescue both possums who are now with a wildlife carer recovering from their injuries

02/12/2025

We were thrilled to play a small part recently in this Wildlife Vic rescue.

A local power company had removed and replaced a wooden power pole on a very busy intersection, then transported the cut down pole on a truck back to their depot.

At the depot they commenced cutting up the hollow wooden pole to dispose of it only to discover a family of ringtail possums living inside of it (2 adults and 2 babies)!

They did the right thing and called WV for help with a rescuer going to the depot to help retrieve the family of possums from the pole. This took some time as they kept retreating further inside so it had to be carefully cut up further in sections in order to get them out.

Once out I then met the rescuer and transported the possums to the amazing Kay at Wild Days Wildlife Shelter . She assessed them for injuries then placed them into the safety of an enclosure containing a home-made drey where they lived being well cared for as they got used to life sleeping in a drey as opposed to a power pole. Once they were noted to be sleeping each day in the drey, we then went to the next stage of the rescue. Relocating them inside their drey to a safe place close to where they were found.

We carefully assessed maps of the area noting that there was a private golf course very close to the intersection. I contacted them speaking with the Greens Keeper who was very co-operative and more than happy for us to visit the course just before dusk to attach the drey into a suitable tree.

On the agreed afternoon we went there with the possum family inside their drey which was placed inside a pillow case to keep them safely inside. Steff helped me choose the perfect spot to place the drey, climbing a ladder to do so ensuring it was facing the right direction with other trees nearby enabling them to travel across the canopies when searching for food.

Once secured Steff carefully removed the pillowcase and we quietly stepped away. The family continued sleeping!

We have checked in since and they have settled in well in their new home. The lovely Greens Keeper is also keeping an eye on them for us.

Busy Sunday. Native wood duck with broken leg at public park; nestling spotted doves whose parent was killed by a dog...
30/11/2025

Busy Sunday. Native wood duck with broken leg at public park; nestling spotted doves whose parent was killed by a dog; fledgling native bronzewing pigeon with injuries that look like from a cat; injured rainbow lorikeet that had flown into a window; injured tawny frogmouth with broken leg and sore eye.

13/11/2025

These two nestling tawny frogmouths had had their nest blown out of its tree in a bad storm and were found on the ground quite far apart from each other in a backyard.

I made up a replacement nest for them from a hanging basket then headed there to try to help them out.

When I arrived, the residents of the property had gently put the babies together under the tree the nest had fallen from and popped a washing basket over them to keep them safe. As I walked into the yard, the mother tawny was on the ground next to the washing basket checking on her chicks, but then flew up into the tree to keep an eye on what was going on below. Although they are nocturnal birds, due to the stress of the situation with their chicks in danger, the parents were awake and watchful, swooping between two trees ignoring the protests from the local noisy miners and magpies who weren't used to seeing these birds flying around in the daylight.

Using a ladder I placed the makeshift nest up into the tree then went and watched from a distance to ensure that the parents found their babies and were accepting of the nest I had built.

As I watched the mother flew back down to the spot where her babies had been and had a good look around for them, then flew into another tree. She hadn't realised yet that they were in the basket.

After nearly an hour of watching and with day turning to dusk the babies started to get restless and no doubt hungry making small sounds that finally caught the attention of their mother. With one swoop she landed above the nest then hopped down to her little ones whose necks were stretching skyward with mouths open. I left the family to their reunion. Next morning I checked in with the residents who let me know babies were being kept warm by their parents in the nest and all seemed well.

27/10/2025

Saddened to see as I travel around my local area in the lead up to Halloween this Friday, the number of homes that have already put up their decorations (some have been up since the start of October) which include fake cobwebs.

Please stop using fake cobwebs to spook up your home this Halloween because they pose a huge danger to wildlife.

Birds, bats, small animals, insects and bees are often attracted to the decoration and get caught, resulting in injury and/or death.

The webs are often not just contained to the property they are in as can be easily blown around in the wind, then spread around public places such as parks and beaches, where wildlife are drawn to, and because majority aren’t biodegradable, can hang around for months or even years with the danger ongoing.

Birds often use spider silk to build their nests and cannot tell the difference between real and fake webbing. This can result in birds and their young becoming stuck in the fake web.

Please, by all means decorate your home if you wish to join in the fun of Halloween, but please contain the use of fake cobwebs to indoors

I had a call recently from a concerned member of public who had noticed the two fledgling babies of their street's resid...
25/10/2025

I had a call recently from a concerned member of public who had noticed the two fledgling babies of their street's resident magpie pair seemed to be injured. He had observed them limping and struggling as they tried to follow their parents around.

Now this time of year we get many calls about magpies not being able to fly and they turn out to be fledglings that are being happily cared for by their parents as they learn to fly, which usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks for them to be able to do once they leave their nests. As per usual I asked if the magpies' parents were there and was told yes, but there was definately something not quite right with the babies. So I headed straight over.

Upon arriving I immediately saw one of the fledglings who was lying on the grass looking a little lopsided. When its parents came near it stood up and started limping behind them but when they hopped off the curb onto the road to cross it, the baby struggled to hop down then couldnt get back up on the other side. Something was clearly wrong.

I went and picked him up and examined him gently. He really needed to get to a vet asap as from the looks of him he may have been hit by a car, though I couldnt see any blood, but I did suspect a broken bone or more.

I popped him in a carrier and looked around for the other fledgling. When I went around the corner I found it. Sadly deceased on the nature strip. Perhaps they had both been hit by the same car? I hurried to the vet.

The little surviving magpie was xrayed and assessed. Two broken wings and a fractured knee. Were they the result of a motorist mowing him down? No. Metabolic bone disease. He would have to be euthanised.

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) in birds is a painful, degenerative condition caused by a nutritional imbalance, most often from being fed human foods like mince and bread. This leads to soft or brittle bones, fractures, and deformities due to deficiencies in calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin D3. Human foods (such as mince, bread, and other processed foods like ham) are nutritionally inadequate for magpies. These foods lack the necessary calcium that magpies get from their natural diet of insects, worms, and small animals.
Many human foods, particularly meat, have a high phosphorus content, which interferes with the body's ability to absorb and use calcium.
The problem can even occur if parents are fed human food by people, and they then pass on their poor diet to their young.

So clearly this little family of magpies were being fed by one or more of the people in the neighbourhood who 'loved' them. Sadly they actually killed them with their 'kindness'.

Since this case which was last week, we have also picked up a young currawong found unable to fly and with signs of MBD that ended up passing away before making it to the vet, and yesterday had a report of a very friendly blackbird, also showing symptoms and with what appears to be a broken wing.

Please do not feed wild birds. The best way to prevent MBD is to let them find their own natural food, as they are well-equipped to do so.

Support their natural diet instead. If you want to help, create a habitat that encourages their natural prey. This can be done by planting native plants, providing a water source, and creating safe spaces with mulch and leaf litter to support insect populations.

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Nunawading, VIC

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+61414662323

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