Issue 4 Wildlife Rescue Magazine

www.wildliferescuemagazine.com June 2012 v1n4

FEATURE! Wombats FEATURE! Tawny Frogmouths Wombat joey Photo by Sandi Kogtevs

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Contents

Contact us www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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The theme of this conference is “Continuous Improvement” Planning for the 2012 Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference continues on track to provide conference attendees with the ultimate North Queensland experience of fellowship establishment and connection in the winter sunshine.

2012 Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference Programme 16:15−16:50

Monday 16th July 2012 17:00−19:00 18:00−20:00

Registration Desk Open Cocktail Party - Drinks and Finger Food, Informal

16:50−17:20 Day 1 Close

Tuesday 17th July 2012 7:30−8:30 8:30−8:45 8:45−9:20 9:20−9:55 9:55−10:30 10:30−10:55 10:55−11:30 11:30−12:05 12:05−12:30 12:30−13:30 13:30−14:05 14:05−14:40 14:40−15:15

15:15−15:40 15:40−16:15

Registration Desk and Trade Tables open Housekeeping and Opening Presentation Audio Visual Presentation by Steve Amesbury Key Note Speaker (To be advised) Presentation to be advised Dr Anne Fowler Keeping Them Healthy in Captivity - Concepts in Quarantine for Wildlife Care Dr Sarah Brett Two Reptile Case Studies

19:30

State CouncilsNational Body Discussion - for those interested

Wednesday 18th July 2012 8:00−8:30 8:30−8:45 8:45−9:20

Morning Tea Trade Tables Open - Refreshments available in Foyer Dr Chris Rafferty and Dr Carlo Pacioni Conservation of Endangered Woylies Ruth Lewis Conservation and Protection of Koala Habitat Dr Derek Spielman Efficacy of 5 in 1 Vaccine in Macropods

9:20−9:55

Lunch - Walk outside to various restaurants in groups Dr Jim Pollock & Jenelle Gay C & S Studies Dermatitis Common Brushtail Possums in Townsville Gordon Rich Nutritional Requirements of Juvenile Marsupials June Butcher Continuous Improvement - From Mining to Mental Health

10:55−11:30

Afternoon Tea Trade Tables Open - Refreshments available in Foyer Marg Peachey Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease

Brigette Sharp Impacts of Habitat Fragmentation in an Urban Environment Two 15 minute sessions QWRC and NSW State Council Free Evening

9:55−10:30

10:30−10:55

11:30−12:00

Thursday 19th July 2012 8:00−8:30 8:30−8:45 8:45−9:20 9:20−9:55 9:55−10:30 10:30−10:55

Registration Desk and Trade Tables open Housekeeping and Slide/Video Presentation Professor Steve Garlick The Emotional Lives of Kangaroos: Rehabilitation, Science and the Environment Dr Janice Lloyd and Dr Ellen Ariel Environmental Enrichment for Sea Turtles in Rehabilitation Professor John D Orbell Towards a Rational choice of Pre-treatment Agents for the Cleansing of Oiled Wildlife

10:55−11:30

Morning Tea Trade Tables Open - Refreshments available in Foyer Simon Watharrow Reptile Rescue and Rehabilitation Jo Neyens and Sarah Hirst Survival Study Northern Territory Possums

14:40−15:15

12:00−13:00 Lunch - Walk outside to various restaurants in groups 12:00−12:40 (AIMS Field trip early bus at 12:40) AFTERNOON FIELD TRIPS AND WORKSHOPS

11:30−12:05 12:05−12:30 12:30−13:30 13:30−14:05 14:05−14:40

15:15−15:40 15:40−16:15 16:15−18:30

Registration Desk and Trade Tables open Housekeeping and Slide/Video Presentation Dr Derek Spielman Necrotising Syndrome in Ringtail Possums Tania Duratovic Natural Disasters in Australia - Are Animals Considered Jacqui Marlow and Eira Battaglia Road Kill and its Prevention Morning Tea Trade Tables Open - Refreshments available in Foyer Dianne Hunter Oblong Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Dr Anne Fowler Nutrition and Food Preparation for Wildlife TBA Recycling the Dead: Taxidermy for Museums Lunch - Walk outside to various restaurants in groups Adriana Simmonds Wildlife Conservation and Community Education Dr Rosemary Austen and Professor Steve Garlick Rescuing and Treating Macropod Fence Injuries Greg Gordon Strategies to Deal With Emotional Trauma Afternoon Tea Trade Tables Open - Refreshments available in Foyer Professor Catherine Herbert Free - Room to be set for dinner

18:30for 19:00 Dinner Guest Dinner Speaker - John Young 100 of My Favourite Images Trivial Trivia - Prizes The Role of Long Acting Contraceptive Implants to Manage Highly Valued Marsupials in Australia

It should be noted that the programme is subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control. In such an event we will revise the programme at the earliest opportunity.

For more information www.2012awrc.org.au Email info@2012awrc.org.au

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary TA S M A N I A Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary’s passion and work centres around helping our native wildlife survive.

We thrive on educating as many people as possible about how we can all help save, rehabilitate and release injured animals. All of Bonorong’s ‘residents’ undergo meticulous assessments to ensure they are healthy and happy in our care.

Are you passionate about wildlife?

Would you like to become a wildlife rescuer?

Central to our work is Bonorong’s volunteer FOC Wildlife Program.

(Friends of Carers, Friends of Critters, Free of Charge.)

This is Tasmania’s first community run wildlife assistance service, designed to help our devoted volunteer carers and the many native animals in need. We are always looking for new volunteers to help nurse our wildlife back to health.

Once trained for Bonorong’s FOC program, participants can register to become part of Bonorong’s rescue team, spread across Hobart and beyond so that when Bonorong receives a call about an injured creature on its wildlife hotline can look through the database of rescuers and find the closest person to the incident.

Being a rescuer is very non-invasive. When an animal is reported orphaned or injured a group text is sent to all the volunteers in that area and people can choose to do the rescue or ignore it if they are busy.

From that point animals are either taken to a vet or cared for by the rescuer for less than 24 hours, while Greg arranges for their transport to Bonorong where they are assigned to another group of local heroes, the wildlife carers!

Find out more at www.bonorong.com.au/foc_program.html

Come and experience the ultimate Tasmanian wildlife evening!

The ULTIMATE experience for any wildlife lover who thrives on the up close and personal experience!

This two and a half hour fully guided feeding tour of the park has been a massive success this year and has received the most incredible feedback. You will be inside the enclosures with animals such as tawny frogmouths, golden possum, wombats, bettongs, sugar gliders and many more.

Hand feed a Tasmanian devil!

Most of our animals in Tasmania are nocturnal or awake at dusk and dawn. We time your exclusive tour to catch perfect viewing of all the animals. All across the park animals emerge from their daytime slumber and reclaim the night.

Find out more at www.bonorong.com.au/night_tours.html

Publisher’s words Welcome to our first ever 'Wildlife Rescue Magazine' YES - The renaming of our 'Tas Wildlife Rescue' Magazine begins with this issue - Wow!! What an inaugural Issue this is and it is so packed with great articles and stories, we start off with: Wombats!

Wombats! Wombats!

This issue is packed full of Wombat information - Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release is what we meant to bring you for this issue however - we couldn't fit the Release section in. This Issue has hit OVER 150 pages - so in our Next Issue of No. 5 - we will be having a section on - the Successful Release of the Wombat - we welcome any pictures

you would like to provide of your own soft release enclosures... send them to: info@wildliferescuemagazine.com We know you will enjoy our feature on the 'Tawny Frogmouth'.

We are doing a three part series over the coming months on 'Infra Red Cameras in the Field' - send us your own experiences with an outdoor monitoring camera, please include a picture, this always makes the story that more interesting. Send us your pics and stories to andrea@wildliferescuemagazine.com We bring you a new segment called: 'The DIY Guy' - brought to you by Glen Burston of Burston Blue Silicon Teats and as always we have our great Vet - Colette Harmsen answering once again your vet questions - if you have a question send it through to us and we will send

Andrea Devos

it on to her to be answered.

We have 5 great wildlife rescue stories - vote for your favourite one by sending us an email.

Last issue we had the signed book called 'Camp Croc' by Trudie Trewin the winner was ' Terri Eather' Congratulations!

Many thanks to author Jill Morris and Greater Glider productions for the fabulous books we have been able to offer as prizes in this issue of our magazine.

We hope you enjoy our Fourth Issue of Wildlife Rescue Magazine our magazine is now being downloaded over 55,000 times.

Harry the Hairy-Nosed Wombat and other Australian Animal Tales Jill Morris along with Greater Glider Publications bring you this beautiful 42 page full colour book, beautifully illustrated by Tina Wilson.

Meet Harry – the hairy-nosed wombat, Rufus the Red Kangaroo, Bobuck the Mountain Possum, Kolo the Bush Koala, Percy the Peaceful Platypus and Rusty the Nimble Numbat. To receive a FREE copy of this book – email us a wildlife rescue story complete with pictures to andrea@wildliferescuemagazine.com and if chosen you will receive a beautiful copy of this wonderful children’s book.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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June 2012

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Wildlife Rescue Magazine Publisher/Advertising 0413 587 613 Email info@wildliferescuemagazine.com Website www.wildliferescuemagazine.com Wildlife Rescue Magazine is published six times per year.

Publisher Wildlife Rescue Magazine Phone: 0413 587 613 Website: www.wildliferescuemagazine.com Editor andrea@wildliferescuemagazine.com Andrea Devos Production Artizen Image Design, Brisbane, Queensland Advertising Wildlife Rescue Magazine Phone: 0413 587 613 Email advertising@wildliferescuemagazine.com Website: www.wildliferescuemagazine.com © 2012 The materials in this publication constitute Wildlife Rescue Magazine copyright. Unless otherwise indicated, you MAY download the full magazine, store in cache, distribute, display, print and reproduce materials from this magazine in an unaltered form only (retaining this notice and any headers and footers that appear with the original materials) for your personal, noncommercial use or use within your organisation. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted in any form or by any means for Commercial Use without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright Act 1968 ©Wildlife Rescue Magazine 2012 If you have questions about the use of this magazine or would like to apply for permission to use articles from this magazine for commercial use, please contact: info@wildliferescuemagazine.com The intellectual rights in all new material vests in the author or creator of such material. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, or any exclusive right exercised, without the written permission of Wildlife Rescue Magazine.

Authors warrant that they are the owner of all intellectual property rights relating to all material supplied by them, their officers, servants and agents to Wildlife Rescue Magazine.

Authors hereby indemnify Wildlife Rescue Magazine in respect of all actions, proceedings, claims and demands made against Wildlife Rescue Magazine by any person arising from the use by Wildlife Rescue Magazine of any material submitted to Wildlife Rescue Magazine by the authors, their officers, servants and agents for publication in Wildlife Rescue Magazine.

The articles represent the view of the authors and the editorial represents the view of the editor.

Other opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Editor or Wildlife Rescue Magazine.

Please note that the material presented in this online magazine has been prepared for the general information of the reader and should not be used or relied upon for specific applications without first securing competent advice.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine, its members, authors, staff and consultants, do not represent or warrant its suitability for any general or specific use and assume no responsibility of any kind in connection with the information here in.

WARRANTY & INDEMNITY – Authors, advertisers and/or advertising agencies upon and by lodging material with the Publisher for publication or authorising or approving of the publication of any material INDEMNIFY the Publisher, its servants and agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication and without limiting the generality of the foregoing to indemnify each of them in relation to defamation, slander of title, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks or names of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of right to privacy AND WARRANTY that the material complies with all relevant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the Publisher, its servants or agents and in particular that nothing therein is capable of being misleading or deceptive or otherwise in breach of Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

ADVERTISING CONDITIONS - See advertising rates available at www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Contents Feature stories Readers’ stories 12 Shelby – pouch reconstruction

COVER STORY

17 The wombat Andrea Devos

Hanna Marco

Articles PART ONE

69 Motion activated infrared cameras Andrea Devos

57 Little Girl’s story

COVER STORY

85 The tawny frogmouth

Helen Hutchards

PHOTO ESSAY

112 Welcome to East Coast Natureworld Andrea Devos

Andrea Devos

66 Wattle and her wayward son Watson Sandi Kogtevs

Regulars

80 Foxes: a serious threat to our wildife and Tasmanian enterprises DPIPWE

82 A baby koala named ’Joey’

59 Funnies

Terri Eather

60 The D.I.Y Guy Building a large enclosure

107 Have you seen my transmitter Dr Sarah Brett

Glen Burston

65 Ask Colette the Vet

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Trowunna Wildlife Park

Trowunna has been conserving and rehabilitating native Tasmanian wildlife since 1979 and we have successfully rehabilitated countless orphaned native wildlife such as wombats, Tasmanian devils, quolls and a variety of birds to name a few.

Trowunna has been operating successful breeding programs, specifically Tasmanian Devils and quolls for over the past 25 years.

Trowunna’s Devil population is of highest priority due to the breeding success since 1985 and is recognised as one of the longest continuous breeding programs of any species in the world under studbook conditions.

1892 Mole Creek Road, Mole Creek, Tasmania 7304 Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Telephone: +61 3 6363 6162 Fax: +61 3 6367 6213 E-mail: info@trowunna.com.au Page 8

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Support your local Wildlife and their Carers by purchasing these beautiful Wildlife Cards (folded size = 115mm x 170mm).

All our cards are printed on high quality 290gsm card with a UV gloss coating.

C1115 Superb Fairy Wren

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CLICK HERE TO ORDER TODAY! http://wildliferescuemagazine.com/greeting-cards.html

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5 for $6.00 C1213 thank you butterfly

C1214 Susan’s owl

C1219 Julie’s ladybeetles

C1281 hummingbird

Free Delivery Australia Wide C0835 Big Red

Burston Blue Teats ORDER FORM

Teat Size and Description Mini – suits 1-3mL syringes Medium Mini – suits 5mL syringes Large Mini – suits 10mL syringes Xtra Large Mini – suits 20mL syringes Offset

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Teat Size and Description Price A Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 B Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 B Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 C Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 E Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 F Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 2 Coats are suitable for Young Animals Only Teat Size and Description Price #1 Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 #2 Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 #2 Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 #3 Teat 2 Coats $ 3.50 #3 Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 #4 Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 #5 Teat 3 Coats $ 5.00 2 Coats are suitable for Young Animals Only Comforts Small Medium Large

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A Flying Fox's less than 10 days B Flying Fox's to weaning C Unfurred Possums, Bandicoots, Antechinus and Small Mammals E Small Koalas and Wombats F Larger Unweaned Koalas and Wombats Mini Teats – suitable for tiny pinkies, bandicoot, wallaby and numbats

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Payment by direct deposit please.

Either online, or you can go into your own bank and ask them to do it for you.

Note: Direct deposit can take up to three days to reach our account.

Orders are Usually 7-10 Days.

Account Name: GJ + JM Burston Commonwealth Bank BSB: 066179 Account No: 10173533 In Reference: Please put your Name.

Email: dollar.downs@bigpond.com Inquiries to Jo: 0409 086973 RMB 161 Perup Road Manjimup W.A. 6258

About the Artist...

Mel Hills is a locally grown artist who grew up in Orford and went to school at Triabunna. She has persistently lurked about the East Coast ever since.

Mel specialises in wildlife art, scientific illustration and watercolour landscapes. Murals are also a sideline.

A need to explore, discover and understand led Mel to link studies in both art and science. She says “For me there is no boundary between the two disciplines; both require observation, analysis and experimentation. They’re very complementary.”

The Inspiration “I love to share my joy in the landscape and the wonders that surround us. I get a bit caught up in the detail of pieces sometimes, wanting to get it just right. I love the challenge of trying to capture the essence of something and show that to others.

I’m just a kid who likes to say “hey, look at how cool THIS is” all the time. ”

The Creation Mels' favourite tools are her sketchbook, camera and her microscope. (Although the microscope is a little less portable.)

Of her images she says, “Each image comes together differently. Some are achieved on the spot, when I have a close encounter with a creature that captures my attention. My landscapes are increasingly influenced by the plein-air sketching I love to do. Generally though, things are a little slower. Often I have an idea for an image and it will take me months or years to gather enough information to create the painting.

I do a lot of field sketching, where I gather information about habits and behaviours.

I also take lots of photos and use museum specimens to ensure

details are correct. Once I have all the information, the finished image is roughed out and then built up in successive layers in order to get the complexity, depth and detail required. ”

What’s next?

In the future I’d love to explore a total landscape more fully. – It would be fun to do an Antarctic study, or study an island such as Macquarie, or Maatsuyker – in all weathers, with all their occupants. Exploring the Desert and the Kimberley are also ideas that have been growing in my mind for some years. Then there are also those bugs I keep drawing, I might have to do something with them..

