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On this page you will find questions and answers to some common
queries about Australian Wildlife. Feedback received from you
on our guest page will help to determine the makeup of this page.
Thankyou.
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| Q: |
I have heard that some Flying-foxes can carry a disease. Is
it dangerous, and can I catch it? |
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| A: |
Yes, all Australian Flying-foxes (and their smaller cousins,
the insect eating Microbats) do have the potential to carry
both Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABL) and the less publicised
Hendra virus. Here are a few facts about ABL, the disease
that concerns most people:
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One (possibly 2) people are known to
have contracted this disease from Flying-foxes and died.
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Little is still known about this disease
but it is very rare.
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We advise that nobody (unless vaccinated)
handles or touches Flying-foxes, or Microbats.
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You can only catch this disease from
a direct bite or scratch.
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You cannot catch this disease by living
near a bat colony, having bats visit your garden at night,
or from touching fences or trees that bats have landed
on.
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The only way to tell if a bat has ABL
is to euthanase the animal, and perform a brain autopsy.
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To sum up: We advise caution, but not
alarm. You are perfectly safe if you do not make direct
contact with these intelligent little night creatures...
And by the way, no... Bats do not get entangled in people's
hair.
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| Q: |
What
should I do if I get bitten or scratched by a Flying-fox or
Microbat? |
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| A: |
Do not panic! First, thoroughly wash the wound with warm
soapy water for 5 minutes. This is the single best thing
you can immediately do, (and very effective). Secondly:
contact your Doctor straight away. If you were to be diagnosed
as to having contracted, or likely to be at risk from ABL,
you would simply be put on a course of post exposure injections.
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| Q: |
Can I keep
a native animal as a pet? |
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| A: |
We strongly urge you not to consider doing this. Yes! many
of our native animals are cute, helpless, or '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 'very unsocial hours' basically make lousy pets.
Some quarters are advocating the proposed keeping of animals
such as Quolls as pets. Dogs and cats have been bred in
captivity for thousands of years. Quolls haven't. How would
you feel if instead of being free and active in our forests
at night, you were locked up in a small cage. Up all night,
while your 'owners' are asleep?
So let's keep our wildlife where
it belongs.... FREE
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| Q: |
Just what does
happen to the animal I found after I call a group like yours? |
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| A: |
OK. Well the answer to that question would be very long
and complex, requiring a whole shelf full of books to do
it justice. But the basic process is as follows: After we
pick up or rescue the animal, he or she is first assessed,
and then depending on outcome, either (A) released nearby
into suitable habitat. (B) goes to a vet for treatment,
or (C) goes straight to one of our foster carers. Obviously
if the animal is too badly injured, then euthansia is the
kindest option.
All of our foster carers are trained volunteers, and many
specialise in certain animals. Once in their hands, with
correct diet, temperature, housing, and other special requirements,
begin the process of recovery and rehabilitation. This can
take anywhere from one day, to in some cases a full year.
Carers are careful not to 'imprint' on the animal, and
as the recovery process nears completion, special steps
are taken to 'dehumanise' the 'patient' ready for it's approaching
release back into the wild.
Animals are usually released as close as possible to where
they are found to preserve genetic integrity, allowing for
considerations such as weather, time of year, territory,
breeding cycles and migratory habits. After all, you don't
want to release a Short-tailed Shearwater off the beach
where it was found, if all it's mates have migrated, and
are now thousands of kilometres away in the northern hemisphere...
We work closely in conjunction with National Parks &
Wildlife, local vets, and other wildlife care groups in
northern New South Wales, such as Northern Rivers Wildlife
Carers, with things such as the creching and release of
young and injured Flying-foxes.
Rest assured that once you make that call, your animal
will go to the right carer, and receive the best possible
care and attention.
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| Q: |
I am interested
in wildlife, and want to become a volunteer carer myself. Where
do I start? |
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| A: |
Well. The first questions
you need to ask yourself are: "Have I got the time?"
"Do I have a quiet area or room, (away from pets, TV,
traffic, cooking smells etc?)," "Am I objective?"
"Have I got the space to put up an aviary if I choose
to raise animals such as Lorikeets?"
If you've answered yes to the above questions,
and you would like to make a difference, then wildlife caring
can be very rewarding. There is something magical about releasing
a rehabilitated bird. To watch it fly free once more. There
is something very special about raising a tiny orphaned marsupial,
at first, so completely dependent on you for its every need,
it slowly grows and changes, until the day arrives. If you've
done everything right, your once helpless baby, now strong
and independent takes its place out there. To walk, and run,
and jump, and climb, and raise their next generation.
Still interested? OK - you're next step:
If you live in the Tweed Valley of Northern NSW, phone 02
6672 4789. Anywhere else in Australia, visit our carer
directory to find the contact details for the group nearest
you. For other countries, type in 'wildlife carers' 'wildlife
rescue' or 'wildlife rehabilitation' into a search engine
with your country of choice. (ie wildlife + rescue +new zealand) |
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| Q: |
I have found
a baby bird, or an orphaned marsupial. Can I try caring for
it myself? |
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| A: |
No! In many cases 'helpless
fledgeling birds' are not actually orphaned. See our orphaned
baby birds factsheet for more information.
True orphan baby birds fall into many categories:
Insectivores, nectivores, carnivores, frugivores, granivores
etc. All require very exacting and quite different dietary
requirements, stringent heating & housing conditions.
Add to this that some baby birds will quite literally need
feeding every 60 minutes while young, and you can see that
this is not a task for the inexperienced.
What about mammals? Possum milk replacer
cannot be fed to Bandicoots. Bandicoot milk replacer cannot
be fed to Wallabies. And COW'S
MILK WILL KILL ALL OF THEM...
Australian mammals all require specialist milk replacers and
teats.
Pouched joeys such as Wallabies and Possums
must be raised in a very low Oxygen environment. If not, they
will develop cataracts or blindness by 12 months of age.
Put you off? We hope so. The raising of all
Australian wildlife can be very demanding, and raising them
is only one half. Preparing them for release can be even harder.
Please do not 'have a go'. We see too many young animals coming
into care after even a week or so with someone else. Often
these animals have developed health problems which at best
are very difficult and time consuming to fix. At worst, these
animals are too far gone, and have to be euthanased.
Please don't 'kill these animals with kindness'.
Visit our carer directory
for contact details of the group nearest you. Thankyou |
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