Warm Dark and Quiet

Improper rescue can hurt both the animal ~ and you! Which is why we train all our volunteers in correct, confident, and calm rescue technique. Native animals are not used to being handled, and are very susceptible to stress. If handled improperly, they will struggle ~ hurting themselves even more. It is therefore absolutely vital to take the utmost care in the rescue of native wildlife, and to reduce this stress as much as possible.

Here is a quick "1 2 3 guide" followed by some specific guidelines for different groups of Australian native animals.

Seek advice...

If you live in the Tweed Valley area of Northern NSW, call us on 02 6672 4789 Otherwise, look in our Australia wide carer directory, or contact your local Parks & Wildlife office, who will direct you to your nearest group. If you contact us, we will give you advice on what to do, until a trained rescuer arrives. We will then assess the animal, and, depending on that assessment, either take the animal to a vet, or wildlife foster carer.

Four? I thought this was '1 2 3'... Maybe so, but there really is a fourth point here, which is simply make a tea or coffee, and pat yourself on the back. Why? ~ Well, if you've just done the above three, you have given that animal the best chance it has towards a speedy recovery, and to take it's place back out in the wild again as soon. as possible.Thankyou...

Below are some specific guidelines for different animals.

Birds

If the bird can be easily caught ~ (by placing a thick towel over the bird and scooping it up) ~ place it on a on a well wrapped hot water bottle, in a paper lined cardboard box with plenty of air holes. Put the box in a warm, dark, quiet area. This is quite simply the best way to help the animal, and these simple steps can very often save its life. Birds are particularly susceptible to stress, and stress can very quickly cause death.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.

Baby Birds

Very often when we find a helpless baby bird on the ground, our first reaction is to assume that it is abandoned, and rescue it. Sometimes, this is the best thing to do, but so many babies are simply taking 'first steps' and fall to the ground. This is quite natural, and given time, the parents manage very well to get baby back up into the tree.

So, our first job is to ascertain if baby is indeed abandoned. If not, then the best 'mother' for a baby bird is of course, the mother bird.

Firstly, if you can locate the nest site, and the parents are still around, (assuming that the weather is not too hot, cold, or wet ~ the baby has no obvious illness or injury ~ and the chance of predation is minimal) try to reunite with the parents. The easiest way to do this, is to construct an artificial nest (to suit the size of the chick) out of an old margarine or ice-cream container. Put some holes in the bottom, to let water drain out, line it with dry leaf litter, and hang it as high as possible in the tree, well away from the trunk and thick branches, which would give easy access to predators.

Now the waiting part. Once you are well away from the nest, if the parents are around, they will soon start to feed the chick. You will need to watch closely for some time to see what happens. If the adults do not return to feed them, or if there is a high risk of predation, then the baby/s will need to be brought into care. If in doubt, please do not hesitate to phone us for advice.

Note: If the youngster is fledging, ie well feathered and perching, try to place it as high as possible back into the tree, and as with baby birds, please keep a close eye on them.

If you find an abandoned baby bird that cannot be reunited, as above, then please do the following: Place the bird in a temporary nest, which can be anything to suit the size of the bird, such as an old plastic margarine or take away food container, well lined with soft cloth or tissues to resemble the nest lining. Place a well wrapped hot water bottle on the bottom of a cardboard box, and place your "nest" on top of this. As before, put the box in a warm, dark, quiet area.

For more information on baby birds, take a look at our orphaned baby birds fact sheet.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.

Mammals

If the animal can be carefully caught with a thick towel or blanket; place in a sturdy cardboard box with the towel. If the animal appears to be in shock, or cold, place a well wrapped hot water bottle in the box with the animal.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.
Marsupials require specialised milks.

Baby Mammals

Place baby in a pillow slip, sock, or similar, put that inside a woollen jumper or beanie, and then as above.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.
Marsupials require specialised milks.

Echidnas

Use thick gloves, a towel or blanket, (a pair of thongs worn like gloves is great too) and place the animal into a very sturdy container, such as a large plastic bucket. Please DO NOT GIVE HEAT, or place on a hot water bottle. Echidnas do not cope at all well with heat. So, please remember, with Echidnas ~ COOL DARK & QUIET.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.

Bats and Flying foxes

Please, DO NOT TOUCH. Stay away. Keep pets and people away. Phone us for advice immediately. All Australian Bats & Flying Foxes have the potential of carrying Lyssavirus, a rabies like disease. Although the possibility of contracting this disease is quite rare, it is a very real threat, and at least one person in Australia has died from it. The disease is transmitted through scratching and biting, and people often underestimate the lightning fast reflexes, and deceivingly long reach of a Flying Fox. Unfortunately, once bitten or scratched, the bat must be tested for Lyssavirus, and the only way to test for this disease is a brain autopsy. To sum up then, by trying to help, your kindness could lead to the animal being euthanased.