For more information about Mel, her product range or to just check out some images please visit her web site: www.melhillswildart.com.au

Shelby – pouch reconstruction

Hanna Marco

A

Shelby the squirrel glider.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Photo by BatReach www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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t BatReach we deal with a wide range of arboreal wildlife and are no stranger to the perils of barbed wire and we weren’t surprised when we got a call from our local vet about a glider that had been found hanging on barbed wire near Lotus Glen.

They asked if we would be able to take it. Of course we can, I said, so Pam went to pick it up and she identified it as an adult female squirrel glider and unfortunately she had ripped her pouch but had luckily not received any other injury.

Often when caught on barbed wire an animal will stress and try to release itself by biting at the wire, causing damage to the mouth and face, often resulting in the animal having to be put down.

Usually when an animal is caught on barbed wire, it is safer to cut the wire and take it, and the animal, to an experienced wildlife carer or vet for proper removal. It is quite likely more damage will be done by taking the animal off the barbed wire without the proper guidance.

After Pam and the vet inspected the damage, the vet offered to perform Page 12

a pouch reconstruction surgery because, she said, she was so beautiful and wanted to see her have the best chance at rehabilitation and release.

Pam brought her back here to BatReach and ran a seven day course of Baytril, 0.05mls twice a day, as well as daily pouch cleaning to prevent infection prior to her surgery. Kept confined in a large shade-cloth ‘hospital’ box, Shelby was supplement fed nectar mix and a captive glider diet of fruit, rolled oats, seeds and nuts, while being provided with native foods like flowers, gum leaves, bark and insects.

After we finished the course of antibiotics, much of the redness and pain was gone from the pouch; we called the vet and booked her in for her surgery.

We checked her into the vet first thing and picked her up that evening; the operation was performed by two vets and both were confident it had gone well. They estimated a two month rehabilitation to allow for healing to ensure that the pouch opening was big enough and that the elasticity of the skin was still good enough to allow her to breed in the wild.

It was a worrying process, with the chance that the pouch opening would be too small once healed, and requiring a second surgery to make it bigger, which would have been more Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Shelby during surgery.

Photo by BatReach

Shelby during surgery.

Photo by BatReach

Shelby during surgery.

Photo by BatReach

Shelby after surgery.

Photo by BatReach

stress for her.

After another course of antibiotics followed her surgery, and named Shelby, she became active and eager to out of her hospital box, it was great to see her feeling so much better! Moved into an outdoor aviary with pots full of

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native foods, she came on leaps and bounds.

After the advised two months, we returned Shelby to the vet for her final check-up and she was given the all clear.

Not wanting to keep her from the

wild any longer, we arranged her softrelease that afternoon with a carer at Mt Malloy, who has a large property with the perfect habitat for squirrel gliders and no barbed wire!

Two days later Shelby was driven up to Mt Malloy by one of our Page 13

long term rehabilitation, replace your barbed wire fencing for Wildlife Friendly Fencing, or visit our BatReach website.

Wildlife Friendly Fencing http://www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com Batreach Website http://www.batreach.com/

VO TE

volunteers and was introduced to her soft release aviary, because she came in as an adult there was no need for an extended time in the aviary and two days later, the door was opened and she was gone.

Since then, Shelby has been spotted several times in the trees around the property, happy and free.

We have had many cases, happy and sad, of animals caught on barbed wire. It effects bats, gliders, birds and some ground dwelling animals.

To help save wildlife from often fatal or just plain painful injuries and

Did you love this story – go to page 104 to vote for your favourite story.

The winner will receive a wonderful book called 'The Wombat Who Talked To The Stars' by Jill Morris

Our captive diet for sugar and squirrel gliders: Fresh items (30g per animal): Apple, Pear, Banana, Tomato, Grape, Corn (off cob), Avocado, spinach leaves.

Dry items: Small pinch of Sunflower/Pumpkin seeds, 1 almond, 2 raisins and a pinch of rolled oats.

Supplement powder (once/twice weekly) on food: Balance Cal or High Protein Powder.

Native foods: Grevillia, Bottlebrush, Bloodwood, Golden Penda, Melaluca or other flowering gum and a mix of fresh eucalypt leaves.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Meal worms can be used to supplement Squirrel Gliders, but with consideration to high fat content and addictiveness.

Our nectar mix recipe, suitable for adult sugar and squirrel gliders (per animal): 2 teaspoons of Wombaroo Nectar Mix or alternatively you can use honey or maple syrup ½ teaspoon of Wombaroo Insectivore Mix ½ teaspoon of Wombaroo High Protein Powder Pinch of Balance Calcium

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Nesting Boxes for Birds & Mammals The La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary has been researching and building nesting boxes for over 15 years. Our 12 different designs cater for many species including Parrots, Ducks, Kookaburras, Pardalotes and Sugar Gliders.

Made from environmentally responsible materials, our boxes have been expertly designed for specific animals, discouraging pests like Starlings, Indian Mynahs and Feral Bees.

All our boxes are easy to install.

To see the full range contact us for a brochure or visit our web site.

Contact: The La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary La Trobe University - Melbourne Campus Ph : (03) 9479 1206 nestboxes@latrobe.edu.au www.latrobe.edu.au/wildlife

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Elizabeth Cogley Australian Wildlife Artist ‘Annie and Wilma’ CLICK HERE to see more! www.ozwildart.com

A Kanga A Day A Kanga a Day - Day 1126 March 2012: Perpetually playful Pearl perfunctorily ponders perfectly placid pond.

Photo by Brett Clifton

RECEIVE DAILY PICS AND STORIES LIKE THIS ONE Sign up to receive a free daily picture of Brett Clifton’s beautiful Eastern Grey Kangaroos also known as Forester Kangaroos in Tasmania.

Email to brett@brettclifton.com

The wombat

Andrea Devos

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

T

Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.

Photo by Claira Batton-Smith

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat.

Photo by Shirley Lack

The Wombat - Vombatus ursinus Meaning bear-like wombat There are three species of wombats in the Vombatidae family: The Bare Nosed Wombat (Vombatus ursinus – meaning wombat-like, bear-like) The Southern Hairy Nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons – meaning hairy-nosed, broad-fronted or broad-forehead) The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii – meaning hairy-nosed).

Common Wombat.

There are three species of wombats in the Vombatidae family Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Photo by Wayne White

he Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat (also known as the Yaminon) is one of the rarest mammals in the world and is now considered to be critically endangered.

Largest of the three wombats, the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat can weigh up to 40kg and be more than 1 metre long.

Its physique is strong and heavily built with short, stubby but powerful legs and strong claws. It has a broad head with black patches around it’s eyes. The female is a little bit bigger than the male because they have an extra layer of fat.

The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat is unique in that it is able to breed faster than the common wombat, being able to produce two young every three years. They tend to give birth to a young during the wet season which is around November to April.

Compared to the Common Wombat the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat has softer fur, their ears are longer and slightly pointed with tufts of white hair on the edges and they Page 17

Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat

have a broader muzzle fringed with fine, short, brown hairs called whiskers. Their noses are very important for their daily survival because they have very poor eyesight.

They mainly rely on their sense of smell.

They are shy animals, that's why most of the time they are solitary and only go out during night time, but there are times and instances when they share burrows with other wombats.

The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat previously lived in three States of Australia: Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Photographed by Alan Horsup

• Victoria (only recently fossils have been found to support this), • New South Wales – the Deniliquin area in southern NSW, • Queensland - the Moonie River area in Southern Queensland and also in Epping Forest National Park.

Sadly, it is extinct naturally, except in one park which has semi-arid woodland and grassland on sandy soil the Epping Forest National Park along the Belyando river system which runs through the park. (The park is about 200km north-east of Barcaldine in Central Queensland.) Their range

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covers 300ha of 3160ha - less than one tenth of the park.

Current population of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat is estimated at only 90 animals, all individuals alive today are known to eventuate from a single location. Only 25 breeding females are believed to exist.

A SECOND POPULATION On the 27 November 2008, 12 Northern hairy-nosed Wombats were transported to a privately owned Nature Refuge (Richard Underwood Nature refuge). Ed and Gabi Underwood – the owners of Yarran Downs entered in a nature refuge agreement over the part of their property where the wombats have been reintroduced, about 105 hectares of eucalypt woodland on old river levees.

As of March 2011, there are 11 Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge Four joeys have since been born at the refuge since established in 2009 – all joeys are still in mothers’ pouches.

Follow their progress in the Wombat Diaries – http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlifeecosystems/wildlife/threatened_plants _and_animals/endangered/northern_h airynosed_wombat/wombat-diary.html HOW VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP? In the years 2000 and 2001,

The only wild colony of Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats left in Australia.

dingoes eliminated 10 adults (10% of the population) and so in 2002 a 20km predator fence (dingo-proof fence) was built and encompasses all wombat habitat in Epping Forest National Park.

The Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat competes for food with the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, feed and water stations are now being used by wombats, particularly in dry times.

A volunteer caretaker program ensures twice daily monitoring of the dingo fence. Three censuses each year minimize disturbance and maximize the accuracy of the result and involve collecting wombat hair on sticky tape to extract DNA. There are no Northern Hairy Nosed Wombats in captivity.

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Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat The Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat is endemic to Australia, where it is largely distributed in Southern South Australia, west of the Murray River, and patchily distributed on the York Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula; also present across the Nullarbor Plain into Western Australia. There are two known colonies in New South Wales.

It is abundant on the Nullarbor Plain, where there are estimates of between 50,000 and 100,000 in the South Australia portion.

There are no population estimates for the Western Australia portion of the Nullarbor Plain. Throughout

Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.

Photo courtesy DERM Wildlife Rescue Magazine

South Australia there is believed to be a solid population. In the Murray Lands, there seem to be 10,000-15,000 individuals, but the population has declined by 70% since 2002, probably due to sarcoptic mange and drought.

The Gawler Ranges (SA) hold about 10,000 individuals (but this estimate is about 25 years old).

Elliston (SA) holds approximately 3,000 individuals.

Kellidie Bay Conservation Park (SA) contains about 100, Wedge Island has about 100 (introduced), there are about 100-1,000 estimated in Lake Everard (The Range, SA).

York and Eyre Peninsulas in SA have small populations throughout the area. In Remnant York Peninsula

Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat juvenile in care – notice how shiny and fluffy her fur is. Photo courtesy DERM

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Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.

Photo courtesy Western Plains Zoo Page 19

Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.

Photo courtesy DERM

populations include: Wool Bay (SA) with about 100 individuals, Port Victoria (SA) has about 400, Urania (SA) has about 200 and there are about 50-100 within the small area of Kadina(SA).

The Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat is threatened by competition for grazing by domestic stock and introduced rabbits.

Sarcoptic Mange is now a major threat in the Murray Lands to the east; it kills 80-90 percent of affected populations/groups. Drought is another threat, especially for successful reproduction. (In drought years reproduction may cease and three consecutive years of ample rainfall are needed for there to be an increase in a population.)

Animals live in colonies within extensive burrow systems. Each warren contains several animals. The Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Southern Hairey Nosed Wombat joey in care. Photo courtesy DERM

Southern Hairy Nosed baby.

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species is long lived (living more than 15 years in the wild).

The Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat weighs between 19-38kg and is up to approximately 900mm in length.

THE BARE NOSED WOMBAT also called the common wombat Wombats are grazing marsupials, and are among the world’s largest herbivorous burrowers known as the hobbits of the Australian bush, they are considered as one of the most mysterious of Australia’s marsupials as much of their lives are spent underground in their burrows (up to 16 hours daily).

Photo by Wayne White

Wombats appear to be slow and cumbersome creatures that plod along while grazing their favourite harsh native grasses. However, they can reach lightening speed if needed and have been known to reach speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour - they can hold this speed for approximately 150 metres. (Only a handful of men can hold 36 kilometres per hour over a 100 metre distance.)

There are three subspecies of the common wombat:  Vombatus ursinus ursinus (Flinders Island wombat subspecies only found on Flinders Island).  Vombatus ursinus hirsutus (mainland bare-nosed or common wombat subspecies).  Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis (Tasmanian wombat subspecies).

The Bare Nosed Wombat Vombatus ursinus hirsutus is located in the south-eastern areas of the mainland within the states of New South Wales, Victoria and in a tiny area at the very south-eastern corner of Queensland and in the southeastern corner of South Australia.

Subspecies Vombatus ursinus ursinus can be found on Flinders Island.

Subspecies Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis is located only within Tasmania.

Their robust build, blunt head, short limbs and strong spade-like Page 20

The Bare Nosed Wombat seen here eating rocks for their digestive system.

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A joey in a burrow.

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claws make them powerful earthmovers.

The main habitat for the Bare Nosed Wombat is forest covered and often in mountainous areas that are suitable for burrowing. There must be access to clearings with native grasses for grazing. It requires a temperate, humid micro-environment.

In New South Wales and Queensland the Bare Nosed Wombat occurs mainly in sclerophyll forests, however with increased logging and farming activity wombats can also be found living in pine plantations and grazing land.

In South Australia and Tasmania the Bare Nosed Wombat can be found in more open vegetation including coastal scrub, woodlands and heath lands.

The Bare Nosed Wombat is a herbivore feeding mainly on native grass, herbivorous plants and the roots and bulbs of shrubs or trees. It also eats bark from native trees and a considerable amount of dirt.

Favoured native grasses include kangaroo grass, tussock, wallaby grass and spear grass. Introduced grasses are also eaten.

The Bare Nosed Wombat is essentially solitary, however home ranges do overlap and burrows can often be shared, although rarely simultaneously.

Bare Nosed Wombats are known Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Habitat of the Bare Nosed Wombat – Cradle Mountain Tasmania.

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Photo by Andrea Devos Page 23

to aggressively defend their territory against intruding wombats.

A Bare Nosed Wombat joey is an endearing animal. Because of the strong bond an orphaned joey will have with its “human mum” many people wrongfully believe that a wombat would make an ideal pet.

However, Bare Nosed Wombats are particularly destructive animals and most have strong and wilful characters.

While the joey is young this behaviour can seem cute and is easy to handle in such a small bundle, however when the wombat grows the stubborn streak and aggressive nature tends to grow with it and it can become nearly impossible to handle!

Adult wombats are very aggressive and will not hesitate to attack an intruder if they feel that they are threatened. Signs of an angry wombat that may be ready for attack are loud vocalisations (screams), teeth gnashing and ears down. If you meet a wombat in this state – run very fast in the other direction!

The wombat has short stumpy looking legs and small paws with fleshy pads. It is classified as a “plantigrade” which is an animal that walks on the whole surface of their feet. Their flat footed soles are very much suited to the normal activities of standing around eating grass or digging.

Wombats rarely reach high speeds Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Wombat attacking a boot.

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A human boot left behind ripped to shreds – the culprit – yes that lovely not-so-cuddly wombat.

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Photo by Andrea Devos Page 25

A wombat burrow with a ripped boot at entrance.

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Inside a wombat burrow entrance.

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Front paw of a baby wombat – the fleshy pads show how healthy the baby wombat is.

The wombat has flat feet. Photo by Wayne White

Back paw of a very little joey wombat.

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Back paw of a baby wombat – notice the long sharp claws.

Photo by Wayne White Page 28

Front paw with huge digging claws.

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The skeleton of an adult Bare Nosed Wombat supports a weight of approximately 22-50kg, the average being around 26kg. Length is approximately 900-1150mm.

The skeleton of a wombat. Photo compliments www.nhc.ed.ac.uk

The skull of a wombat. Photo compliments www.nhc.ed.ac.uk

so don’t have the high balled foot pads such as canines. The front paws look similar to a dog’s paw but are quite broader; ideal for digging. The hind paws are longer and built to shovel dirt away as the front paws dig.

The Bare Nosed Wombat has one set of upper and lower incisors that form the cutting edge. The lower incisors are forward pointing with chisel shaped ends.

There is one set of pre-molars top and bottom and four sets of enlarged molars (top and bottom) which enable the wombat to finely grind food. The molars have enamel on one side only, the side without enamel wears down much quicker than the enamelled side resulting in a sharp edge for cutting and chewing the abrasive grasses the wombat prefers.

There is a large gap between the

A unique feature of the wombat’s skeletal system is the hard plate that covers its rump area. The plate’s function is solely for protecting the wombat from attack. In such situations, the wombat will enter its burrow, or an area where it can protect most of its body (eg rock crevice) leaving the rump exposed.

The hard surface protects the animal from serious injury. The wombat also uses the plate to slam its opponent against the top of the burrow.

Teeth of a common wombat.

In Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats the plate is bone but in the Bare Nosed Wombat the plate is a cartilage and deteriorates once dead leaving nothing behind.

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Photo by Linda Dennis

Sometimes wombat teeth grow on an angle – in this situation a wombat needs to have its teeth filed – this should be done by an experienced vet.

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Crooked teeth of a wombat.

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front incisors and the rear molars and this is used to rearrange food with the tongue.

Unlike any other Australian marsupial the teeth are rootless and grow continuously to combat the coarse, abrasive nature of the grasses they prefer.

The wombat can breed at any time throughout the year. When the wombat is “on heat” it is very brief, lasting only around 15 hours. (The oestrous cycle.)

When a female approaches oestrous (in the pro-oestrous period) she displays her scats in prominent places, such as on top of rocks. The

A juvenile wombat’s ear.

Photo by Andrea Devos Wombats have small ears which are good at hearing.

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Wombats mating.

pheromones in scats indicate to a male that she is approaching oestrous and will be ready to mate.

The courtship and mating ritual is particularly aggressive, and the male is often chased away after copulation.

The male does not have any role in the upbringing of the joey.

Gestation is approximately 30 days where upon the embryonic joey crawls from the cloaca to the pouch, which is backward opening, probably to avoid dirt entering the pouch when the wombat digs.

The joey attaches to one of two teats and stays permanently attached for around 5 months, leaving the

Photo by Michele Barnes Page 32

When wombat poo also called a scat is prominently displayed it can show that a female is on heat. (A territorial male will also display scats up high to show he is around.) Photo by Linda Dennis

Wombat being fed.

Poo prominently displayed. Photo Wombat Protection Society of Australia Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Fresh poo from a 13 month old juvenile wombat. Photo by Linda Dennis

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pouch permanently at around 10 months of age.

Weaning is around 12 to 15 months of age, however the joey remains with its mother for a short time after weaning. It is usually independent at 18 months of age.

At around 2 years, and weighing approximately 22kgs, the wombat is ready to become sexually active, however they generally start to breed at around three years of age.

Mother and offspring form a very strong bond with each other, which lasts until the young is ready for independence. Juvenile Bare Nosed Wombats stay with their mothers and

share their burrows for a short time after weaning (12-15 months of age) and are independent at approximately 18 months old.

At this time the mother can become quite aggressive toward the juvenile, pushing the confused and frightened wombat out of its territory.

However, female offspring have a better chance of sharing their mother’s area than a male.

Wombat poo is very dry in relation to other marsupials because the wombat is one of the most efficient consumers of water.

A wombat doesn’t need to drink water often during good conditions (eg: when the grass is green) and can obtain most of their fluid intake via the food they eat.

This isn’t to say they don’t drink water at all, however. Wombats have been seen drinking from a water hole for up to 8 minutes without stopping.

Wombats use their faeces to communicate with other wombats; for example, to advertise territory and for females to show when they are on heat.

The pheromones in the female’s poo indicates that she is ready to mate and male wombats use them as a tracking device.

It is very important that you have a deep bowl filled to the top, a bowl which the wombat cannot tip over. A wombat does not lap – they purse their Page 33

Mother and joey.

Photo by Shirley Lack

lips and suck water as tho' through a straw.

To advertise territory or to show reproduction status, a wombat will leave its faeces in high prominent places, like on a rock or tree stump.

Juvenile wombats are more discreet (so not to cause anger to older wombats) and defecate in hidden areas, such as under bushes.

Smaller wombats have small, moist and usually pointed faeces, similar in appearance to macropod poo. Adults have large squarish poo.

The poo may look circular from the top, however in a 3D sense, when looking at the poo from all sides it looks like a cube.

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The larger the nuggets, the bigger the wombat. Male wombats often scratch the ground where they have defecated.

Commonly, Bare Nosed Wombats in captivity can live between 12 and 15 years of age, however the longest recorded period is 26 years of age (London Zoo – Folwer, 1931).

Allocating an approximate age for a wombat joey is relatively easy. Many aspects are used to ascertain age including, weight, furred status, body structure and teeth eruption.

Once a wombat reaches adulthood (over 2 years of age) it is nearly impossible to age it.

The usual way to age any animal is

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Mother and joey.

Mother and joey.

Photo by Shirley Lack

Photo by Shirley Lack Page 34

Wombat joey – 12 days old.

Wombat joey – 218 days old.

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Photo by Michele Barnes

Wombat joey – 105 days old.

Photo by Michele Barnes

Wombat joey – 222 days old The joey was trying to get back into the pouch however the mother was having none of it and was fending the joey off with her feet. Photo by Michele Barnes

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Photo by Michele Barnes

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Wombat mother’s pouch fully inverted – right teat exposed.

Photo by Michele Barnes

225 day old joey trying to get into the inverted pouch.

Joey sucking teat from the inverted pouch.

Photo by Michele Barnes

Joey cuddled up on the inverted pouch and still sucking teat, the joey fell asleep. Photo

by Michele Barnes

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Photo by Michele Barnes

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via teeth growth and wear, however wombat’s teeth grow continuously making it difficult - near impossible to age.

AT 8 MONTHS OLD (weight 3-3.5kg) The joey is fully furred. Large ears, appearing too large for head. Tail still visible. Out of pouch more often and quite active while still in burrow.

Nibbles grass while poking head out of pouch. Starting to emerge while out of the burrow.

The joey will poke its bottom out of the mothers pouch to pee, sometimes the joey has to be careful as sometimes the opposite is true too and the mother may pee on the baby.

AT 9-11 MONTHS OLD (weight 3.5-6.5kg) Joey leaves the pouch permanently during this period. Skin on nose and on soles of feet is darkening. Still suckles from the teat, which can be elongated and protruding out of the pouch.

Stays close to the mother whenever out of the burrow, often not breaking physical contact. Eats more and more grass and maybe its mother scats to increase gut flora.

AT ABOUT 18 MONTHS OLD (weight 16-24kg) The joey is usually independent at this age.

When you come across a wombat which is roadkill and you have Wildlife Rescue Magazine

A joey peeing from the pouch.

Photo by Bob Cleaver

At 18 months the joey is independent from its mother.

Photo by Shirley Lack

A joey sometimes has to be careful that its limbs are in the pouch or it may get peed on. Photo by Bob Cleaver

The correct way to hold a joey wombat.

Photo by Stephanie Clark

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David Alder with two of his joeys.

Photo from David Alder Page 37

The correct way to hold an adult wombat.

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Checking a wombat for a joey.

Photo by Todd Dennis Page 38

removed it from the road and checked for a baby joey – it is good practice to mark the wombat so other carers know that the wombat has been checked.

The mistake has been made of putting a small circle, square or small line on the wombat.

Here in Tasmania there was an advert in the paper complaining about a person going around spraypainting dead wombats’ genitals.

This turned out to be a new carer who marked the pouch with bright yellow spray paint so she knew if she had checked that wombat.

For this reason we suggest a large cross from one side of the wombat to the other (see picture) If the wombat is a female you will need to determine if she has a joey in her pouch.

Sometimes if the wombat has been dead for a few days it will have become bloated, smelly, eyes removed and it will be difficult to determine the sex of the wombat.

Rescuers checking dead or injured wombats should always check for a joey.

Although the dead mother may look old (eyes removed) bloated and smelly – a wombat joey can live up to five days inside the pouch AFTER the mother has died.

In some roadkill cases, the joey may have been flung out of the pouch during the impact of the accident.

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Make a large distinguishable cross on the body of an already checked wombat.

Photo by Shirley Lack

The mother was a roadkill victim, this baby was thrown from the pouch and is trying to climb back in but cannot as the pouch is inverted. Photo by Carol Pullar

The colour of the cross is not important as long as it is a large cross so other carers can see it. Photo by Wombat Protection Society of Australia

Baby wombat in dead mother’s pouch.

Photo by Carol Pullar

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The story of Maggie – a success story

Setting a trap to rescue the joey at foot.

Maggie when she first came in to care.

Maggie a few months later – happy and contented. Photo by Shirley Lack

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Photo by Shirley Lack

This joey is named Maggie.

She was named Maggie because when she came into care she was covered in maggots.

She weighed 276g.

Her carer did a wonderful job caring for her and she was buddied with another wombat when she was 4kg.

She has since been successfully released.

Maggie is only one of many injured tiny wombats that have beaten the odds and survived.

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It may be on the road near the mother, or if it is bigger (around 2kg) the joey may have left the mother’s pouch and be hiding nearby.

The size of the mother’s teats will give you an idea if there is young at heel. When not in use the teat is quite small, however it elongates during use.

The teat will be long and extend pass the pouch opening for the joey to suckle.

If the teat appears ‘in use’ check the nearby area for the joey wombat as the joey will stay close near it’s dead mother for many days and will be relatively defenceless.

Trying to catch a joey at foot is like trying to catch a greasy piglet, and

Photo from Shirley Lack

the joey will become more cunning each time you try to catch him. So it is best to set a trap.

Setting a trap to capture a joey at foot can be a long process but with persistence you will eventually succeed.

The trap needs to be checked often, as a wombat – even a juvenile – left in a trap can cause damage to itself trying to escape.

To set the trap you should: • Rub a pouch over the dead mother to obtain her scent • Put the scented pouch into the trap • Take the dead mother away.

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This baby was injured (notice the bruising) and died not long after. Photo by Shirley Lack

Cutting the pouch to free the joey.

Using a blunt ended scissors cut the pouch making sure your fingers protect the baby – Photo by Shirley Lack

Joey being carefully removed from the pouch.

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Photo by Shirley Lack

Photo from Shirley Lack Page 41

Joey being removed.

Photo by Shirley Lack

Baby covered in a greasy lubricated goo from it's mothers pouch.

Photo by Shirley Lack Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Joey is free from the pouch and will need to be warmed.

Photo by Shirley Lack

This is a now orphaned joey in the pouch of her dead mother.

Photo by Roz Holmes Page 42

be an easy process as the joey will have just gone through a traumatic experience and will resist any attempts to be taken from the pouch.

If you are not able to ease the joey from the pouch you will have to cut the pouch carefully to remove him.

You will need a sharp pair of roundended scissors or a scalpel knife. You will need to put your fingers into the pouch between the joey and the top of the pouch to prevent the joey from being cut.

If the joey is still attached to the teat this should be cut as close to the mother as possible. You should insert a safety pin in the cut teat to stop the joey from swallowing the teat. The teat will be able to be taken from his mouth within a couple of hours. The teat should not be forced from the joey’s mouth as he will release it in due course.

Remember the mother is dead and unable to feel any more pain.

HOW TO CARE FOR A RESCUED JOEY? In Australia, each state has different laws as to what you can and cannot do with wildlife, for instance, in NSW it is illegal for a member of the public to raise rescued Australian fauna unless you have a license issued

by DECCW. Tasmania has a similar law but all licenses need to be issued by DPIPWE. Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Cut the teat as close as you can to the mammary gland – add a safety pin so the joey cannot swallow the teat. Photo by Shirley Lack

should be placed on heat as quickly as possible, as they will be in shock. In the field you can use hot water bottles filled with warm tap water. This heat treatment will stop them from losing, or help them retain critical core temperature.

If the joey is small enough you can place it against your skin, on the outside of the joey make sure you have it covered with your shirt and something thick like a towel or jacket if you are wearing one.

If the joey has no signs of injury they should be taken straight home for further assessment and care. Once home the wombat should be checked over thoroughly to determine if there are any injuries which were not discernable at the rescue site. Failure

Check your state as to what the law is for the care of rescued joeys.

When you have rescued the joey it

A joey being bottle fed. Photo by Susan Henshaw

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Bottle feeding a joey.

Photo from David Alder Page 43

to take a bottle or settle may indicate an injury which had not been detected during the initial inspection.

When checking over the joey you should remember that both sides of the wombat should be the same. If one leg looks out of place compare it with the leg on the other side. If one leg is different it may be broken and require vet treatment.

The joey should be weighed during the assessment process. A record of the progress condition and weight of the joey should be maintained during rehabilitation.

Weighing the joey on a daily basis is the best way of determining if he is improving. It takes only a few seconds to check his weight. This process is not stressful.

Baby joey in the velvet stage, at this point the joey will not be able to regulate its own body temperature. Photo by Linda Dennis Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Once the joey has settled into a routine the weigh-in process may be reduced to once or twice a week. A joey should sleep most of the day.

A joey may have internal injuries if they are not sleeping as often and as long as they should, or they are trying to stand, or they are generally unsettled. Vet assistance should be sought to determine the problem.

TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS ARE: Furless or just furred joey (under 600g) – 28-30˚ Celsius – NO HIGHER! Joeys of this size cannot regulate their own body temperature and must be placed on a heat source.

Developing fur (over 600g) – 28˚ Celsius – NO HIGHER! Joeys of this size are just starting to regulate their own temperature, however there should still be a heat source available. Place the heat source so that the joey can move away from it if it wants to.

Furred joeys – can regulate their own temperature and should not need a heat source. However, a sick or injured joey may need to be kept warm - 28˚ Celsius – NO HIGHER! SKIN LUBRICATION In the wild, the pre-emerged wombat joey lives in a humid environment – the mother’s pouch. In the pouch a thick waxy substance is produced, and the temperature is

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Weighing a joey wombat.

An older wombat joey being weighed.

Photo from Shirley Lack

Photo by Linda Dennis Page 44

Unfurred joey.

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Just furred joey.

Photo by Wayne White

Furred joey.

Photo by Wayne White Page 45

regulated creating a humid environment that keeps the joey well lubricated. Trying to reproduce a similar humid environment while in care is not recommended as bacterial infections may occur, so alternatively the joey needs to be lubricated on a daily basis.

A furless joey will need to be lubricated over the entire body otherwise the skin can become red, raw, cracked and dry (ensure that you avoid the eye area and nostrils).

A just furred joey will need to have the fleshy bits lubricated, such as the paw pads, nose and sometimes the cloaca.

Once the joey is quite active and the paw pads are darkening, lubrication is not normally required.

However, you should constantly check for dry or damaged skin and apply lubrication when required.

Some lubrications are: • E45 Cream-dermatological – contains white soft paraffin and hypoallergenic Lanolin • Olive Oil • Paw Paw ointment (in the white container, the red container is petroleum based and should be avoided) • Pure Sorbolene Cream Oral treatments that can be mixed with normal milk bottles: • Canola Oil or • Olive Oil Wildlife Rescue Magazine

E45 Cream – dermatological lubricant for furless joeys.

• Megaderm is a product and if used according to instructions (on the bottle) a joey will not need as much topical lubrication as with any other oral treatments.

Never use: Baby oil as it is a real no-no.

The mineral content of this application can make a joey very ill when absorbed through the skin or if it is licked off.

WHAT TO FEED A JOEY IN CARE? You will need to determine which milk product you are going to use for your wombat joey and how often it will need feeding.

Warm formula should only be fed

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to a warm joey and one that has had a chance to settle. Try to make the feeding experience as pleasurable as possible – take him to a quiet area which is relaxing and where you will not be disturbed.

Remember that joeys drink with their eyes closed – you do not have to wake a wombat to have him feed. Pick the wombat up and place the teat in the side of the mouth.

Once the wombat has started to suck, the teat can be moved around to the front of the mouth. Once the joey has become accustomed with the routine he will take the bottle without waking.

• 100-200g joey - joeys that are between 100-200g need to be feed every 2-3 hours AROUND THE CLOCK. This can be a tedious and tiring job for a wildlife carer and unfortunately some wildlife carers have chosen to euthanase their animal instead of handing it onto another carer.

Just because YOU feel the wombat may not survive, does not mean you are right. Many carers have a wonderful gift for raising tiny joeys - even pinkies.

Before passing on the joey to another carer you should always record the joey’s weight and condition, and any other facts about them, eg injuries, treatment

provided, response to treatment, where the joey came from, how the joey came into care, if feeding or not. Keeping records for individual wombats is very important so that they can be referred to in the future.

• 200-700g joey - a joey that is between 200-700g should be fed every 3-4 hours = 6 to 7 feeds within 24 hours.

• 700-1500g joey - joeys that are 700-1500g should be fed every 4 hours (around the clock) = 6 feeds.

• Joeys over 1.5kg - joeys over 1.5kg should be fed every 4 hours but the middle of the night feed can be stopped = 5 feeds.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MILK PRODUCT. There are three suitable commercial milks available for feeding orphaned wildlife. Do not be afraid to try different milks to suit an individual wombat’s needs and preference.

A joey may prefer one milk formula over another. If he refuses to drink a particular formula you should try another brand of milk.

A joey may even have an allergic reaction to a particular formula. All of the following products are used successfully to raise wombat joeys.

