Our WILVOS 5441 6200 Hotline is still getting a variety of calls for different rescues. We always encourage new volunteers on the Hotline to read through the Call Logs. They are fascinating!
We are still getting many calls about wildlife being hit by cars. Being breeding time for so many species, animals are on the move and of course the cars never stop! Wildlife can appear on roads in the most unexpected places. Suburbia is a place where all the secretive animals come out at night and it is not unusual to get a call from someone who has seen an echidna in their yard and wonder if they should be moved. No, they are just cleaning up the termites in the area, under cover of darkness.
It often seems that the small animals are the most reclusive and their survival may depend on this. With macropods, the kangaroos like open spaces where they can use their powerful speedy legs to their best advantage. The smaller wallabies and pademelons depend on hiding for their safety. This is why they are found in the bushier areas. Their tracks are tunnels through the undergrowth.
Swamp wallabies just have to be the cutest. Of course, every native animal that comes into care is always the most beautiful ever! Swamp wallabies become such feisty individuals. So gentle, but they become so independent as they grow. By release time, it is very easy to see they are ready for the wild. If swamp wallabies and pademelons are kept in care for too long it is sad to see their natural instincts dwindle. When released at the right time, they have no urge to visit or see humans. They want to find those hideouts in the bush! Foxy and Finnegan, the two little swamp wallabies in my care at the moment, are a source of never-ending entertainment as they play in the yard. A lovely view from the office window!
Donna Brennan Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (WILVOS) PO Box 4805 Sunshine Coast Mail Centre Q 4560 PH 5441 6200 www.wilvos.org.au