All Animal Rescuers

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

21/08/2026

Over the course of a few weeks multiple people had apparently seen an Eurasian coot at a suburban lake with something entangled around its feet.

To date it had been unable to be contained when we were alerted to it. Latest report was that it was caught in some reeds so my colleague Steff and I headed there to see if we could help.

When we arrived we searched the reeds and area it was last seen extensively but couldn’t find it.

Hoping that someone maybe had managed to finally catch it we left the lake empty handed.

A few days later I found myself in the area so thought I would go and have a look around the lake to see if I could spot the coot should it perhaps still be around.

As I walked towards the water I noticed quite a few moorhens as well as coots grazing on the embankment. As I approached I noticed a moorhen sitting on the grass not moving much as I came near. I was fairly easily able to catch her and found that her leg was bleeding and she was struggling to walk. I popped her into a carrier then continued to walk around.

Then I spotted it. The coot with some sort of white fabric dragging behind one leg. It was on the grass which was the best place to catch a water bird as once in the water they are in their element and can be very difficult to. Plus I wasn’t equipped to go into the water today as hadn’t come prepared to.

As I approached the bird it immediately started to head towards the lake, extremely wary of me. Despite a couple of close swings with my net it managed to get into the water. I had some food in my car and tried for around 45 mins to tempt it to come closer to me. I think I fed every bird at the lake with the exception of the one that I actually wanted to . Finally, out of food and with the bird having swum out into the middle of the lake, I called it a day. I spoke to Steff and we made plans to try again two days later.

Meanwhile I headed to Kay at Wild Days Wildlife Shelter with the moorhen. It appeared that the bird had likely had a fish hook or similar caught through its foot but had managed to rip it out on its own. As hooks are usually barbed it had done some damage coming out and after careful assessment by Kay and X-rays by a vet, it was found had a badly broken foot and other damage. Sadly the injuries were too extensive to be able to heal properly for it to survive adequately in the wild, so the bird ended up having to be euthanised.

Two days later, Steff and I each made our own way back to the lake with Steff arriving first. She called me. The coot was there sitting in the lake but close to shore and appearing to be sleeping. Should she try to scoop it up with her net or wait for me to arrive and we have a better chance of catching with one on either side? I told her to go for it if she thought she had a good chance. By the time I got there a few minutes later it may have swum away so now would be a good as time as any.

As I drove I anxiously waited for an update. It soon came. She had caught it and it was now safely contained. It had a fish hook through one leg with fishing line entangled around both legs and some discarded fabric that had also been caught up by the hook dragging behind the poor bird as it had been trying to continue surviving, no doubt making swimming, flying and walking that much more difficult. It would also have been in quite a bit of pain and discomfort.

We decided that Steff should take the coot straight to Kay at Wild Days Wildlife Shelter to safely remove the fishing tackle from its legs and assess the damage which she did.

Amazingly once all of the rubbish had been removed it was found there was no major damage. Also through some kind of miracle, despite the hook having been in its foot for weeks as the coot foraged in and around the dirty water of the lake, the wound was clean with no sign of infection. The bird would likely just need a short stay in care to heal then could be released back to its home! One out of two is pretty good as most fishing tackle entanglements don’t usually end well.

Please, we implore anyone who likes to fish recreationally. Try to take any discarded hooks, line and tackle with you when you leave. Please try to remove it from the waterway to save the wildlife from living there from getting entangled.

04/08/2026

I was alerted to reports of two black swans sitting in the centre medium strip of a busy 5 lane road that numerous witnesses had reported had been there for two days. One of the swans appeared injured (assumed hit by car) with her bonded mate staying by her side.

I happened to be in the area anyway so headed there immediately. As I neared the intersection they were at I could clearly see them. Both laying down and grazing on grass as cars sped by them centimetres away on either side.

There were three small man made lakes that had been made into wetlands on three of the four sides of the intersection so assuming they had been crossing from one to the other on foot when one of the birds had been hit.