BIOLAC makes 4 formulas of milk: • M100G for tiny joeys under 200g.

• M100 for joeys 200-1000g.

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• M150 for joeys that have dense fur.

• M200 for animals that are producing dark pellets.

Note: It has been noted that that babies weighing more than 800g tend do better if changed to M150.

WOMBAROO makes 3 milk formulas for wombats: • <.4 is for joeys that are less than 40% through pouch life.

• .4 is for joeys that are 40% through pouch life.

• >.6 is for joeys that are more than 60% through pouch life.

Note: Wombaroo is very concentrated milk, and water MUST be given between feeds. Lots of carers add more water to the formula, but this is NOT what is recommended by the manufacturer. They recommend that extra boiled water be given between bottles.

DI-VETELACT OR DIGESTELACT comes in only one strength.

Wombats that refuse a bottle when first in care often will accept Digestelact. Wombats often prefer this sweeter formula when first taking to a bottle.

They can be changed over to another milk formula within a couple of weeks.

PROBIOTICS Regardless of the milk formula you choose for your joey it is recommended that probiotics be used Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Wombaroo make a formula designed specifically for wombats

Di-Vetelact

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as a general management tool every day - this is advice offered by Dr Anne Fowler BVSc, MACVSc (Torquay Animal House Vet Clinic). Dr Fowler, who is experienced in the care of wildlife, suggests that probiotics, such as those listed below, should be added to milk formulas daily and not just when the joey is ill.

Using probiotics daily will reduce the chances of the joey becoming ill with a bacterial infection. Remember! that each animal is different and a probiotic that works well on one joey may cause problems with another – so adjust accordingly.

There are several good probiotics formulas to choose from: Protexin is wonderful mixture that increases gut flora. It comes in a liquid or powder form which can be added to a milk bottle (after the milk has been heated) or the liquid can be given directly by squirting into the mouth. It is very pricey however – approximately $60 for a 125ml bottle with a pump.

Inner Health and Inner Health Plus are “human” probiotics that have been used very successfully in marsupial joeys. There are dairy free options (no lactose) that come in powder form in a 50g jar, costing around $30.

The recommended dose is one/eighth of a teaspoon in each milk bottle (add after milk has been heated).

Inner Health and Inner Health Plus

Inner Health – cut the capsule and use the oil inside for your joey wombat in their bottle.

can be purchased from most chemists and health food shops.

Yoghurt is a probiotic derived from cow’s milk. Quantities depend on carers preference and the joeys age.

Use natural unflavoured yoghurt only Remember that marsupials are lactose intolerant not lactose resistant, so the low levels a joey will receive from yoghurt or other probiotics derived from cow’s milk will not affect it.

Yakult, is another “human” probiotic that can be used successfully.

Quantities depend on carer’s preference and the joey’s age. A recommended mixture is 1 bottle of Page 47

Yakult per litre of milk, alternatively half a bottle of Yakult can be mixed with one litre of milk.

Acidophilus powder is another good source of probiotic which is not derived from cow’s milk. Again, quantities depend on individual carer’s preference and the joey’s needs. A recommended quantity is one/eighth of a teaspoon for a furless or just furred or one quarter of a teaspoon for a furred joey, mixed into each bottle of milk. Acidophilus can be purchased from most chemists and health food stores.

MILK ADDITIVES Generally, other milk additives are not required if using milk formulas correctly, although some carers do like to add different elements for extra nutrition, vitamins or minerals. This is a personal choice for each carer.

Some additives include: Wombaroo Impact is a colostrum powder that is considered by many as an essential milk additive for furless or just furred joeys to boost the immune system. It can also be used for an unwell joey that may have a compromised immune system. (See the leaflet included in bottles of Impact for directions.) It is an additive to a milk and cannot be given on its own.

Heinz Baby Rice Cereal Powder is sometimes added to DiVetelact formula for added nutrition Wildlife Rescue Magazine

but should only be started once the joey has its eyes open and ears are starting to detach from head.

Olive or Canola Oil is used to keep the coat shiny and in good quality. Only a few drops per bottle are needed.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY DIFFERENT MILKS – ALL THE ABOVE BRANDS ARE GOOD – which one you choose to use is a personal choice…

Some joeys prefer some milk formulas over other formulas. Don’t walk around with blinkers on – just because you prefer one brand over another does not mean your joey will

Impact is a colostrum supplement – it is to be mixed in a milk formula and cannot be given on its own.

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have the same taste as you. If your joey refuses to drink try another band of milk. Joeys can get allergic reactions any of the above mentioned milk powders in rare cases. The milk must then be changed to another brand.

If you have more than one wombat in care at the same time you may need different formulas for each wombat. Making up a day’s supply of bottles at the same time can be very convenient, especially if you are doing a lot of night feeds.

Heating your joey’s milk is important – as microwaving the milk should be avoided at all costs especially if microwaving in plastic bottles. If the contents of the bottle are made too hot the milk will de-nature (all the goodness will be destroyed).

The best way to heat a bottle is to place it into a container of boiling water. A cup with hot water from the tap is a good size as it can stand a bottle up safely without the bottle falling over. Care still has to be taken that the contents do not become too hot therefore boiling water is not always the best as it heats fast and overheats the formula. Milk should be offered at body temperature. Coffee warmers have been used with great success for keeping a bottle warm. Incar-cup-warmers (car charger type) are great for road trips.

All equipment and prepared bottles should be kept in the fridge as

Lectade to aid in the dehydration of all types of marsupials and mammals.

this keeps them at a temperature that does not promote bacteria.

WHAT IF YOUR JOEY IS DEHYDRATED To tell if your joey is dehydrated – pinch its skin and if it remains puckered your joey will need to be hydrated.

Mix 5g of glucose dissolved in 100mL of warm boiled water and offer small amounts as often as possible.

Or you can use dehydration serums such as lectade.

There are a variety bottles and teats available.

Some joeys are very fussy about the teat used. You may need to try a Page 48

number of teats before you find one the joey will accept.

You should use a bottle not much bigger than the quantity of milk that is being given, as the milk will become too cold if the bottle is too large - you will spend half the feed time reheating the bottle.

The size of the teat hole is important when feeding. Wombats have a very strong suck once they have settled into a feeding routine.

If the hole in the teat is too big the milk may get into the lungs or start to pour out of the nose. These do not make for a good feeding session and must be avoided. The solution is to change the teat to one with a smaller hole.

Heat a needle (using a match or the flame of a gas-ring), once hot pierce the end of the teat right through – then swirl the needle in a circular motion to widen the teat hole – the hole is the right size if when you place WARM – NOT COLD water into it – it slowly drips out.

Some carers will at this point either bite the end of the teat (or chew) to get it to the right size or more experienced carers will initially nip the end with the tip of the scissors blades on an angle.

When caring for joeys we are trying to replicate how the mother does it as close as possible; having a teat with a large hole does not give the joey the ability to suck but makes him take the milk far too fast. This may be convenient for the carer as it gets feed time over quickly, however it is not the correct way joeys should be fed as it may cause colic and leave the joey feeling very distressed and overfull.

All bottles and teats need to be sterilised after each meal. There are many ways to do this. Using a sterilising agent is useful, (steradent for dentures can be used) although some carers will use a cheaper version with just as good results -the microwave.

Fill the bottles with water and then heat the bottles so that the water

is boiling in them, allow them to cool before handling them, empty and allow them to stand upside down to dry (a human baby bottle stand can be used for this – available on ebay for about $2-$9).

Getting a newly arrived joey to take a bottle can sometimes be a very frustrating job, especially if he is over 2kg.

You really do need an extra pair of hands to hold these fighting bundles of muscle. They are very strong animals even when very young.

Make sure that the wombat’s eyes are covered and never feed for more than about 30 minutes. The joey should associate the feed as a pleasant time, not a time that is associated with a massive struggle.

Small wombats often get blocked noses and this prevents them from sucking. Gently clean the nose with a cotton wool bud or even round- ended tweezers. This process is sometimes easier said than done as wombats do not like you touching their noses.

WOMBAT BISCUITS RECIPE • • • • • •

Put cut grass in a blender with some water and blend Retain blended liquid Mix blended liquid with Rolled Oats and a small amount of Critical Care Shape mixture into patty sized biscuits Bake in a very slow oven for about an hour.

Any other ingredient (eg grated carrot) that you think may stimulate the wombat’s appetite may be added.

These biscuits can be offered whole or broken into smaller pieces. These biscuits are also eaten by macropods and possums.

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Removing nose gunk from a wombat is not always an easy job. Photo by Linda Dennis

Wombats eat lots and lots and lots of native grass daily, grasses such as tussock, spear grass, kangaroo grass, wallaby grass, even introduced grasses are eaten such as buffel grass. (The grass Kikuyu is not recommended as it can be poisonous in lush spells, particularly after dry conditions and can even cause death).

They will consume vast amounts of grass daily. If you are feeding a number of wombats collecting grass can be very time consuming, particularly during drought or wet weather. Grass collection has to be done on a daily basis or at least every second day to ensure freshness.

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Supplementary feeding can be 80% grass and 20% other food such as: Native grasses such as tussock, spear grass, kangaroo grass and wallaby grass should be generously offered. Introduced grasses such as buffalo grass are also eaten. It is best to use grass from where the wombat originated, or will be released too.

Kikuyu is not recommended as it can be poisonous in lush spells after dry conditions and can cause death..

Kangaroo Pellets are an ideal non-natural food to offer. They are made specifically for Australian marsupials and have a host of vitamins and minerals included.

Kangaroo pellets can be purchased from most farm produce stores.

Sorghum (also known as Milo) is a very palatable hard grain that is ideal for wetter climates as it will not spoil if it gets wet. WARNING: Green shoots from grain left on the ground are toxic and can cause death.

Complete horse food by Barastoc is a good food supplement. It is highly palatable with lots of vitamins and minerals and acceptable for wombats.

Cop Rice is another type of feed created for horses but can be used for wombats.

There are many types of Cop Rice, the general purpose one may be the best choice and this is called Cool Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Condition. Cop Rice is made from rice and rice bran.

Other grains developed for ruminants, eg Economix, can be offered, however you must ensure that the protein levels are not too high (under 12%).

Dirt. A joey should be offered a considerable amount of dirt as this helps gut bacteria to form.

Food such as unsweetened muesli, rolled oats, carrot, lucerne, sweet potato, etc, can be offered.

Raw potato is not recommended as it has little nutritional value.

Unprocessed oats (from produce stores) are also not recommended as the husks can become embedded in the gum.

Carrots are not recommended in areas where baiting is carried out (carrots are dosed with 1080 and used in some areas to eradicate rabbits and marsupials).

As the wombat matures you should reduce the amount of supplement food and offer native food that is commonly found in the area where the wombat will be released, this is especially so if a hard release technique is used.

Providing too much unnatural food, such as sweet potato or pumpkin, may cause stomach upsets, causing enteritis.

If the wombat becomes accustomed to a small amount of

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supplementary food the carer has this option available to them and for the wombat, when at times it is impossible to collect the amount of grass required by the wombat.

The grass you are feeding the wombats should be collected from your local area.

If the wombat is being released in an area with different grass they should be given grass from that area prior to release.

In a perfect wombat world the wombat should be allowed to graze but not many carers are in a position or have the facilities for this to occur.

When collecting grass caution should be taken on where it is collected; make sure the area you are collecting from is not contaminated with other animal droppings.

Clean water should be made

available at all times in a container that cannot be tipped over by the wombat.

IMPORTANCE OF SUNLIGHT Most living things on this planet need sunlight in order to grow. Access to filtered sunlight is an essential component of raising an orphaned wombat joey.

Wombats cannot tolerate high temperatures so direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day must be avoided.

Early morning and late afternoon are the best time to get your joey out into the sun, but only if the temperature is under 28Ë&#x161;C. The joey does not necessarily need to be in direct sunlight to benefit from the sun's rays which provide much needed Vitamin D to the joey. A shady spot, say under a tree is perfectly acceptable.

Wombats will need water â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they will need a sturdy container which cannot be tipped over and a deep one as wombats suck water they do not lap. Photo by Linda Dennis.

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Joeys start to become active out of pouch at around the 3kg to 3.5kg mark (around 8 months of age).

This may be a good time to get your joey outside for play times and for short “wombat walks”. Choose a sheltered area and sit with your joey while it takes time to sniff the bushes and munch on grass.

Allow the joey is move back into its pouch, or to you, when it wants too.

A furless or just furred joey will also benefit from sunlight, however you should only expose the head of the joey and for short periods at a time.

Joeys in the wild are used to living in a dark warm pouch - if you leave the joey exposed for too long it will become distressed.

Ensure that you monitor the joey constantly while being in the sunlight - any sign of discomfort in the joey and it should be moved into a more shaded area or returned to the pouch.

If you keep the joey in the sun too long it may develop a skin allergy - red raised skin or swollen eyes may need an antihistamine injection to remedy.

THE BENEFITS OF BUDDYING In the wild a wombat joey shares a very strong bond with its mother and an orphaned wombat joey will share a similar bond with its “human mum”. A joey that is raised on its own may demand attention most of the time, even while it is sleeping.

A single joey that is not offered Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Spending time outside with babies so they can run back to Mum and their pouch for assurance.

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Photo from Shirley Lack Page 51

the company and nurturing it craves may result in a very distressed joey.

If the joey manages to escape from its enclosure it will seek out its “mum” and if he /she can’t be found the joey will find the nearest object that smells like “mum” and will curl up and fret itself to sleep.

If joeys are raised in pairs or more, the craving for human company isn’t as strong if it has its buddy to depend on. Although the joey will still want and should receive - cuddles from “mum” it will not stress when not in continuous contact.

In most situations a joey that has been raised on its own will have a tougher time assimilating into the wild than a joey that has been raised with a buddy. It will take a lot longer for the joey to finally leave home and become truly wild. This may result in a stressed wombat during the release process. However, not all joeys tolerate being buddied. Wombats have individual characters and just like humans not all wombats get on with each other. It’s uncommon but still possible that you may receive a joey that does not fair well with being buddied, and if this is the case it may be better to raise the joey on its own.

This will be a tougher job for the carer and much dedication is required to raise the joey so that it does not crave human company once it has been released.

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Buddied Wombats.

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The buddying of wombats is very important. Photo by Linda Dennis

HOUSING When the joey is around 2kg they will need to be housed in something a bit bigger than their original cot.

At this stage I place the joey in a hanging pouch. This gives them the choice of whether they would like to snuggle up together if they have a buddy, or stay out in their small compound. This hanging pouch stays with the joey until they are fully entrenched in a burrow.

CARE OF THE OLDER JOEY An older joey which comes into care will need special escape-proof housing. Wombats are great climbers and escape artists.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Consequently, their housing will need either a secure lid or very high sides.

I have seen some impressive setups for juvenile wombats. Your set-up is only limited by your imagination and finances.

Furred wombats are not the plaything of children nor are they the family pet. Many wombats in care have become humanised. With the buddy system between two wombats, the wombats bond with each other and not the carer.

A joey should not be left to wander the house or yard unsupervised as the wombat may be injured in this unfamiliar environment. While a carer may think it is cute to have a wombat following family members around this is very stressful to the wombat as they are looking for the security of their mother.

Wombats should not be carted around the countryside for the purpose of displaying these animals to friends and relatives. There are times when we must take our wombats with us but it can be done in such a way that they are not noticed. Wombats that need to be taken with their carer can be placed in a carry bag or basket that can be carried without being noticed by members of the public.

When feeding is necessary the carer should find a quiet, private area to feed.

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Housing of juvenile wombats.

Photo by Shirley Lack

Housing of juvenile wombats.

Photo by Shirley Lack Page 53

Different ways to contain your juvenile wombat so it does not climb or dig out.

This is in no way a complete article on all the care a wombat will need - in our next magazine we will do a feature on the difference between soft release and hard release, how to soft release and we will do a special on outdoor enclosures. This information can be found in these wonderful manuals available at the website of Fourth Crossing Wildlife: • “A Guide to the Care of BareNosed Wombats” by Linda Dennis, Anne Fowler, Kim Rolls and AnneMaree Dineen.

• “Wombat Husbandry” by Donna Treby All of these guides can be downloaded free on the website: www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com Also used was “A basic Care Guide for Bare Nosed Wombats” by

Shirley Lack.Thank you for your pictures and information Thank you for permission to use the article “Breeding Common Wombats” by Cameron Lane and Michele Barnes. Australian Wildlife Experience, Dreamworld, Australia I would like to offer a personal thank you to David Alder from Wombat Protection Society of Australia (www.wombatprotection.org.au), Linda Dennis from Fourth Crossing Wildife (www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com), thank you to Stephanie Clark and Wayne White, Tasmania - my mentors and friends - Southern Wildlife Rescue and Care (http://southernwildlife.org).

