16 Oct NSW South Coast Recovering with the help of Wildlife Heroes
We will remember the summer of 2019/20 for the Currowan bushfire that devastated 500,000 hectares within the area that Wildlife Rescue South Coast operates. The legacy of the fires still impacted on operations in December 2023 when we successfully applied for a Wildlife Heroes Grant offered by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.
We originally applied to funds three projects:
• A “flight aviary” for Gliders, large enough to allow these amazing animals to glide between trees and posts.
• An isolation unit for adult kangaroos with treatable injuries. These guys don’t do well in captivity and need to be sedated and confined to avoid injury to themselves and their carers.
• Update some macropod enclosures, replacing old fences, expanding the enclosures and facilitating transfers between the indoor, high care facility and other compounds.
In early 2023 it was difficult to find contractors to work on small projects – as the effort to rebuild devastated communities was in full swing. The company that quoted for the Glider enclosure withdrew, and others could not complete the project in the available time or budget. The Foundation understood our predicament and allowed us to refocus on the other projects.
Despite similar issues with the other projects, we were easily able to complete those within budget.
Many members volunteered their time and skills to make this happen, but it was worth it. The isolation unit was a blessing, which can also be used to quarantine individuals which must be separated from other animals in care.
As well as replacing aging fences, the improvements to the macropod enclosures allow our kangaroos to be easily moved between compounds as their care needs change. It is more efficient, reduces the stress for the animals and carers, and provides the ‘roos with larger areas in which to prepare for their eventual release.
We are so grateful to the Foundation and their Wildlife Heroes initiatives for making this possible.