As I slowly walked towards them, the larger one (assuming the male) stood up immediately whilst the female stayed down with her neck stretched along the ground and head down. She was clearly the injured one. As they were a bonded pair, although the male was uninjured I was going to have to catch them both so that they could stay together to minimise stress and reduce risk of further injury should the male be left there on his own and potentially get hit by a car also.

I blanketed the female fairly easily and sat with her passively laying on my lap with my arms around her as I contemplated how I was going to safely catch her mate. He was standing nearby still on the medium strip but hissing at me clearly torn between whether to flee or stay with his mate.

I finally decided to put the female into my car as was going to be impossible to catch him and hold her at the same time.

As I stood up and waited for a break in the traffic a wonderful passing motorist saw what I was doing and drove across the road blocking traffic for me to allow me to quickly get across to my car. He then assisted me to get the injured swan into my car which was tricky as I had not come prepared today to catch swans as hadn’t expected to, so didn’t have any large carriers onboard. I did though have blankets and towels so wrapped her up and placed her inside before quickly shutting the door and turning to her mate still sitting on the medium strip watching me carefully.

As I slowly approached him he took off onto the road. Oh no, he was going to get hit. With the help of the amazing man who was still there, we flagged down and stopped the oncoming traffic as I rounded the big black swan up. A wonderful woman who had stopped next to the barrier on the medium strip, quickly opened her car door as he passed next to her, and I raced around to the back of her car. He was momentarily trapped which gave me the chance to grab him and carry him safely to join his partner in the back of my station wagon.

After thanking my amazing helpers, I contacted Kay at Wild Days Wildlife Shelter(who was actually the one who alerted me to the swans being there in the first place). She offered me to take them directly to her shelter for her to assess asap which I did.

Thankfully the female didn’t appear to have any broken bones or serious injuries other than a concussion and dehydration. After three days in care recovering with her concerned and loving mate by her side, it was clear she was ready to return back home.

Kay and one of her volunteers released them at the largest of the three wetland lakes away from the road in the morning with the pair obviously very happy to return. I went and checked on them that night at dusk and was thrilled to watch them happily swimming and feeding still on the same lake. Hopefully they will now stay there after their little adventure.

I was alerted yesterday to a situation of a magpie stuck on the roof of a two storey building.The resident who lived the...
24/07/2026

I was alerted yesterday to a situation of a magpie stuck on the roof of a two storey building.

The resident who lived there knew the local magpie family who visited well, and it appeared the juvenile of the family had somehow become trapped and its frantic parents were flying around trying to encourage it to free itself, but it couldn’t. This is what alerted him to the youngster who he could just see peering over the gutter. It had been there since the day before he believed.

I packed my ladder and headed over. There it was up on the roof of the 2nd storey. With the assistance of the amazing resident I climbed the ladder up onto the roof of the first storey, then pulled up the ladder to securely place it on that roof to enable me to climb up onto the roof of the second storey. Once up there I could clearly see what was going on with the young bird. It was stuck under the edges of the tiles in the gutter. How it had done that I have no idea. As I crossed the tiles to reach it the parents flew over and sat near me watching me carefully.

After pushing back one of the tiles I was able to carefully free the young magpie. One of its wings looked quite ruffled so I carefully put it into my carrier and took it back down the ladder to then take to an avian vet for a checkup, hoping it wasn’t seriously injured.

The next day was given the good news that after being xrayed and assessed the little one had no breaks, but wasn’t flying as well as it should so possibly had a soft tissue injury. It would be sent to a Wildlife Carer for rehabilitation then released back to its parents once recovered.

21/07/2026

How did it get into this situation? #3……

A report came in over the weekend of a pigeon that had been spotted in Caulfield with a local wild flock, with a plastic coffee cup lid around its neck. There were concerns that it was unable to eat or drink due to the encumbrance, but despite attempts to catch it, it had so far evaded capture and was now especially wary of people.

I headed out there yesterday armed with a big net and a special pigeon trap to see if I could help it.