Different ways to contain your juvenile wombat so it does not climb or dig out.

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Bruce Bain

Photography These wonderful photographs and many others are available online from Bruce Bain Photography.

Please enjoy the full range at http://brucebainphotography.com.au/ Or contact Bruce directly at: Email: brucebain@activ8.net.au Phone: 03 6397 8363 PRINT SIZES AND PRICES (Australian dollars including GST) 150mm x 200mm (6” x 8”) $15.00 Postage within Australia $5.00 200mm x 250mm (8” x 10”) A4 $25.00 Postage within Australia $5.00 300mm x 420mm (12” x 16.5”) A3 $50.00 Postage within Australia $10.00 610mm x 910mm (24” x 36’’) $175.00 Postage within Australia $15.00 Your choice of gloss or semi-gloss (matte) photo paper Postage discounts apply for multiple purchases Photographs can be delivered anywhere in the world, please contact Bruce for quote.

Last year when the snow had covered all the Central Plateau I was coming past Little Pine Lagoon when I noticed a Wombat on the side of the road.

I got out and started photographing it and a Bennetts wallaby.

They were eating some grass and having a drink of water in an area that was clear of snow.

Wombats have a coarse,dark brown fur.

Short ears,large bare nose and small eyes.

They are powerfully built, with short legs and strong claws for digging out their underground burrows that they live in.

Generally wombats are nocturnal and come out at night to feed on native grasses, roots and shrubs.

They generally have one baby and carry in the pouch for six months.

ALL IMAGES COVERED BY COPYRIGHT

All prints can be matted in a range of colours, with single or double mats available. Matting will be cut to suit your choice of frame.

Frame mouldings available in Tasmanian timbers – Blackwood / Celerytop Pine / Tasmanian Oak / Myrtle / Sassafras. Other mouldings (timber framing) also available.

Contact Bruce directly for price on matting and framing of images.

CANVAS SIZES AND PRICES (Australian dollars including GST) Small 220mm x 350mm (9” x 14”) $80.00 Medium 340mm x 530mm (13” x 21”) $130.00 Large 470mm x 720mm (19” x 28” ) $200.00 For price of postage of canvas please contact Bruce.

Canvases can be delivered anywhere in the world, please contact Bruce for quote.

GREETING CARDS (Australian dollars including GST) Greeting cards $4.00 EACH (includes postage) PAYMENT METHODS • Direct deposit (email Bruce direct for details) • Cheque • PayPal

All prices in Australian dollars including GST

Southern Wildlife Rescue & Care (SWRC) The training days/workshops we have coming up for Southern Wildlife Rescue & Care (SWRC), SWRC is a Wildcare group.

Saturday 22 September 2012 Assessment & Treatment of Burnt Wildlife by Dr Anne Fowler Launceston (venue TBA) Sunday 23 September 2012 Assessment & Treatment of Burnt Wildlife by Dr Anne Fowler Campania Hall, Campania Saturday 20 October 2012 Husbandry & Rehabilitation of Water Birds & Sea Birds by Dr Anne Fowler Campania Hall, Campania Sunday 21 October 2012 Advanced First Aid For Birds by Dr Anne Fowler Campania Hall, Campania

For more information people can contact me:Email steoclark@yahoo.com.au Phone (03) 62593038 www.southernwildlife.org

Little Girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story

Helen Hutchards

L

ittle Girl was brought to me as an orphaned joey in September 2008 after her mother had been killed by a car.

Unfortunately Little girl has also taken some damage and had a badly broken leg. I took her to a wonderful vet who told me that she would try and put a cast on the leg but not to hold out much hope for the leg to heal correctly. 5 weeks later the cast came off but there was now an infection in the leg joint. The right antibiotics quickly fixed that and Little Girl suddenly found she could use both legs and use them she did, flying round the house like it was her private race track!!!

She was eventually soft released on my property and quickly settled in with the wild Black Striped Wallabies that live here.

She is now 4 years old and currently has joey number 6 in her pouch, she still chooses to stay close to home and visits me twice daily, she even comes into my front yard when it is time to let her babies out of the pouch for the first time which is such a privilege for me.

Little Girl.

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VO TE Inset: Little Girl and joey.

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Photo by Helen Hutchards www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Did you love this story â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go to page 104 to vote for your favourite story.

The winner will receive a wonderful book called 'The Wombat Who Talked To The Stars' by Jill Morris

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Funnies Section

Rescue of the Month

Grey soft release Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Gillian called to say there was a lizard in a yucca plant in a backyard in Patterson Lakes. I don't handle many lizards so asked the best way to pick them up before proceeding. I approached with caution as you never know if they'll bite. This guy wasn't going anywhere as he is made with rubber! After a good laugh with the owner of the property I coudn't help myself so I delivered it to Gillian in the rescue basket and told her to watch out because it was a fiesty one!

More to the story: When I realised it was a toy I was tempted to grab it and stick it to my throat and thrash around and pretend that it had attacked me, but the man was 85 years old and I thought I might end up rescuing him instead!

And he was a nice man.

Paula Rivera – Wildlife Carer

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Andrea Devos THE SNAIL AND CAR There was once a snail who was sick and tired of his reputation for being so slow. He decided to get some fast wheels to make up the difference. After shopping around a while, he decided that the Datson 240-Z was the car to get. So the snail goes to the nearest Datsun dealer and says he wants to buy the 240Z, but he wants it repainted "240-S".

The dealer asks, "Why 'S'?"

The snail replies, "'S' stands for snail. I want everybody who sees me roaring past to know who's driving."

Well, the dealer doesn't want to lose the unique opportunity to sell a car to a snail, so he agrees to have the car repainted for a small fee.

The snail gets his new car and spent the rest of his days roaring happily down the highway at top speed. And whenever anyone would see him zooming by, they'd say "Wow! Look at that S-car go!"

RUN FROM A BEAR Two campers are walking through the woods when a huge brown bear suddenly appears in the clearing about 50 feet in front of them.

The bear sees the campers and begins to head toward them.

The first guys drops his backpack, digs out a pair of sneakers and frantically begins to put them on. The second guys says, “What are you doing? Sneakers won’t help you outrun that bear.”

“I don’t need to outrun the bear,” the first guy says. “I just need to outrun you.”

Q: What do whales like to chew?

A: Blubber gum!

Q: What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?

A: DAM Q:Why do leopards have a hard time hiding?

A:They are always spotted!

Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with an ant?

A: A dead ant.

Q: What do you get if you cross an elephant with a whale?

A: A submarine with a built-in snorkel.

Q: How do you know if there is an elephant under the bed?

A: Your nose is touching the ceiling.

Thank you Jodie Blackney for sending in some great jokes!

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T H E D.I.Y G U Y

Building a large enclosure

Glen Burston

T

Completed main enclosure 5.8mx5.8m and all meshed.

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he mission Glen, if you wish to take it, is to build a 6mx6m enclosure for Black Cockatoos and possibly some other wildlife. It must be strong, easy to build, wildlife friendly and have a double lockable door setup.

What could I do, I can’t run away (I have too much work to be done) so I accepted the mission, then a thick white cloud of smoke appeared – yep Jo was lighting the wood heater again.

Now looking around at “Glen’s Good Stuff Pile” I found a heap of patio tube, some mesh 2.9mx2m high with a mesh size of 50mmx50mm (perfect). OK, now to commence.

Well sometimes it’s easier to have things modular so have a look below, soon a couple of panels were assembled in no time.

OK how to join the top to the bottom? Easy – patio tube is so good to work with as there are “lots of special” connections that they make just for it.

See the photos these are a “U” section bracket all readily available from patio or hardware stores. Tek screw it to the top section, cut your length for the height and just slide it over and tek screw together Easy! Yes Page 60

it is that easy… Make two sides up.

The mesh can be screwed to the patio tube with tek screws with a large washer OR tek screws and mesh clips.

I had a big box of mesh clips just crying out to be used. Two mesh panels joined together came to 5.8m in length which also was the particular length of the patio tube, so how good was that. I did not have to cut any of the mesh.

Lay some ground mesh or heavy duty chicken wire along the base.

I used the “thicker” style chicken wire 900mm wide. About 1/3 inside and 2/3 outside.

This will stop anything trying to dig in and anything trying to get out.

Lay the panel over the top and make sure you have something solid or people to hold it in the vertical position whilst the sides go on. A tractor helps too.

Make up two doors. These were again made from patio tube and can be joined in the same manner with the U sections or if a welder is handy (that’s me again) weld up a door frame and hinge it. Tek screw some mesh on and fit a sliding bolt type latch (ours is lockable) and all that sounded just too easy didn’t it... (Time so far two days construction.)

Now add the entrance in the same way, ours is 2m out and 2.9m long.

Back to the “Good Stuff Pile” for some roof sheeting and guess what Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Panel assembly.

Photo by Glen Burston

U section bracket detail.

Photo by Glen Burston

Tek screw and mesh clip detail.

Photo by Glen Burston

Mesh clip detail.

Photo by Glen Burston

they were 2.9m long, perfect to cover half of the enclosure. Put some sides on to stop some of the breeze coming in and to also give some shelter from the elements for the animals. I found some dune coloured Colorbond for the entrance roof and used another

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piece of patio tube to raise the centre for water runoff.

Make up a weighing /treatment/ food prep bench to work on. Some old Jarrah floorboards just cleaned up and screwed to more patio tube.

Have I told you have great this

stuff is to work with?

Now put a corner section inside for a feeding bay.

Put some gravel in to allow for drainage (it can get quite muddy here in winter) to tidy it all up and there you have it. Total handy man time five Page 61

Weighing /treatment/food prep bench outside front door.

Photo by Glen Burston

Corner section inside for a feeding bay.

Photo by Glen Burston

Laying thick chicken mesh under wall to stop digging in or out.

Photo by Glen Burston

Roof over entry has peak for water collection.

Photo by Glen Burston

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days (inbetween the Margaret River and Nannup fires). There is no reason why you could not make it smaller or even larger. Let your imagination run wild.

Now stand back, enjoy the view and have a cuppa and a home baked bikkie (she was lighting that fire for some home fashioned cooking).

Hold on, we have to add some hollows, some bush poles to nibble on, a water bowl, etc, etc etc…

My mission is now completed.

What’s next? Stay tuned...

Glen Burston is the creator of Burston Blue Silicon Teats see their ad on page 10.

He can be emailed at: dollar.downs@bigpond.com

Finished – walls and roof added for weather protection.

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A black cockatoo chick.

Photo by Glen Burston Page 63

Although I loved art from a young age I didn’t start painting until later in life.

It was only while raising joeys that I tried try my hand at painting because I wanted to capture their beautiful nature.

I guess it’s no surprise I paint animals as I have a great love for them. My husband and I

share our home with any animal that wanders in.

I’ve been lucky enough to share with a sheep, rabbits, ducks, kangaroos, birds, a goat, cats and dogs…. most of which I’ve painted.

My paintings are not an exact replication of the animal but I’m trying to capture the emotions I feel they project. The male kangaroo

was a laid back and self-assured kid and of course emus are cheeky yet polite.

I display my art at the Leaping Lizards Gallery and at the markets in Alice Springs, Central Australia. You can also see more of my art work at http://janinefitchdesigns.com/

Our resident vet is a veterinarian with a keen interest in wildlife.

Meet Colette Harmsen

Ask Colette Q. My Tawny Frogmouth I am caring for has scaly feet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; looks like mites â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what would you suggest I do for it?

Colette: The most common cause of scaly feet in birds in Australia is the Knemidocoptes mite (also spelt Cnemidokoptes).

Birds with a crusty cere (the upper part of the beak that contains the bird's nostrils, or nares), feet and or vent are usually infested with the Knemidokoptes mite. Most birds with this condition are young (usually less than one year of age).

These mites do not cause pruritis (itchiness) and cause a honeycomb type appearance to the skin and cere.

Scrapings of the lesions and examination of the crusts under the microscope will show the mites.

The treatment of choice is ivermectin or moxidectin - you need to visit your veterinarian for treatment.

Treatment is often orally administered, repeated at 10-14 day intervals until signs decrease. Ivermectin can also be injected, but treating these birds orally often suffices. Treat all in contact birds also as the mite spends its whole life cycle on the bird and is transmitted between birds by direct contact.

Without treatment this disease can Wildlife Rescue Magazine

cause serious problems. Long-term infestation may result in permanently deformed beaks, which will require periodic shaping with a grinding tool and emery board.

This mite appears to be related to the immune status of the bird and mites that occur in older birds often indicate some other underlying medical problem.

Return to your veterinarian if treatment does not resolve the problem.

Knemidokoptes mite

Scaly feet

marsupial which lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. It is strictly nocturnal and strongly arboreal and constructs a nest called a drey.

Females give birth between April and November, usually to two young which remain in the pouch for about four months. After this time the young often ride on the motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back. Ringtail possums have a long coiled tail with short hair and a white tip.

The brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is nocturnal and semi-arboreal marsupial and is common in all states and territories of Australia. It is larger than the ringtail possum and less wary of humans and adapts well to urban living.

As the name suggests, they have a rather

furry tail and they come in four colour variations: silver grey, brown, black and gold. Remember that brushtail possums, like all Australian wildlife species, are protected by law and cannot be taken, trapped or killed except by permit.

Scaly leg mite

Q. What is the difference between a Brushtail Possum and a Ringtail Possum?

Colette: The ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is a common

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Ringtail possum.

Photo courtesy of Uni of SA

Brushtail possum.

Photo courtesy of Uni of SA

Send in your question to Colette the Vet Email to: colette@wildliferescuemagazine.com Page 65

Wattle and her wayward son Watson!

Sandi Kogtevs

‘

Wattle with her son Watson.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

Photo by Sandi Kogtevs June 2012

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W

attle’ the wombat came to our Strathewen Wildlife Shelter in Victoria as a very sick little wombat who had obviously been orphaned for some time.

Although she weighed 5 kilos she had a huge abscess on the side of her face probably caused by the bite from a fox or dog and was unable to eat properly. After a lot of care she began to thrive and was raised with another young female ‘Eucalypt’ of similar size, and a slightly larger male ‘Winston’. When released they found a large disused burrow in the Kinglake National Park which borders our property, and they shared that communal burrow for more than a year!

It was not unusual for them to visit the back door hoping I might come out with a carrot or some oats and we were thrilled to see both Wattie and Eucy with young joeys in their pouches. Wattle will wait at the back door and scratch if she has a tick Page 66

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Watson.

Photo by Sandi Kogtevs

once more. You cannot imagine how delighted I was to see Wattle standing there with one very soaked and mud covered little wombat! Grabbing a towel – I soon had the poor little thing dry and warm and it was then that I discovered that Wattle’s first little joey was a boy – and decided we would call

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him ‘Watson’.

She has gone on to have several more joeys since then, some silver grey like herself and others black like Eucalypt and Winston, but none have created such a scare as her wayward son Watson!

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on her to let me know – I then search and remove it for her! Just another “service” we Shelter Operators offer :) At this stage Wattle had grown into a huge 40+ wombat!

During that time we had been experiencing a very dry spell which was broken by an incredible storm and flash flooding and I worried how they might be coping as their burrow was close to the fast rising creek. I became very alarmed when I went to investigate a lot of hissing and scratching on our door at 4am and opened it to find a very distressed Wattle without her young joey who was now too big for the pouch and usually at heel. Grabbing a spotlight and gumboots, I quickly threw a parka over my nightgown and together we searched along the creek bed and throughout the sodden paddocks, Wattle hissing madly and me calling into the night. What a sight we must have been – the rain was relentless, and startled kangaroos jumped across the beam of the fast fading spotlight as we desperately searched for the lost joey. Eventually I had to return to the house and I sadly sat in the kitchen removing leeches from my legs and awaiting the dawn so I could once more continue the search. I held very little hope for the lost baby, thinking it probably slipped into the fast flowing creek and drowned …..when there was a high pitched hiss at the back door

Did you love this story – go to page 104 to vote for your favourite story.

The winner will receive a wonderful book called 'The Wombat Who Talked To The Stars' by Jill Morris

Page 67

Motion activated infrared cameras

Andrea Devos

T

his is not an article on the best camera out there – instead these are true comments about people's experiences with their camera that they have purchased – we asked some of them where they purchased it from.

Most pics here are from the Scoutguard – mainly because this is the majority of pics sent to me – I am requesting pics from the Bushnell and any other cameras for comparison for the next article.

