11 Jun The Tail Of A Couple Of Ringtails
On 9th March 2020, we had the arrival of our first ringtail possums named Cleo and Julius. A life changing experience of the best kind; with the exception of Julius biting me when angered or disturbed. To my disbelief I was told by Nicci that this was a great thing! Both drank and ate well in their large birdcage, so before we knew it, they were out of their pouch and into a drey. Wildchild No 1 (Julius) became more restless in the confines of the cage, escaping during feeds and foliage change to explore, not wanting to return to the cage. Time arrived to move them into a larger space to develop their wild instincts, but unfortunately there were no aviaries available for Cleo and Julius.
Thanks to the hard work of Nicci who organised an amazing grant through the Wildlife Heroes Program, I was able to gratefully accepted the loan of an aviary. The aviary was delivered with assembly instructions, nuts, bolts and offloaded quickly. Hubby had it up, secured down and running within just half a day. Optional extras such as lights, inside latch, handle and tube brackets were added. Logs and branches were artistically arranged by means of zip ties. After picking and placing native foliage into the aviary, they were now ready for their long overdue and exciting release.
Cleo at first was hesitant and a bit unsure when gently placed into the aviary. Wildchild No 1, Julius on the other hand was off in seconds, owning and exploring every corner, nook and cranny!!
30th May 2020 was a bitter-sweet day, being their final release, but not before Wildchild No 1 managed to get his last bite in on a forearm! But with the release of these little ones, there’s now room in the aviary for another lot. This time not just 2, but 6 new babies (Pink, Thula, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and Midnight)! Wildlife caring never stops but with the assistance of programs like Wildlife Heroes we are able to give more native wildlife a second chance.