I initially went to the location it was last seen behind some businesses on a main road. Rescuers who had attended previously had already approached the businesses who were aware of the pigeon and happy for people to attempt to catch it on their property, but despite walking around the area and searching, there was no sign of not only the particular pigeon I was searching for, but any pigeon. I decided to give up for now and return later so got into my car and started to drive away. Then whilst stationary at traffic lights I suddenly noticed a flock of pigeons flying and landing behind a building on the other side of the road further down. I immediately drove there and got out and went searching for where the flock had gone. There they were at the back of some shops on the roof of a shed eating what looked like bread that someone had thrown up there. It wasn’t long before I spotted the one with the lid around its neck. I was relieved to see he was able to eat but ideally we still needed to get the plastic rubbish off as would be so uncomfortable for him and inhibiting him from preening and sleeping well.

I set my pigeon trap with heaps of food inside and waited. The birds were feasting on all of the bread on the roof so was some time before they noticed the food on the ground or even came down to the ground to investigate. They were understandably wary of the foreign object on the ground but once they noticed the food inside soon became curious and tried to nibble at it from the edges. I watched with my breathe held as the pigeon I had come there to catch curiously put his head inside but then a loud bang from a nearby construction site spooked him and he flew off. Over the course of the next 2 hours I watched and waited, worried that the cup would inhibit him from going into the trap but hoping it may at least hold him momentarily so I could spring up and grab him and free him from the cup. I also had my large net handy but when I attempted to use that all of the pigeons took off and flew away but thankfully it wasn’t long before they returned and the waiting game began all over again.

Finally after numerous nibbles at the food inside and getting braver at putting his head inside, our pigeon poked his head fully inside. The cup got caught in the one way trap and as I went to leap up to go grab him, the pigeon pulled his head backwards out of the cup that was now held fast all by himself and was free!! Watch for his little happy dance at the end when he realises he is finally free!

Yet another reason to please dispose of your rubbish in a bin.

18/07/2026

Two more pigeon rescues this week. Different locations but similar situations. Both pigeons had been attacked by predator birds (possibly hawks) and were spotted cowering and hiding. One was under a car in a busy shopping centre carpark, the other under a shelf in a carport.

Both now in our care and recovering.

UPDATE: I have found the rooster a home on a beautiful acreage family property in Monbulk with a small flock of chicken...
17/07/2026

UPDATE: I have found the rooster a home on a beautiful acreage family property in Monbulk with a small flock of chickens waiting for him! I will go pick him up tomorrow from the vet.

Yet another dumped rooster. This time though not in a park or someone’s front yard. But on a freeway……

By some miracle he survived and was taken to a vet who confirmed no injuries! We need to now urgently find him a safe forever home as vet can only hold until Monday and being in the suburbs we are unable to house here.

Expressions of interest welcomed via private message. Would hate for him to end up being euthanised after what he has already been through. Located in Melbourne.

16/07/2026

A report came in one evening earlier in the week of a native black swan that had crash landed into a surprised resident’s inner suburban home’s courtyard. The swan was hissing loudly at anyone who came near in annoyance but did not seem to be able to find its way back out again.

I headed straight there and found the young swan in exactly the same spot it had landed in. It didn’t appear from an initial observation of being either unwell or injured but it was certainly unusual for it to have ended up where it was, and being dark outside, it would need to come into care at least overnight as couldn’t be released at that time of night.

She was fairly easy to blanket and pop into a large carrier. I noted she had both a leg ring and a neck collar. This was great as the neck collar indicated she was part of the group that Melbourne University keep track of. The collars appear large and cumbersome, but have been proven over use over the last 50 years or so worldwide to not cause any issues, and actually minimise stress as swans can easily be identified from a distance without the need to keep recapturing in order to read a smaller legband or tag as usually is the case with other tagged wildlife.

The fact she had a white neckband told me she was a female and I could look on the swan net webpage to see the locations she had been to easily be able to return her to where she lived. But first she needed to be assessed properly to ensure she was ok.

A call to the amazing Boobook Wildlife Shelter who agreed to see her immediately, so I prepared to transport her there.