In the next issue we will be doing a follow-up article about extensions for these cameras and more comparisons and we hope that many readers will email me directly with your experiences and photos: email me at andrea@wildliferescuemagazine .com.au so you can be in our next issue.

The idea for this article came from a conversation on a fabulous wildlife forum called Ozark. A wonderful person Jim Pollock was looking for a prize for the exciting Wildlife Conference coming up soon from 16-20 July at Townsville, we are proud sponsors of Wildlife Rescue Magazine

this conference (can't wait for it, I will be there, hope to meet you) - for more information go to their website: http://www.awrc.org.au/ Here is some very interesting and true comments made both on the Ozark website and others were emailed to me directly. (Some were very long and had to be edited) I have had great success with the ScoutGuard camera purchased from Outdoor Cameras. Was very happy with the price, everything I needed was included, it takes either a series of still shots or a short video during the day and night, batteries last well, it's easy to use, etc. Was also very happy with the customer service from the company we purchased it from (via mail order).

We strapped the ScoutGuard to a tree near the door of our softrelease enclosure to collect evidence on two wallabies we released at our place this time last year. I learned so much about their movements and behaviour during

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the release process (it records date and time on the photos/videos) and I also caught out the local possums and bronze wing pigeons pinching the wallaby food!

I also noticed that some of the uni's conducting remote sensing fauna / pest studies have chosen to use this model camera for their work.

Regards, Renee Chamberlin Teacher - Animal & Environmental Studies - Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE Hi, I have the Swann infrared cameras that transmit back to a unit that attaches to your TV. They work OK if there is a good line of sight between the two, but my aviaries are behind some colorbond sheds, so don't work because they don't transmit through metal/colorbond.

So can't sit inside and watch what's going on in the aviary! Because of this issue I don't use them much at all. Most useful if you want to keep an eye on animals in a room in the house without going in there all the time. If I wanted to use them outside I'd have to have them

transmitting to a TV/recorder placed outside in line of sight that wasn't interrupted by colorbond/ metal sheds, and watch at a later time.

- Joy Godkin As organic banana growers, it is important to identify pest species before any attempt to discourage their predations in a humane and non toxic method may commence.

We had previously purchased a ScoutGuard camera from a dealer and found it indispensable in our operation, but when we inquired about a bulk order discount, it only seemed to tickle his sense of humour. We went to Wildlife Monitoring and found their list prices more reasonable and they offer a genuine discount for bulk orders, we find Scoutguard to be our choice.

Terry QLD

Outdoor trail and security cameras

it’s what we do, it’s all we do.

Hi Andrea, I have investigated these cameras extensively and been using them for some years now Page 69

Fox with Echidna. Photograph by Georgeanna Story. ScoutGuard SG 550V8 Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Page 70

and I have found the cameras do mostly what they claim, we have three brands and we have also discovered by using them that we know very little about what goes on in the bush, we have of course suspected things like ferals (cats, foxes) but now we have the pics

and a lot more to show us what is really going on. We are also involved with wombats, I have nine at the moment at various stages and we do what we call supported release, this is where we release into a national park and continue to help them adjust by food drops

A nightvision pic (InfraRed) of a rat (Moultrie) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

and water until they get their bearings and learn to adjust to different food types, terrain and noises etc, this can take months and is not always successful but with the cameras we can keep track of them. Our group has just started up a mange management program

for wombats in our area, that is another story. Our brands are Scout Guard, Ltl Acorn 940nm (the best) and a Moultrie all do what they claim but I think the Acorn gives us the best pics to date.

John Merrick Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

Feral Cat InfraRed (Moultrie) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

Outdoor trail & security cameras

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we do, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all we do.

www.wildlifemonitoring.com.au Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Dingoes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Reconyx HC600 Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Photo courtesy Gary Lukritz June 2012

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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been using different types of IR hunting cameras now for over 10 years dealing in both wildlife related works and feral animal management. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve used other well known brand hunting cams and

have personally seen the ScoutGuard over the last two years outshine these other cameras in many ways where they suffered with wiring problems to moisture problems, hard to program and at

Brushtail Possums taken by a ScoutGuard InfraRed (NightVision) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

time cantankerous. ScoutGuard are easy to operate, half the price, excellent picture speed and quality and a lot smaller for those discreet locations. I run with 12 and am very happy with their product. I choose

to buy mine from Outdoor Cameras Australia.

Michael Dickinson, Aust Wildlife & Feral Management

Yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Scoutguard) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

XXX PVU EPPS DBNFS BT DPN BV U IF VM U J NBU F J O XJ M EM J G F TVS WFJ M M BODF DBNT

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Monitor - (Scoutguard) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

I just bought an infra red (12 megapixel wildlife camera trap – LTL12) from a Melbourne company called ‘Wildguard’ and I found the company when I Googled for a camera for 'stalking' my released wildlife. It's simple and very easy to use camera. It comes with cables for a TV connection and a USB cable for a PC. It uses AA batteries and produces nice and Wildlife Rescue Magazine

clear pics. There is also a video function on it which I haven't used yet AND it's cheap – you can get it at a price of around $200. Worth it, I think.

Cheers Maren Goerne Lake St Clair, Tasmania This camera (ScoutGuard SG560) is a very easy to use and compact camera. Only took me only about

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ScoutGuard day pic.

Photo courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

15 mins to work out the functions of this very practical and affordable camera. I then spent the next half hour working out its range when taking photos and video and not only was I surprised at the distances it was taking the photos at but the quality of the pictures in comparison to some of the more expensive cameras of other brands.

As expected the images are clearer

and out to further distances in the bright of the day however the images in the darkness are still of good quality being quite clear. I bought mine from Wildlife Monitoring.

Ben

Outdoor trail and security cameras

it’s what we do, it’s all we do.

Page 74

I use a Stealth cam prowler. Takes pictures 1-9 shots "or" video up to 90 seconds. You can program it to “sleep” for whatever time so that you don't get 1,000 pictures a night. And yes I have done that – 2,000 pictures actually.

Has great resolution too. About US$250 and about US$50 freight. It does colour in daylight and B&W night time infrared. Has a SD card so you open the box take one out and insert another SD card then back to the computer. Great for bush work or just hanging in an enclosure. Very portable. The SD card is easy to use delete what you don't want and just copy over [well click and drag] to a file if you do.

The batteries last well - I have had over 6 months out of it. Made in "I Meri Can" [US of A] and can vouch for the quality.

They also have some great “automatic

Tasdevil – Reconyx Night Vision Wildlife Rescue Magazine

feeders” and we use one of them too.

If you are talking a local camera where power is available then any of the security stuff on Ebay will work but you will need to get the driver going on your computer to run it all and have the disc space for video etc.

Wireless usually only works to about 30m and you have to have clear line of sight. You will need power where the cameras will be too... I have never found a power point on a tree yet. Still searching for them.

Watching the red robins eating bugs and dodging the blue wrens.

Kind Regards Glen Burston We're using the Reconyx at present surveying miniature population of wallabies in the Perth northern suburbs. Works well and easy to set up.

Marg WA

Photo courtesy Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

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Roo fight - Reconyx HC600

Tasdevil2 – Reconyx Day Vision

Photo courtesy Michael Brennan

Photo courtesy Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary Page 75

Motion sensing cameras purchased from Outdoor Cameras Australia have proven to be an essential tool for my work to manage feral animals. Recently I have been catching and rehoming feral horses to reduce the risk of collisions between horses and vehicles. I use ScoutGuard SG550 cameras to identify individual horses, study their movement patterns and record their behaviour during trapping, mustering, loading and transport. Viewing the videos helps improve the next muster or trapping operation.

The cameras help monitor the number of horses in an area and let me know when horses are entering traps or muster areas. I also use the cameras for security protecting my portable panels and other equipment. I have been researching and managing feral animals (feral horses, camels, pigs, dogs, and rabbits) for almost 30 years. I think these cameras will replace many of our traditional monitoring methods. They make my work so much easier and the staff at Outdoor Cameras Australia are always helpful with advice on how best to use the cameras.

Dave Berman, Sunset Downs, Toowoomba, Qld Wildlife Rescue Magazine

I have been using ScoutGuard (SG550V8) cameras for a while for monitoring activity on my property from who drives through gates, near sheds to what animal has been eating feed from troughs.

The cameras have also been good for feral animal control as they are used to photograph pest animals eating at baiting stations where 1080 is used. Especially feral pigs as the cameras have photographed up to 40 in one group. The cameras catch pictures and movies during the day and night. I have recently ordered 31 more and in fact even my neighbours have caught on and are using them as well. Highly recommended and Damian (from Outdoor Cameras Australia) is great to deal with as well.

Frank Mugica, Farmer, Dalbeg North Queensland I was impressed with the ScoutGuard motion activated cameras we got from Outdoor Cameras Australia. I have used and bought other similar types but different brand cameras recently so I'm in a good position to make a comparison.The advantages of the ScoutGuard camera: 1. I waited a month for the other brand and two days for the Scoutguards after ordering;

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InfraRed Wombat (Scoutguard SG550V8)

Photogrpah courtesy Georgeanna Story

Wombat coming out of its burrow (Scoutguard) Photograph courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter Page 76

2. Scoutguard is half the size, its more solid, more rugged and camouflaged; 3. For the same price they provide all the security equipment which is also camouflaged; and 4. Battery life is at 80 days+ compared to 30.

Dave, Central Queensland Pest Management Officer Spoke with the persons (they work for WWF) and they have been using trail cameras for a number of years. The one they recommend is the Bushnells Trophy Cam, the latest is the model 119467c, these retail in Australia from $480 to $600 or if you like buying overseas around $350 US. The Bushnells seem to be the easier one to use and the latest ones have video with sound recording which makes the video much more interesting. The only thing wrong with the Bushnell is they have a mounting hole in the base, if your camera is likely to be flooded, fill it with silicon, they found out the hard way. Something to note, I have an cheap Chinese made Tasco, it uses movement and a heat source to trigger, I am unable to film small animals as the heat source is insufficient to trigger the camera, so buying the higher quality is the way to go.

Brian Foley Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Just received a ScoutGuard camera this morning from the business wildlifemonitoring.com.au. The security box and python lock are a fantastic touch and are exactly what we needed ... We have used many types of wildlife monitoring cameras before and have never really had good results with any of them. The scout guard cameras are fantastic, they take extremely good shots, are very user friendly and are very maneuverable and easy to secure.

Kyle

Outdoor trail and security cameras

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we do, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all we do.

I have a ScoutGuard (I get a lot of laughs playing back the antics from the nocturnal antics in the aviaries) and was interested in doing a comparison between it and the Bushnell. This site gives a good comparison - I found out both are made by the same company.

There are a good list of comparisons and other good info on the website www.trailcampro.com/bushnelltro phycamvsscoutguardsg550.aspx Regards Donna Anthony Wildlife Volunteers Assoc Inc (Sunshine Coast)

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ScoutGuard day pic.

Photo courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter

ScoutGuard night pic.

Photo courtesy John Merrick and the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter Page 77

Well I hope the information here has been useful and I am looking forward to putting together another article on the subject â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this article will feature a very special use of wildlife cameras extensions in the nest boxes, hollows, down pipes etc.. Stay tuned and please if you have any pictures or stories you can donate for this following article we want to hear from you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; contact me directly at andrea@wildliferescuemagazine.com Thank-you to all those who donated stories and pictures for this article and a special big thank-you to John Merrick from Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter who donated the majority of pictures and took my phone calls and answered my many questions.

Fox (Scoutguard SG550V8) Photograph courtesy Rick Galbraith Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Foxes: a serious threat to our wildife and Tasmanian enterprises

DPIPWE

T

asmania is recognised internationally as an important wildlife haven.

Island isolation has protected our diverse and unique native wildlife from most of the threats experienced on mainland Australia.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

For instance, Tasmania is the final refuge for a long list of species that have succumbed to predation by the European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), including the eastern barred bandicoot and the eastern quoll, that are in critically low numbers or extinct on the mainland.

Historical records indicate that foxes have been introduced into Tasmania on a number of occasions, purposefully and accidently. Thankfully, a breeding population has not yet established in Tasmania.

If foxes gain a foothold in

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Tasmania over 70 native species would be at risk of local or state-wide extinction, including the Tasmanian devil, bettong, long nosed potoroo, eastern quoll and the little penguin.

In addition to the loss of our iconic wildlife, if foxes were to establish in Tasmania, the financial impact on the agricultural sector is likely to be substantial.

Foxes kill around 10% of lambs Australia-wide. Recent research indicates that kill rates may be as high as 30% on the mainland. Foxes are also known to devastate poultry, attack adult sheep, goats, even prey on cattle during birth.

Horticultural industries also suffer from fox activity.

Vineyards, for instance, experience loss of fruit, either directly eaten by foxes or through damage, rendering the product unsaleable. Foxes damage infrastructure, such as irrigation pipes, plastic sprinklers and drippers, likely to result in high replacement costs.

It is estimated that foxes cost the Australian economy over $200M

annually, with a large part of this damage cost quantified in environmental terms (source: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra).

By protecting Tasmania from an established fox population, through the work of the Fox Eradication Program (FEP), the likely damage costs avoided to the State and the environment is over $20 million dollars a year.

Eradication is a shared responsibility. We must stop foxes from establishing. We need the community to work with the FEP to rid foxes from the State, and to support measures to prevent future incursions of foxes into Tasmania.

Help Tasmania to be become and remain fox free. Please report all possible sightings or fox activity to the 24hr HOTLINE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1300 FOX OUT (1300 369 688).

For more information please contact the FEP on 03 6336 5320 or visit our website www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/fox Page 80

Elizabeth Cogley Australian Wildlife Artist

‘My Hollow My Home’ Australian Lace Monitor – Mixed Media Size 63x94cm – by Elizabeth Cogley (Varanus varius) Australian Monitor Lizard “As he poses so majestically for a moment or two in his beautiful habitat, we capture a glimpse and a sense of his world. Then he vanishes again into the Australian bush.” E.Cogley This painting was a Finalist in the 2011 ‘The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize’ South Australian Museum and also received a ‘Highly Commended’ in The Wildlife Art Society of Australia ‘Wild Awards’ Exhibition 2011 CLICK HERE to see more! www.ozwildart.com

A koala baby named ‘Joey’

Terri Eather

I

received a phone call one afternoon about 5pm from a very distraught lady. She said they had found a tiny koala baby on the ground with no sign of her mum.

The lady went on to tell me that they had phoned Daisy Hill Koala Centre (a local Parks & Wildlife Government run centre that has paid Rangers that rescue koalas only).

She spoke to one of the Rangers and was told that they finished work 12 mins ago and she would need to find a volunteer to help her. This is when I come into the story.

I headed out to their house to see what I could do. Upon getting to the large property, we had to go back to the area where they had found little 'Joey' the tiny koala baby.

Searching around for a while I spotted a koala high up in a gum tree fast asleep. Hoping I was right I went and got the baby koala who we had named ‘Joey'.

The Good Samaritan family of six now stayed back and slightly hidden from what we hoped was little 'Joey's' mum.

I took little Miss Joey and put her at the base of the tree where the koala was sleeping. I gave her a few gentle

Little Joey Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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prods to get her to squeal and hopefully wake up mum and get her to come down the tree.

It took a few more gentle prods and squeals and suddenly mum was descending the tree at the speed of light, with me making a very hasty retreat behind another tree.

The obvious mum came down, our little 'Joey' was frantic to find her mum's pouch as she was VERY thirsty.

Little 'Joey' drank for what seemed ages and then climbed on to mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back and the two headed back up the tree.

The seven humans (including me) watched in awe as this wonderful miracle happened......... the reuniting of a koala mum and Joey.

Did you love this story â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go to page 104 to vote for your favourite story.

The winner will receive a wonderful book called 'The Wombat Who Talked To The Stars' by Jill Morris

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Little Joey

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Taste the difference Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise the majority of people want an alternative to drinking tap water. Everyone wants water that tastes better.

Water that is good for them and they can drink every day, supplying the water the body needs.

The Nikken PiMag 10 Water System and PiMag Aqua Pour Express meet these needs.Your water will taste better. It can help you add water to your program of good health for life.

ROBIN WINGRAVE Natural History Artist

Sugar Glider Limited edition print (Without matting) - $70.00 Limited edition print (matted) - $90.00

PiMag vs Bottled Water

Enjoy bottled water?

You may be in for a few surprises. For one, commercially bottled water is not all from mountain springs, no matter what the advertising says. A lot of it comes straight from a municipal water source. And in blind taste tests, even expensive bottled products often rank behind ordinary tap water.

http://www.bestwaterinyourglass.com/

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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June 2012

A portfolio of finely detailed graphite pencil drawings or watercolour and oil paintings depicting the natural world of Australia.

