TWO little orphaned squirrel gliders have been nursed back to health and were successfully released back into the wild earlier this month.
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A tiny 26 gram young female glider and a 57 gram male were released back into a Forster colony thanks to the efforts of arborist
Martin Hamilton and the assistance of Great Lakes Council’s senior ecologist Matt Bell and FAWNA’s Cheryl Winner.
“They are going to go from being vulnerable to endangered if we don’t look after them. Illegal clearing has definitely impacted on their populations.”
- FAWNA’s Cheryl Winner
Mr Hamilton climbed a tree where he carefully attached a nesting box for the gliders. Ms Winner said she is confident the marsupials will continue to thrive in their new environment.
The young female glider was brought to the attention of FAWNA when she was found hiding behind a pot plant in a local couple’s backyard in early January after a cat viciously killed her mother.
Two weeks later, a passerby found a 57 gram male clinging to his dead mother at the bottom of a tree in Forster.
Thankfully, the Good Samaritans handed the animals over to local volunteer and FAWNA’s possum and glider assistant co-ordinator for the southern area, Cheryl Winner, and have since undergone rehabilitation.
Ms Winner said the tiny gliders could have been harmed or may have faced death if they weren’t taken into care straight away.
“The first 24 hours is so important,” Ms Winner stressed.
“The fact that they brought them in, in a matter of hours of finding them, meant we could get them what they needed and care for them straight away.
“They were both in fairly good condition when they arrived. They were very dehydrated.”
Ms Winner said there is growing concern about the increase in urbanisation in parts of Forster and Tuncurry and the impacts developments are having on squirrel gliders habitats.
Population under threat:
A RECENT study and mapping project by Niche Environment and Heritage of squirrel glider populations in Forster highlighted that without careful management and planning of future developments, local squirrel glider populations could be wiped out within the next few decades.
The study, which identified the distribution, habitat associations and genetic structure of the marsupials, was funded by a $53,000 fine on developer Nino Lani and his companies Lampo Pty Ltd and Bombala Pty Ltd after being handed down by the Land and Environment Court in 2012.
The court found the companies had illegally cleared more than 10,000 square metres of squirrel glider habitat off The Southern Parkway and at Pipers Creek.
The report stated that by installing rope bridges, gliding poles, planting suitable trees and providing more community education, glider populations in Forster could be better protected against urban development.
“Sadly, there is such a small population of them left now,” Ms Winner said.
“They are going to go from being vulnerable to endangered if we don’t look after them.
“Illegal clearing has definitely impacted on their populations.”
If you happen to come across injured, orphaned or distressed wildlife you should contact FAWNA’s 24-hour rescue hotline on 6581 4141 as soon as possible.
If a female marsupial was found, Ms Winner said it is important to thoroughly check the animal as often there could be a baby hiding in its pouch.