Carers that are called out to rescue Bats & Flying Foxes are fully trained and vaccinated. To find out more about Lyssavirus click here.

WARNING: If you find a Flying-fox on a powerline, please, under no circumstances whatsoever attempt to remove it. The 'fox' will almost certainly be dead, but, between the months of September to January may well be carrying a baby. These babies, which are hidden so well, tucked away in mum's armpit, often unaffected by the shock that killed mum, will slowly starve over a number of days. First, try to ascertain (ideally watching with binoculars for a few minutes) if there is movement under mum's wings. If so, or unsure, please phone your nearest wildlife rescue group, and let them know the exact location. Because the rescue group will contact the relevant power company, the nearest pole number (most power poles have stamped or metal numbers on them) would also be of great help.

To read more, visit our "What should I do if I find an injured Flying-fox" factsheet here

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised.
Megabats & Microbats require specialised milks.

Stranded Whales and Dolphins

If you live in SE Qld, or Northern NSW, and find a stranded Whale or Dolphin on the beach; first phone Seaworld on 07 5588 2212. Then phone us. Anywhere else in Australia, phone the Orrca 24 hour hotline on 02 9415 3333, or your local National Parks & Wildlife Office.

Snakes

Please DO NOT TOUCH. Stay away. Keep pets and people away. If at all possible, please try to keep an eye on where the snake goes to make our job easier (searching) when we arrive at your home.

To read more, read our "living with Snakes" factsheet here

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink

Lizards

Whilst most lizards are quite docile, please use caution, as even a medium size lizard, if stressed, can inflict deep wounds with its claws. Lizards also possess a very powerful bite, and because of their diet, most bites are likely to infect. We suggest you approach the animal quietly, place a cardboard box with plenty of airholes over the lizard, and weigh it down with something heavy.

Please do not offer anything to eat or drink ~ unless advised

Marine Turtles

Turtles usually strand because they are completely exhausted. Too sick or injured, and without the energy to swim, it seems they would rather strand than drown.

Unlike stranded marine mammals, turtles should never be put back in the water.

WE STILL NEED TO BE CALLED AS A MATTER OF URGENCY.

Australian Seabird Rescue is gathering data into causes of death of turtles on the NSW North Coast. Unless we understand the causes of mortality, we cannot attempt to address them.

If you find a dead turtle, please contact ASR on 02 6686 2852.
Please do not offer anything to eat or drink

Orphaned Wildlife

Always check the pouches, and around the bodies of dead mothers on the road. Most people are very surprised to learn that despite the extensive injuries to female Marsupials killed on our roads, the little joeys cocooned safely inside mum's pouch very often survive the impact unharmed. In fact, they are so well insulated, that joeys can survive for up to an incredible 10 days in a dead mother's pouch, suffering a long and painful death of dehydration and starvation. SO PLEASE CHECK.

Also, young marsupials, if old enough to leave the pouch, frequently hang around mum for many days, often watching from just a few metres away in the undergrowth. So, if you've taken the time to stop and check a mother, please take just a couple of minutes to check the immediate surrounding area.

Please move dead animals well off the road. Dead animals attract other animals, which can become victims themselves

In the heat of the moment, remember - your safety, and the safety of other motorists, is of course paramount. Make sure when you stop to check, that your car is parked safely, well off the road. No good saving an animal hit by a car if (A) You get hit by another car, or (B) Cause an accident yourself.

PLEASE DO NOT CUDDLE THE ANIMAL. They are not used to human contact.

PLEASE ~ DO NOT TRY TO CARE FOR THE ANIMAL YOURSELF.

All Australian native animals in care require a highly specialised and intensive feeding program (exact diet, amounts & frequency). A lot need urgent veterinary attention, (not immediately obvious) and many require very specialised housing requirements (exact heating, pouching, perching, and sometimes humidity). ALL require a complex rehabilitation program. Unfortunately we still see far too many animals come in with very serious health problems caused by improper diet etc. People "have a go", and then pass them onto to wildlife caring groups when things go badly wrong. Unfortunately, at this stage it is often either too late, or at best requires enormous effort to restore them to health. Some are so badly "imprinted" that they can never be released, whilst in some cases the animals have deteriorated so badly that they have to be euthanased. They have quite literally been "killed by kindness".

If you find an orphaned, sick, or injured native animal, please phone us or your nearest wildlife carers A.S.A.P once you've stabilised him or her as above. The faster an animal comes into care, the better the chances of a full and successful recovery. Every minute counts.

Yes! ~ Many of our native animals are cute, helpless, and 'different', and there are of course a few exceptions, such as captive bred Cockatoos & Budgerigars etc, but in general, apart from being illegal in most cases (carrying increasingly hefty fines) ~ Australian native animals, due to strange territorial behaviour, specialised diet, housing, social interaction, and often 'unsocial hours', basically make lousy pets.

SO LET'S KEEP OUR WILDLIFE WHERE IT BELONGS

... FREE ...