Available for purchase direct from the artist. winart26@gmail.com 03 6334 9261 CLICK HERE to see more! www.robinwingrave.com

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The tawny frogmouth

Andrea Devos The taxonomic family name for Tawny Frogmouth is Podargus strigoides (Aves: Podargidae)

I

Tawny frogmouth babies in care.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Photographed by David Joyce June 2012

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n captivity the Tawny Frogmouth is generally a very placid bird and can be categorised as low risk/ innocuous.

However in certain circumstances they may become unafraid of humans and even aggressive at feeding times, swooping at and attempting to bite a keepers head. The beak of a Tawny Frogmouth is broad and has quite a powerful bite. Furthermore the tip of the beak curves down to a sharp point which could break the skin if one is bitten. The greatest danger would be if an aggressive bird were to attack the face of a keeper. This could result in eye damage however it is very rare for a Tawny Frogmouth to display such extreme aggressive behaviour.

Many Tawny Frogmouths in captivity require hand feeding. This is due to the fact that Tawny Frogmouths in the wild often use their camouflage and sit still waiting for food to come to them. However in some instances they can be seen hunting flying insects that have been Page 85

attracted by artificial light sources.

The necessity of hand feeding can present risks to the feeder especially if the bird displays aggressive behaviour.

Precautions can be taken such as the wearing of leather gloves to prevent a miss directed bite from injuring the keeper. For more aggressive Tawny Frogmouth individuals which fly at the keeper, conditioning can be employed.

Such techniques can be as simple as gently picking up the bird off the ground after it has swooped and placing it backwards on the perch before feeding. In this way after a short period of time the bird will learn that feeding will only take place when it is sitting on its perch.

The Tawny Frogmouth is not classified as a threatened species.

Furthermore in Australia there are currently no standards for the exhibition of Caprimulgiformes (nightjars).

There are no management strategies for wild populations for the Tawny Frogmouth as these birds are very common and widespread across all of Australia.

The most frequently used common name for Podargus strigoides other than Tawny Frogmouth is Mopoke, which it shares with the Boobook Owl (Ninox novaeseelandiae).

Other names include: Freckled Frogmouth, Moreport, Night Hawk Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Tawny Frogmouths are noted for their outstanding camouflage, which helps protect them from predators during the day. When roosting during daylight hours a Tawny Frogmouth will stretch itself out amongst the branches and remain motionless, appearing to blend in with its surroundings. A Tawny Frogmouth prefers to hunt by remaining motionless in a tree and observing ground dwelling insects and rodents.

When they see an insect or small rodent, they pounce on it from above and attack using their beak. Tawny

Three tawnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in care â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Photograph by David Joyce

and Short Winged Podargus.

Podargus strigoides was first classified in 1801 by an ornithologist named John Latham. These birds are often mistaken for an owl because they both are nocturnal, eat insects, have large eyes and soft feathers for silent flight as well as having bristles or "whiskers" around their bills.

However Podargus strigoides are in fact a Frogmouth. Frogmouths are the largest of the Nightjar family. The Tawny Frogmouth differs from owls in several ways; Tawny Frogmouths do not possess strong legs and powerful

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talons like an owl and instead, prefer to catch their prey with their beak.

Owls will eat animals and birds up to their own size and sometimes larger, while frogmouths are almost exclusively insectivorous. The eyes on an Owl face fully forward whilst frogmouths' eyes face mostly to the side.

Owls have either a full or partial facial disk, while frogmouths do not.

Owls have large asymmetrical ears, while frogmouths do not and owls have twelve tail feathers whilst frogmouths have ten.

A Tawny frogmouth's eyes are more on the side of their head, unlike an owls, they face fully forward. Photograph by David Joyce Page 86

Frogmouths are also known in some cases to actively hunt large moths and other flying insects which have been attracted by artificial light sources in suburban areas. They catch these insects in their beaks mid-flight. The beak and mouth of a Tawny Frogmouth is significantly different to those of owls in that they are much larger relative to the size of the birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head. Frogmouths have wide gapes, revealing a deep yellow mouth and throat and is similar in appearance to that of a frog, hence the name 'frogmouth'.

During nesting, only the male attends the nest and incubates the eggs in the day. By night, both male and female remain on the nest. The males only leave briefly for a few hours each night to feed before returning to the nest. Once the eggs had hatched, the males and females alternate roles periodically, taking it in turns to hunt from nearby trees. Incubation lasts between 28 and 30 days and the mass of new hatchlings are approximately 19g. The young gain on average 8.3g per day and mass increased in a linear fashion until fledging.

Tawny Frogmouth in camouflage mode at the Wings Wildlife Park Tasmania.

Photo by Andrea Devos Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Tawny Frogmouth in camouflage mode.

Photograph by David Joyce Page 87

Inside a tawny frogmouth's mouth is yellow and has an appearance of a frog, hence the name frogmouth.

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Young chick in care. Photo by David Joyce Page 88

Fledging occurrs simultaneously DISTINGUISHING FEATURES for siblings between 26 and 30 days • There are no outstanding markings after hatching. At the point of fledging and Tawny Frogmouths are softly the chicks had a mass of about 250g. mottled grey and brown above, In some cases the younger sibling often with more brown on the roosted on the ground for several days, shoulders and wing-coverts. The because they cannot fly strongly. wing quills are dark brown with The Tawny Frogmouth males and white spots and are only visible females share almost identical when the wings are spread. The tail plumage. However, slight colour is grey with dark grey to brown variations between males and females bars. Underparts are grey with in the subspecies P. s. darker streaks. The bill strigoides have been is broad and hooked Wingspan: noted where males are and in some cases can Males – up to 570mm almost always grey and be almost hidden by Females – up to 520mm females may have a long facial bristles. An Beak Length: slight chestnut colour. alternate plumage Males – 60-65mm Sexual differences can phase can occur where Females – 58–62mm also be distinguished by the grey parts are Head to Tail Body examining the shape of replaced by red-brown Length: their beaks. The beak colours.

435–515mm. of a male is often • The eye of a Tawny flatter, more exposed Frogmouth is yellow as and triangular in shape than that of a is the inside of the mouth and female. As well as this, significant size throat. However across some of the and weight differences exist between sub-species the eye colour can vary the sexes. These can be very from a pale yellow to a deep differences are difficult to distinguish orange. when there aren’t two birds of • Tawny Frogmouths in the northern opposite sex, sitting together for parts of Australia are often smaller comparison and even then, one would than their counterparts in south have to get close enough to the birds eastern regions. to examine them in more detail.

• Australia is home to two other Furthermore these dimorphic species of Frogmouth. These are characteristics cannot be relied upon the Papuan Frogmouth, P. in all cases to determine the sex of papuensis, which is confined to the individuals.

Cape York Peninsula and is larger, Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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A female tends to have a slight chestnut colour (on left) the male is more grey (right).

Photo by Andrea Devos

with an orange-red eye. The other species is the Marbled Frogmouth, P. ocellatus, which is similar in size to the Tawny Frogmouth, however is only found in the rainforests of far north Queensland and on the Queensland-New South Wales border. The Marbled Frogmouth has an orange-yellow eye both the Marbled and Papuan Frogmouths are found also in New Guinea.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT The Tawny Frogmouth prefers to live in wooded areas that contain

clearings. They can however be found at the fringes of wet tropical forests, and occasionally in trees in urban areas, parks and even gardens. Tawny Frogmouths however avoid dense rainforests which can inhibit their hunting ability and treeless deserts.

During the day they roost in trees using their colouring and body shape to camouflage themselves against the branches.

The Tawny Frogmouth is widespread and can be found throughout almost all of the Australian Page 89

mainland and Tasmania. As well as this, they have been recorded on several Australian off shore islands.

The widespread use of insecticides and rodent poisons pose a significant risk to the Tawny Frogmouth. Often the poison that is used to kill these perceived pests can still be present when they are consumed by a Tawny Frogmouths. This frequently results in the death of the bird as a result of the toxins in the rodents or insects.

Furthermore Tawny Frogmouths are slow to return to flight after landing on the ground or perching.

The eye of a tawny frogmouth is large and orange.

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Photograph by David Joyce June 2012

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Cherry picker truck.

This combined with their preferred method of hunting ground dwelling prey, makes them vulnerable to attack from introduced predators such as foxes and cats. As well as this, the insects which are often attracted by street lamps and car headlights have a tendency to attract Tawny Frogmouths as well, resulting in the injury and often death of birds from the collision.

The Tawny Frogmouth maximum ages ranged from 12 to 14 years.

Tawny Frogmouths do not use hollows in tree trunks for either nesting or roosting, as a result, in

Photo by David Joyce Page 90

David Joyce who cares for Tawny Frogmouths in Tasmania. He hired a cherry picker and put a tawny frogmouth chick back into the nest of a very large tree. The chick had fallen from the nest the night before in a storm. The mother accepted the chick back and David was delighted to see that his chick was a twin. To view a short video of the chick being put back into the taken by David one handed please click here http://wildliferescuemagazine.com/tawny-video---returning-chick-to-nest.html Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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The little tawny frogmouth chick who had been blown out from under her mother during a storm the night before Page 91

A Tawny Frogmouths nest. Photo by David Joyce

The height of the tree that the nest is in where the tawny frogmouth chick had to be returned to after the wind blew it out the previous night. A brave man David Joyce takes a ride up in a cherry picker to do the job. Photo by David Joyce Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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captivity they do not need to be provided with a nest box. In the wild, a Tawny Frogmouth pair will construct their nests in the forks of trees. These nests are often of flimsy construction, being little more than a collection of stick and leaves which have been bundled together and arranged in the shape of a nest. The size of the nest itself often depends on the size of the branches in which it is being built, however on average they are around 30 cm in diameter. The loose stick used in the construction, are often not much thicker than 5-6 mm and are piled across each other. The centre of the nest is often slightly depressed and is composed of leaf litter and grass

stems to soften it. Often Tawny Frogmouths will reuse the same nesting site, or used the discarded nests of other birds, provided that they are large enough. In captivity it is necessary to provide the raw nesting materials as well as a secure branch in which they can construct their nest.

The fork in the branch must be close to the trunk and it would be advantageous to secure a small plastic or ceramic dish in this position, upon which the birds can construct their nest. Being positioned close to the trunk of the tree, allows the Tawny Frogmouths to feel safer and camouflaged up against it as they incubate the eggs.

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Quite often a tawny frogmouth has had a collision and is concussed, with possible brain damage and unfortunately has to be put down – but in many cases this is not so.

When a tawny comes into care HOPEFULLY it has been placed into a box with a cover over it so it is nice and dark and it has been kept quiet.

How to decide how damaged mentally the Tawny frogmouth is?

When a Tawny Frogmouth comes into care if brought in by a member of the public they have

HYGIENE AND CLEANING Tawny Frogmouths spend much of their time in the branches or on perches above the ground. It is therefore vital to the health of these birds that the perches are kept clean.

After a few days of housing a new Tawny Frogmouth it will become clear where the bird’s favourite perching sites are. These must be cleaned on a daily basis, being sure to remove all excrement that has accumulated. It is preferable that these favoured perches, be scrubbed and disinfected at least on a weekly basis to prevent the build up of bacteria and parasites which could intern infect the bird. Other perches should be washed down and scrubbed Wildlife Rescue Magazine

usually been sitting quietly in a dark box – so the carer needs to determine the amount of damage – one way of doing this is to see how the bird reacts to a feeding gesture Place your hand into the box and softly ruffle the long feathers on the crown (above the beak) of the tawny – if the tawny opens their beak in a gesture of wanting to be fed or in aggression – this is a good sign – if they don’t then take your fingers and ruffle the feathers under the beak and look for a reaction.

with water to remove any faecal matter on a daily basis to maintain a hygienic environment and disinfected at least once a fortnight. The use of bleach as a disinfecting agent is not recommended as any traces could adversely affect the relatively soft feet of a Tawny Frogmouth. Milder agents such as diluted eucalyptus disinfectant should be used. All disinfecting agents must be washed off the perches and surfaces once they have been cleaned.

RECORD KEEPING It is important that healthy and injured Tawny Frogmouths that are being kept in captivity, either for display or to nurse back to health, are monitored closely. Furthermore, the

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A tawny frogmouth will open its beak when it has had its feathers on the crown softly ruffled. Photo by David Joyce Page 93

Ruby with a tawny frogmouth Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Photo by David Joyce June 2012

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ability to detect any deterioration in health as soon as possible, allows for immediate treatment to begin, hopefully before it is too late. All records about injured Tawny Frogmouths or any birds for that matter should include the following information: • Date animal was found – • Where it was found – • Species – In this case Tawny Frogmouth, but if identification is incorrect then the treatment (in the case of an injured bird) and\or diet that follows may very well do more harm than good.

• Estimated age and weight – Weight is often a good indication of the health of a bird. For instance if a bird in a captive situation is under weight than it is a good indication that it has not been feeding correctly and steps must be taken to rectify the problem.

• Injuries and their possible causes – Tawny Frogmouths are frequently injured by vehicles in urban areas as they attempt to catch insects on the road which have been attracted by street lights and car headlights. This often results in many Tawny Frogmouths being taken into captivity for treatment.

• Date of release – • Method of release – • Release site – • Feed intake – it is important to

know if an injured or captive bird is eating. Often, individual meals may be too large or the bird could be refusing food resulting in the need to re-evaluate the feeding regime.

• Body measurements – Are often to determine if the bird is a subspecies or a juvenile.

• Toileting – • Unusual behaviour – Records detailing characteristics such as flight ability and enthusiasm for food, can provide an important indication on the rate of recovery.

• Diet – A specific diet may be required for the bird based on age, weight and or nutritional needs which may have resulted from starvation or poisoning.

• Veterinary care – Detailing what care has been given and in the case of some form of transfer or different member of staff taking over, what future care is recommended or needed.

DIET IN THE WILD The wild diet of The Tawny Frogmouth can be quite varied depending on the time of year and the availability of food. The majority of this diet however consists of invertebrates such as snails, slugs, cockroaches, moths, millipedes, centipedes and Christmas beetles.

As much as 78% of the natural diet of the Tawny Frogmouth is insects, with spiders and centipedes Page 94

Weighing a tawny frogmouth chick in care.

making up only 18%. The remaining 4% consist of terrestrial vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and mice.

CAPTIVE DIET In captivity, the diet of a Tawny Frogmouth is often quite simple, consisting of whole mice, cut up day old chicks, insects such as mealworms, crickets and cockroaches, and a variety of meat mixes which will be discussed later. Most institutions feed these birds almost entirely on cut up day old chicks or adult mice.

However it should be noted that Tawny Frogmouths are primarily Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Photograph by David Joyce

Tawny’s need roughage in their food to help the crop expel food through it’s digest system – chopped up feathers with scissors is a good roughage – egg shells which have been dried out in the oven and crushed up is also a good roughage and necessary for calcium – to help your bird with gut flora it is a good idea to add acidophilus powder about once a week.

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Tawny Frogmouth with a broken wing, strapped and on the mend Photograph by David Joyce June 2012

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insectivorous, as such, their diet in captivity should consist primarily of small invertebrates.

Being nocturnal birds, Tawny Frogmouths should be fed at night, in order to try and simulate the natural feeding cycle of the animal.

However this is not always practical and in such cases it is recommended that Tawny Frogmouths be fed either in the early morning or late afternoon.

When feeding meat mix to a Tawny Frogmouth, there are several ways of preparing it.

The following are three examples of meat mixes which are utilised by the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a portion of the diet for Tawny Frogmouths.

The first mix consists of: • 100g low fat mince (preferably preservative free, minced up heart is best); • 1 finely chopped hard-boiled egg (include the finely ground shell); • 1 heaped tablespoon of Wombaroo Insectivore mix .

The second mix contains: • 100g low fat mince (minced heart is best); • 1 finely chopped hard-boiled egg (include the finely ground shell); • 1 heaped teaspoon of ground dog kibble; • 1 heaped teaspoon of unprocessed bran; Wildlife Rescue Magazine

• 1 pinch of calcium powder; and • 1 pinch of bird multivitamin.

• 1 heaped tablespoon of Wombaroo Insectivore mix .

The third mix: Is somewhat simpler, consisting of small pieces of heart which have been rolled in a small coating of insectivore mix.

Tawny Frogmouths are very efficient at regulating body water levels and as a result, they do not need to drink, instead getting all the water they need from their food. Therefore it is vitally important that food items such as meat mix are dipped in water prior to being fed to the bird.

