15 May A Lucky Break
Girtie, a swamp or black wallaby, and Jarrah, a wallaroo, are 2 of many young ACT Wildlife macropods which have came into our care. As a pinkie swamp wallaby, Girtie, only 360g, was saved from her mother’s pouch after a car accident. At first it was touch and go whether or not she would survive – injuries, pneumonia and gut problems. With her carer at the time she did survive, and thrived with a cheeky personality.
Months later, in my care, she was eating a slice of apple and holding it only with the left hand. I thought at first “that’s smart”, but something is wrong, her little right arm was hanging limply. An x-ray showed an arm fracture had occurred near her wrist and weakly knitted together at the time of the accident. Her vet found a way to correctly support the bones with bandages. The photo shows her right arm bandaged. She frequently pulled them off and just as frequently I put them back on. I dreaded finding her without the stable support. We didn’t know if her bones would heal enough until we saw the final x-ray. It showed a solid bone formation around the break. Yay. Thankfully the 2nd break happened before release and not after. A very, lucky break.
We are grateful for the support you are giving us through the Wildlife Heroes grant and bandages are just one of the well needed items we have bought. Thank you.