WILDLIFE RESCUE WITH JACK JACKSON
Tourist saves drowning wallaby
KOALA JOEYS RELEASED
PHOTO: JACK JACKSON
EARLIER THIS YEAR A GROUP OF HEALTHY YOUNG KOALAS WAS RELEASED AT A SECRET LOCATION ON STRADDIE.
Swamp Wallaby
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uring a stay at Anchorage Village Resort, guest Chris Baker took a stroll along Home Beach where, to his surprise, he found a wallaby lying on the water’s edge, barely alive. After a bit of quick thinking Chris wrapped her in his jacket. She struggled at first, but was very weak and Chris did his best to comfort the poor little swamp wallaby, as he spirited her away to the Anchorage office to seek help. A call was placed to the wildlife rescue service and Carolyn Hahn raced to the resort. After sedating the animal she discovered a joey in its pouch, which had, unfortunately, drowned. Chris and Carolyn did their best to clear the wallaby’s lungs by holding her upside down and firmly tapping both sides of her ribcage. Once the wallaby was stable, Carolyn took her back to her place, where she found that the poor animal had a massive amount of sand in its ear passage. For hours,
Carolyn cleaned the wallaby’s ear passage, holding her on a slope so any more water would drain out. After many hours of tender care the wallaby did begin to recover. Carolyn placed her in an enclosure, with the door open, and left it up to the wallaby to do the rest. Throughout the night Carolyn snuck out to check on her progress and on each trip saw that “Tilly” was improving. At midnight, Carolyn found that Tilly had recovered enough to leave the enclosure and return to the wild. This poor wallaby and its unfortunate joey were almost certainly chased into the water by a dog. Kangaroos and wallabies instinctually head for water when being chased by a predator. If the dog had followed her she would have attempted to drown it by grabbing the dog and holding it underwater with her powerful feet and tail. Good on you Chris for taking the initiative and saving a local.
Kids’game no joke for wildlife ord Mayor Melva Hobson played a serious game of I-spy on her way to a meeting with Stradbroke Wildlife Rescue volunteers recently. Five life-size cutouts of wildlife were placed within two metres of the road along the Beehive Road and Clayton’s Road, Amity. The two-metre distance was to represent a single bound for a wallaby and about 10 steps for a koala. From their car, driving at the speed limit of 80km/h, on a clear sunny day, Melva spotted one of the cutouts and her travelling companion, council’s manager for planning Murray Erbs, spotted two. Given
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real animals in place of the cutouts, three or four animals could have been killed in that single trip. This simple game demonstrated just how difficult it is to spot wildlife on the edge of road, and the need for all road users to consider visibility and road conditions while travelling on the Island. More than 80 native animals were killed on Stradbroke Island roads last year; 40 have been killed so far this year. As summer approaches and the number of visitors on our roads increases, it is necessary for all road users to slow down and look out for wildlife. — Greg Grimmett
10 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN
These plucky little individuals, each rescued on Straddie, had been hand raised on the mainland by three dedicated women, specialists in raising orphaned koala joeys. Four of the joeys were raised in Toowoomba, by an amazing woman called Clare. During the period she cared for the joeys, Clare dedicated her life to these precious Islanders, making many trips from Toowoomba to Australia Zoo at Beerwah, to ensure these little guys had the best possible care and access to world class veterinary services. Added to this, Clare lost her husband during this period, as well as caring for other koalas, rescued from the mainland. What an amazing woman. Kelly the koala, whose mother was victim of a dog attack, was raised by koala carer Evelyn, who has been quietly raising and returning koalas to Straddie for many years. Why were these Straddie koalas being raised on the mainland? Well, I am the only person on the Island qualified to raise koala joeys. However, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis not long after taking on my first koala joey, and have not been well enough to take on the job since. If anybody is interested in training to qualify as a koala joey carer, I can tell them, it is a great privilege to share a few months of your life with an Australian icon. It was the one of the most fascinating and rewarding experiences in my life. Even if your children would like the opportunity, it will take a lot of training and possibly a bit of time to qualify, but I encourage the younger set to take responsibility for the valuable wildlife that live all around us. Just call the rescue service on 0407 766 052 and they will put you in touch with me. — Jack Jackson
SPRING 2011