FAWNA Wildlife Rescue has had an increasing number of situations where a kangaroo or wallaby has been killed on the road and nobody has checked for a live joey in its pouch or reported the animal’s location for a volunteer to check.
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Fortunately Clancy, a 180-day-old just furring Swamp Wallaby (see photos), was rescued by Mandy, a Pappinbarra resident who always carries something in her car with which to contain a wild animal in need of aid.
Mandy always checks the pouches of dead animals on the road. Clancy is not the first macropod that Mandy has handed over the FAWNA for rehabilitation and release and the group has great success rearing these marsupial orphans for return to the wild from the closest release facility. Not so lucky was a tiny Red-necked Wallaby at Brombin that had not yet developed to a stage that he was a viable release prospect.
FAWNA’s Macropod coordinator (central) and president, Meredith Ryan, urges the public to check the pouches of roadside wildlife victims and call the group on its 24-hour emergency hotline 6581 4141 if they find anything.
“Even the tiny unviable marsupials deserve a humane end to life and not be abandoned to be eaten by ants, maggots or other predators or to perish through exposure. In FAWNA we know it is not the motorists’ fault as these animals can appear from nowhere so quickly, and we are very understanding,” Meredith explains.
FAWNA’s rescuers leave a spraymark large X on an animal’s body to signify that it has been checked and nobody needs to stop.
“Our group never ceases to be amazed about how wonderful the public are about caring for the plight of injured wildlife and we hope this timely reminder will save a few more lives that have been impacted by human activity.”
FAWNA acknowledges the fine work done by the region’s vets in responding to wildlife veterinary needs, and they give particular thanks to the NSW Police for attending to severely injured roadside wildlife victims.
The licensed wildlife rescue and rehabilitation group’s next induction rescue and immediate care training course is to be held in Port Macquarie on June 25, followed on July 2 by a Bird Rehabilitation course at Johns River.
All details, including how to join the volunteer group, are on the website www.fawna.org.au