01 Jun THE CURROWAN FIRE – ONE LITTLE KANGAROO’S STORY
This is a story of one little kangaroo’s experiences in the recent bush fires.
In early 2019 an Eastern Grey kangaroo named ‘Baldwin’ was hand-reared as a joey by WIRES Mid-South Coast volunteers. He eventually entered a soft release program and was successfully released onto a rural property at East Lynne, just to the north of Batemans Bay, late last year.
He was free to roam across this beautiful property with the local mob of Eastern Greys’.
Unfortunately, the Currowan fire swept through the area in early December 2019 and he disappeared. WIRES volunteers suspected he had died in the fires.
A week after his disappearance, local Police from Batemans Bay noticed a kangaroo that was more friendly than most and caught Baldwin. He had very bad burns on his feet and was in a bad way. The Police contacted Shelley Clarke a WIRES Mid-South Coast volunteer who immediately suspected it might be Baldwin.
Shelley kept him for a night at her house at Tomakin, where he allowed carers to dress his burns and to stabilise him before he was transported back to the property at East Lynne.
His badly burnt feet were treated for many weeks by his dedicated carers, and it was clear that Baldwin was very happy to be home.
The good news is that he has made a full recovery and is again enjoying life at East Lynne.