But then I was alerted to another black swan needing help nearby.

This one has been reported to be on a busy road with a motorist stopping to shoo him off, then he sat near the side of the road without moving when approached with multiple drivers calling for help concerned he had either been hit by a car and was injured, or would be soon if left there.

I headed straight there which was just minutes away.

The swan was as reported just sitting on the grass next to the main road. He was also banded like the first , this one had a black neckband indicating he was male, so they likely were part of the same flock. Has something scared them both simultaneously to make them take flight and crash down in the inner suburb away from their lake?

I easily netted him wrapping him snuggly in a blanket as he appeared in shock, and took them both to the wildlife shelter.

Inititial assessment found them to have scrapes on their elbows and possible wing damage. The next day they were transported to Healesville Sanctuary for Xrays and tests.

I was thrilled to find out the following day they were all clear and could go back home! A check of swan net showed me they lived at Albert Park Lake, so I went and picked them up that afternoon and at dawn the next morning had them at Albert Park ready for release.

After their little adventure they were very happy to be home and were greeted by others there.

To follow these two go to:
https://sighting.myswan.science.unimelb.edu.au/swan.php?collar=V99&submit=Submit

https://sighting.myswan.science.unimelb.edu.au/swan.php?collar=T37&submit=Submit

I had a call out during the week for a young currawong spotted in a suburban backyard being attacked quite viciously by ...
11/07/2026

I had a call out during the week for a young currawong spotted in a suburban backyard being attacked quite viciously by another currawong but not flying away.

When I arrived the juvenile was sitting on the ground and was fairly easy to catch with a net. Upon inspection it was bleeding quite badly from the mouth . The resident who had reported the bird in told me that the other bird had appeared to be ‘feeding from this one’s mouth’ and they initially believed it may have been a parent feeding its baby, until they spotted blood.

Turns out the older bird had been attacking the younger one. Currawongs are highly territorial, so assume that the fledgling had inadvertently wandered into another birds territory and subsequently had been viciously attacked but been unable to fly away due to injuries.

I rushed the young bird to an avian specialist vet who commenced treatment immediately however sadly the currawong past away the following day from its injuries. At least it had been administered pain relief so discomfort was minimised at the end.

10/07/2026

City Pigeon update. Day 6 since rescued. Now eating on his own, diarrhoea completely gone replaced with healthy poos! Flying well. Complete recovery.

06/07/2026

A report came in on Saturday afternoon from someone who was in the city and noticed a pigeon struggling to stand. It apparently kept ‘flopping onto its belly’.

As most know there are quite a few ‘wild’ pigeons that live and congregate in the city, foraging as best they can and nesting/roosting amongst the concrete and buildings. Some may have once been part of someone’s flock and become lost or discarded and ended up joining the city flock, many likely are descendants of these.

It’s a tough life for a city pigeon, especially in the middle of a cold Melbourne winter. Sadly most people regard them as a nuisance or a pest so they get little sympathy from passersby should they be unwell or injured.

But there are a network of amazing people who watch over them and try to help them who we take our hats off to. One such person didn’t hesitate to jump into her car from the suburbs to search the location it was last seen at two hours prior in the twilight. By the time Evy arrived the pigeon was not in the spot it had been photographed in. Had someone picked it up already, or had a predator got to it? Luckily she searched around in case it was still nearby then she spotted movement in the leaves below. There it was. Despite being very weak, it had managed to find a pile of leaves and was trying to hide in them for the night.

Evy gently placed the little one into her carrier and drove the 40 mins or so to me. Upon assessment I found the pigeon skinny with severe diarrhoea, but with a will to live, which was enough for us.

I had a heatpad already warmed up in an enclosure which I placed the pigeon into and thanked Evy for saving its life.

A little later now warm and a little more active I cleaned up the pigeon, treating it for parasites and worms and giving it a crop feed and treatment. The next morning he seemed a littler better though still too weak to stand for long. But the fact he made it through the night is a win, as each day will be. That’s all we can ask for.

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Nunawading, VIC

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