Is WILDLIFE RESCUE for you?
Hey there ROAR FOR PAW lovers!
Hope you are enjoying the first days of winter!!
Living with animals is an irreplaceable experience! If your are drawn to wanting a pet, but unable to care full-time then this post is for YOU!
There are many options available and are much easier for you to try than you probably imagined. You can foster, try wildlife rescue, volunteer, work in retail pet stores, try vet reception, study to be a vet nurse or even a vet, dog groomer, pet resort walker or employee or work at a rescue shelter.
In this post I will focus on Is WILDLIFE RESCUE for you?…
Wildlife rescue is something I stumbled upon to try in between jobs after moving interstate. Although I must say the idea of getting close to any kind of wildlife was thrilling and has now completely changed my life. It has given me a passion for something I never knew I would actually be good at.
To me wildlife rescue was something “older” people who had time did or was only available for trained professionals. Little did I know it was as easy as answering a call out for volunteers in the local paper. For me, my passion lies with MACROPODS – kangaroos and wallabies. It still blows me away to welcome these precious often very young babies into my home. Not many people get to experience such a close bond with a wild animal – although if you have the burning desire, time, finances and housing requirements…I would wholeheartedly recommend it.
It is so incredible to bond with a joey and see how they each have their own personalities, quirks and are just incredibly beautiful. The males tend to be obviously different to the females are usually super affectionate and I enjoy sparing with them! As they grow older I love watching them try to practice their kicking and tackling on their human mum! Joeys in general have an amazing little habit that could bring me to my knees, almost in tears of love when they do it. When standing next to their “mum” they often rest one of their feet on your foot as for comfort or bonding… it is quiet a special experience that I have experienced over and over again. And I must say, they have the most adorable yawn that I am yet to capture on camera!
Depending on what state you live in the most important thing is to be registered with a WILDLIFE GROUP. Usually a small fee is involved however this usually covers the permit for you to house which ever wildlife you choose to care for. Without a permit, homing a wild animal is not allowed by law.
If you own domestic pets it is VERY important to keep them separate so the wild animal grows up without being immune to natural predators such as dogs and cats. They need to remain somewhat afraid so they will escape if they are chased in the wild. Also fleas are not a usual pest of the macropod and so can be hard to treat as typical domestic pet flea products cannot be used (except some powders). Cats and cat poo are capable of transferring an illness called toxoplasmosis and so hygiene and keeping cats away from wildlife is incredibly important.
As a carer you will need to have a somewhat quiet home…so no party houses, or those with noisy young children that would have access to the wild animal. A safe and secure separate room away from the house or within the house is the best option.
Their food requirements consist of a special milk as does any young animals or babies. There are several brands of joey milk and my preference is WOMBAROO, having seen the effects of some other milk brands, this has the healthiest result. They also require different strengths of milk as they grow older, as well as teats, bottles, pouches, supplements, a port-a-cot or plastic playpen, vet drugs from time to time and may require more serious vet work. Some people find this can be taxing on your wallet…some things can be subsidized by your rescue group…but mostly the cost comes back to you. I don’t find it particularly expensive but I also enjoy it too much to let it worry me.
Then there is the feeding schedule and this will usually make or break a carer. The younger joey requires more frequent feeds e.g. Every 2 hours for around 100grams (yes even during the night)…then they change to every 4 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours as they grow older…so it does get easier. If you work full-time or maybe even part-time you may not be able to take on those under 6 hours. Sticking to feeding times is SO IMPORTANT. If you cannot commit to these hours it’s best you do not care.  They can develop many health issues if not fed as much as needed and usually this is visible in the quality of their coat, thyroid gland and growth. If you are in a position to offer them the same quiet and stress free conditions at work you could also feed them there. However not many people have that luxury! Just like human babies this can be hugely tiring, and they do get upset tummies and illness from time to time and therefore may require a few “nappy” changes throughout the night.
If you don’t like POO talk then this may also not be for you. Poos are very important as a joey mum. You need to keep checking their colour, smell, shape, and texture. They can go downhill very quickly and often the change in poo or wee can be a warning sign. You also need to stimulate them with a very soft damp tissue to help them go to the toilet, as in the wild the mum still does this with her tongue. Exercise once they have grown hair is very important, and so is the way you lay them in the substitute pouch..their spine needs to be nice and curved with its’ feet in the air, as they would be in their mums’ belly. This helps their spine grow to be flexible and strong. They also need adequate sunlight time to help vitamin D levels and bone growth as well as fresh air, rain and learn to use their senses. However these times need to keep to the natural rhythms and patterns of sleep and play as they would do in nature.
STRESS is a HUGE killer of a joey as they are prone to conditions such as capture myopathy, cardio myopathy, thrush and bacterial infections. These are not just “big” names to scare you they are real and occur so often that a joey in care is more likely to die that survive, unless in experienced care. Handling should be kept to a minimum, however I have been very successful keeping them down my top close to my heart beat and with my natural warmth, as opposed to leaving them alone initially in the just orphaned process. However each carer develops their own techniques over time. But I am lucky I do have a quiet home and no other little hands to want to hold them. Warmth is very important however it cannot be too cool or too warm or again the growing joey is likely to develop growth and health issue…such as glaucoma or death if kept to warm or cool.
Some carers are known to parade their joeys around in public however most agree this practice is irresponsible. Unless they are in a zoo where they are exposed to humans daily and in a safe environment this is not encouraged. As mentioned before stress and even exposure to humans should be reduced so they remain a wild animal and not conditioned to humans.
Unfortunately in many rural and interstate areas joeys are killed daily by cars accidentally and even on purpose by other means. However people should be aware that if you intentionally kill wildlife you can be fined. These types of people need to learn to leave the wildlife be, each one has a personality, family connections, are capable of loving and you should be grateful to have such a variety in our country.
Going into this you need to realize you cannot keep wildlife even if you become attached. It is illegal unless you are granted special circumstances. After the initial rescue period the animal needs to be put into a soft release site…this is where they are slowly introduced back into the wild with other joeys, as they survive best within a mob around the same age. Usually your rescue group will have connections to pass them on and then one day when they are ready, they will be released.
The most beautiful thing is that they do remember us…and that is such a wonderful memory to have. Be grateful for the experience, that it now has a second chance and then you can look forward as there will always be another baby in need.
This post is not a manual for care! Training will be required however I would love to inspire you.  I hope although it can be challenging, you may be interested enough to give it a go if you are suitable to the lifestyle. The truth is that many groups would love younger people to get involved!
It is something I love so much in life…and although I should not look forward to another baby losing it’s mum…it has been an incredible experience for me and I just love the connection and so proud of what I can achieve. Every state has a local wildlife rescue group… in north QLD it is FNQ wildlife rescue. Inspired? Give them a call or email… they are always in need! Peak season in mostly in summer breeding seasons however due to cars and wildlife mixing…it is an all-round yearly issue.
If you are unable and still want to help, you can volunteer for their fundraising events, donate, become a rescuer or even work in the call/drop in center and gain loads of valuable experience!
Loads of paw love and inspiration
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