SUPPLEMENTS Few supplements are required for a Tawny Frogmouth as their food generally consists of whole animals, which provide calcium in the bones and many vitamins in the bodily organs. However when feeding meat mix, it is recommended that calcium supplements be added. The addition of multivitamins to frozen food items is especially important in order to replace vitamins in the food that have been destroyed by the freezing process.

PRESENTATION OF FOOD The presentation of food items for Tawny Frogmouth’s is fairly crucial. In captivity it is very difficult to simulate the natural feeding behaviour of these birds. As a result it is often necessary

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Small pieces of heart rolled in insectivore mix.

to hand feed them. This can be achieved by placing the food directly above the bird’s head. In most cases a Tawny Frogmouth will open its mouth (gape) when food is placed above them, in which case one simply needs to place the food item in the bird’s mouth. It should then swallow the food item whole.

In some circumstances a Tawny Frogmouth may not gape at the food item that is being presented. In this case one should stroke the bristles which protrude from the top of the

Photo by David Joyce

bird’s beak. At this a Tawny Frogmouth will gape only briefly, but this should be sufficient to place the food in its mouth.

TIMING OF CAPTURE AND HANDLING Tawny Frogmouths are active during the night and roost in the trees during the day. Attempting to capture these birds when they are most active is quite difficult and can be quite stressful to them. However during the day as they are roosting, Tawny Frogmouths will rarely move from Page 96

their perch even if touched or threatened, as they attempt to camouflage themselves against their surroundings.

Performing the capture and handling of Tawny Frogmouths during the day (preferably early morning) is far easier for the keepers involved and less stressful on the bird and can generally be achieved in a relatively short space of time.

CATCHING BAGS Catching bags can be employed for Tawny Frogmouths when performing tasks such as examinations and banding in the field. The bags should be constructed of a nylon fabric that is loose enough to allow for sufficient air flow. The preferable size is about that of a normal pillow case which will allow for sufficient material to be used for restrain if necessary.

CAPTURE AND RESTRAINT TECHNIQUES Although often mistaken for an owl, Tawny Frogmouths have a significant physiological difference in that they lack sharp, powerful talons.

In reality the feet and legs of a Tawny Frogmouths are quite weak and are used by the birds for little more than securing themselves on a perch. The most hazardous part of a Tawny Frogmouth’s anatomy is its beak which comes to a sharp point on its time and had the ability to clamp down on an object.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

A manner to forcefeed a tawny – cut pieces of a beef heart into triangles, if the bird will not open its beak, you wil need to pull open its beak, from above and below the beak, pull open then stick in your finger so it can't close its beak again. Always push food down on the right side of a tawny's mouth as it will go directly into its crop this way. Be careful of the oesophagus so as not block it.

Always weigh the bird after a feed so as to monitor how much

the bird is eating. You should aim at getting 10-14g into them daily.

It is important what time you choose to feed your adult bird in care as they are nocturnal and normally sleep in the day and are active at night – with this in mind you should look at feeding them minimum of two feeds a day at 57g of food per feed a dawn feeding and dusk feeding – but if only getting 2g a feed into them then 8-10 feeds is necessary per day.

Watch this wonderful video by David Joyce showing him feeding his four tawny frogmouths who were in care at the time, you will hear the tawny's calling for food. Click here http://wildliferescuemagazine.com/tawny-video---feeding.html

There are several methods of Capturing a Tawny Frogmouth is capturing a Tawny a relatively simple task Frogmouth. and would not require 1. The first is the more than two people.

The Tawny simplest, but can be the During the day time Frogmouth likes to when the bird is perch backwards not most traumatic for the roosting they will sit frontwards so if you bird. It involves slipping a net over the quietly as they are go to put them on a bird while it is roosting approached. Even in perch put them on on a perch. This allows the wild, Tawny backwards – watch the keeper to gain a Frogmouths will move the tail. greater degree of little when a human approaches their control over the bird. position.

By gently moving the net

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to the ground and orientating the bird so that it is facing away to avoid being bitten, the keeper can place both hands around the birds’ mid section in what is known as the two-handed grip.

This grip is achieved by firmly but gently grasping the bird with the hands being placed either side so that the wings are held against the bird’s body by the keeper’s palms. The thumbs should be placed on the bird’s backbone at the level of the scapulae or shoulder and the fingers curled around the breast and abdomen, with the legs tucked up against the underside of the bird. The two-handed grip allows the keeper complete control over the wings and allows for relative ease of examination, however if the keeper’s grip is too tight, it will constrict the bird’s breathing and suffocate it.

2. The other method of capture is simpler, quicker and less traumatic for the bird. It involves approaching the bird from behind and slowly but firmly applying the two-handed grip directly to the bird while it is roosting. In my experience I have found that Tawny Frogmouths will rarely resist this method and it can be readily employed should the need arise.

RESTRAINT OF A BIRD FOR WEIGHING AND EXAMINATION The best way that I have ever come across is the towel method.

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Lay a towel out flat – roll about three tight rolls on the longest length (this will be a shelf under the head of the bird) The rolled edge should go over the box and down so that the bird is captured so its head is in the position of the rolled edge.

Fold the towel firmly around the bird so that the head is poking up but because of the rolled edge the bird is unable to bite if it wanted to.

When performing a physical examination, the two-handed grip allows for the greatest degree of control over the bird. The ease of application of the two-handed grip also makes it ideal for this purpose.

When examining the interior of the mouth of a Tawny Frogmouth one only needs to stroke the bristles above the bird’s beak. At this action a Tawny

To watch the restraint of the bird done by a wonderful vet – Dr Ross Perry who teaches this technique by video please click here http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=16ZIJHdjO8E&feature=plcp Releasing the bird from the restraint is also important and again is shown by a vet named Dr Ross Perry to view please click here http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yo_F89Qxnnc&feature=plcp Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Frogmouth will always tilt its head back and gape widely. In some cases Tawny Frogmouths will not need any form of restraint to perform a weight measurement.

They can simply be sat on the scales and the measurement read.

However this should not be taken as a given rule for these birds and it is quite possible that restraint will be required.

The simplest and most stress free method of restraining a Tawny Frogmouth for a weight measurement is to have a narrow towel that can be wrapped around the bird in such a way that it performs the same role as the two-handed grip.

One must ensure that the towel is firm enough to restrain the bird’s wings but not so tight as to restrict breathing or cause discomfort. The bird should be continually observed for open mouth panting which can indicate that it is having difficulty breathing.

RELEASE When releasing a Tawny Frogmouth into an enclosure it is important to ensure that the bird has a clear flight path with no immediate obstacles. Release should take place in the late afternoon just before dusk.

Being nocturnal, release at dusk will give the bird a full night to fly around and become accustomed to its new enclosure.

When the transport box

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Taking the bird to an avian vet is essential – there is a rule-ofthumb known in the avian community – if your bird has a break of the wing in the main bone called the humorous or in the radius – if it is a finger width (5mm) from the bone – it is perhaps repairable – any break less then this is not considered repairable because of how fast the bone/joint calcifies – the bird would need to be euphanased.

Calcification of the joint means the bird is unable to fly. containing a Tawny Frogmouth is placed into the enclosure it should be opened from behind, so that the bird does not see any people and has a clear view of the majority of the enclosure.

One should not attempt to remove the bird from the box, instead allowing it to leave freely when it is ready to do so.

DAILY HEALTH CHECKS It is imperative to make observations of the wellbeing of captive Tawny Frogmouths on a daily basis, be it during feeding and\or cleaning procedures. One should always be aware of the alertness and posture of these birds. Wings should be neatly tucked away as with any roosting bird and they should be in

their classic, erect form, or eagerly awaiting feeding with vivid eyes.

In some cases Tawny Frogmouths will refuse food for short periods if the climatic conditions are colder than normal.

This is however nothing to be concerned about so long as they do not refuse to feed for more than two days in a row. During cold conditions Tawny Frogmouths can place themselves in a temporary state of torpor which results in a slowed metabolic rate.

This state however, normally only lasts during the night and early morning where it is coldest. Therefore it is advisable, when housing Tawny Frogmouths outdoors, to feed them later in the day during the colder months of the year The feathers of Tawny Frogmouths are capable of insulating them from the cold and are waterproof. Therefore as with all birds, their feather condition is of vital importance, particularly if they are being housed outdoors where they are exposed to changing climatic conditions.

Included in daily checks should be a brief examination of the beak condition. Injuries to the beak must be identified and treated seriously and immediately. In most cases beak damage will heal without complications, however if left Page 98

Tawny frogmouth Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Tawny frogmouth

Photo by David Joyce Page 99

Tawny frogmouth Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Photo by David Joyce www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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untreated, the healing process may result in deformities in the shape of the beak. These may result in an inability of the beak to close or function correctly. The interior of the beak should also be examined. Tawny Frogmouths can readily be hand fed by holding the food above their head.

They will open their gape wide allowing keepers to see their mouth easily. It should appear yellow to orange and clean, with no accumulated residues. The bottom interior and throat should also be moist.

Drying out and the build up of residues from its food can occur if the beak has been damaged and is unable to close correctly. For individuals working with Tawny Frogmouths it is important to know the temperament of each individual bird where possible.

This will allow any subtle changes in their behaviour that could have been caused by environment or illness to be observed and recorded. In addition, examination of the faeces of these birds for any obvious signs of blood or abnormalities in consistency should be conducted.

Feather condition across the bird’s body should be examined for any abnormalities in condition. Particular attention should be paid to the tail feathers which are prone to damage if the bird’s roost on or near the ground.

Damage to the tail feathers can adversely affect a Tawny Frogmouth’s Wildlife Rescue Magazine

In a big flight aviary – add garden solar lights – moths are attracted to these and the tawny’s will feast on the moths. You will know if your birds are eating moths in the aviary as you will see white powder from the moth in the mouth of the bird or sometimes even dirt.

ability to fly, which could result injuring itself if startled. Furthermore if the tail feathers are damage, it is often an indicator that that particular bird is currently unable to fly and measures should be taken to house it in a way that will minimise damage to these feathers. An examination for flat flies should be conducted as these parasites live within the feathers of many birds of prey including Tawny Frogmouths.

The underside of the tail feathers and the downy feathers around the vent should be clean and free of faecal build up. All of the feathers on the wings, dorsal and ventral sections of the bird should overlap neatly to cover the bird’s whole body.

Furthermore when sprayed with a fine mist of water, the droplets should bead off the feathers as though there were coated in a layer of oil. This aspect of the Tawny Frogmouth’s feathers is necessary if they are to be

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housed outside where they will be exposed to the weather. A lack of preening by a Tawny Frogmouth can prevent the powder-down feathers which are responsible for this waterproofing, from shedding their particles across the rest of the feathers.

The beak of a Tawny Frogmouth should be examined closely both on the exterior and the interior. On the exterior one should assess if the beak is capable of closing fully. When closed fully the maxilla (top) and mandible (bottom) should fit together perfectly with nothing obstructing it.

As well as this, the beak should be symmetrical when looking front on. If the beak has been damaged, it is common place for abnormal growth to take place where the outer keratin sheath has tried to heal.

This may result in obstructions or deformities, preventing the bird’s beak from closing correctly. Such obstructions can gently be filed down using a nailfile until the maxilla and mandible fit together correctly.

The mandible itself is not a continuously solid unit but a triangular frame over which skin is stretched, covering its entire width and length.

This area is prone to injury and should be examined both on the interior and exterior.

The interior of the beak, mouth and throat of a Tawny Frogmouth should be examined thoroughly to

Unusually in tawny frogmouths, most of the leg is hidden under feathers, protecting the legs from insect bites that can cause such terrible illness in other birds.

(Avian Pox) Tawny frogmouths rarely use their feet for walking. They use then to sit and pounce, although they can shuffle along on branches and on the ground but will usually only take a few steps. Their lives revolve around two postures: sitting or flying. Walking plays a very marginal role in the life of a tawny frogmouth.

Excerpt from Tawny Frogmouth edited by Gisela Kaplan

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Tawny frogmouth's have a special feature of their wings. The patagium is a very strong and flexible tendon that enables the bird to stretch the wing and keep the frontal part of the wing nicely streched like a sail allowing the bird to hover.

The underside of the wing is geneerously equipped with a special layer of feathers that serves the sole and important purpose of absorbing any noise created by air turbulence. Tawny frogmouths have an entirely silent flight – at least to the human ear.

Excerpt from Tawny Frogmouth edited by Gisela Kaplan

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

ensure that it remains moist and is free from any damage and residues. The build up of residue within the mouth of a Tawny Frogmouth can have dire ramifications.

This commonly occurs when a bird cannot close its mouth correctly and any pieces of food items that remain are able to dry out and harden, causing obstruction and infection.

The airway should also be examined to ensure there are no signs of damage or obstruction and that there is not excess production of saliva or mucus that could be hampering the Tawny Frogmouth’s ability to breathe.

A Tawny Frogmouth’s feet should be examined carefully to ensure that they have not been injured. These birds rely heavily on their feet for remaining perched on branches even during the windiest storms.

They have four digits with three forward and one behind. The feet of a Tawny Frogmouth are covered by near equal segments of scales. These are very pronounced, allowing any injury to be easily seen.

The soles of the feet should also be examined to determine if there is any injury that could prevent the bird from perching normally.

ROUTINE TREATMENTS Food should be treated with calcium powder, particularly if feeding insects or meat mix which do not contain a high amount of calcium.

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This is of great importance during the breeding season when females may have developing eggs.

It is also necessary for the healthy bone development of young. As well as this, the addition of bird multivitamin supplements should be added to the food, particularly when a Tawny Frogmouth has been stressed either by a transfer or injury.

Multivitamins powders such as Ornithon are important to help bolster the immune system. Faecal samples should be collected annually for analysis for parasites and any diseases.

BEHAVIOUR Tawny Frogmouths are not the most active of birds. The vast majority of their time, even when awake, is spent perching. This is mostly due to their hunting strategy of being sit and wait predators.

Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal and during the day will roost in the classic erect camouflage posture as displayed in the photos.

During the daylight hours, this posture will be maintained without fail in most wild Tawny Frogmouths.

However in captivity, due to the nature of having to feed during the day, these birds will often abandon this posture periodically upon the sight of humans, who they associate with feeding.

When choosing a roosting site, Tawny Frogmouths will often attempt

to find a branch or area where they can best camouflage themselves. This should be kept in mind when housing these birds as it would be far less stressful for them if they are able to find a daytime roosting sight in which they feel comfortable. Night time roosting behaviour in Tawny Frogmouths often begins at dusk where these birds will attempt to find a good vantage point several metres above the ground, from which they can see prey. By dawn Tawny Frogmouths will have returned to one of their daytime roosts. When perching at night it has been observed that Tawny Frogmouths will not bother with adopting the camouflage posture. Instead they sit in a more hunched fashion peering at the ground for anything that comes their way.

Although in general these birds are sit and wait predators, it has become increasingly common for them to be seen actively hunting and catching moths and flying insects which are attracted to artificial light sources in urban areas.

Tawny Frogmouths do not form close social groups. In fact in the wild it is quite rare to see more than two tawny Frogmouths together. Most unpaired Tawny Frogmouths are solitary while those with mates tend to remain close together or at least within the same territory. During the colder months Tawny Frogmouths will from Page 102

Headplumes, tufts and bristles. These elaborate adornments around the beak could well help the bird to prevent venomous live prey from stinging the bird (such as a centipede).

Photo by David Joyce.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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time to time place their bodies into a temporary state of torpor. This is often accompanied in captivity with a disinterest in food for short periods of time.

This is a trait from the wild in which the Tawny Frogmouth is trying to maximise the efficiency of existing energy reserves in a time that is often associated with a decline in the amount of available food.

Being mostly solitary, Tawny Frogmouths display very little social behaviour in the wild. In captivity, Tawny Frogmouths housed together will generally seek out each other and during the day will often be seen roosting very close together or even side by side.

REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR Before and during the breeding season, males and females perform vocal duets. These are generally a sequence of calls that alternate between the male and the female.

Male and female Tawny Frogmouth pairs will also work together to build a nest, beginning in late August to early September.

Once their simple nest has been constructed both the male and female take turns to sit on the nest and incubate the eggs.

In almost all cases, the male will incubate during the day and the female will incubate during the night. During this time the male will enter a state

know as the brooding trance in which he sits on the nest but does not adopt and camouflage posture.

Furthermore he will be almost completely unresponsive to any outside activities or threats. During this state the pupils of the male will contract and he will sit completely still on the nest until dusk when it is time for the female to take over incubation duties.

This behaviour almost seems to invite attack, however remaining completely motionless during the daylight hours the male effectively conceals the presence of either chick or eggs on the nest, thus helping to protect the young from harm.

The female behaviour during incubation is much different from that of the males. In general she will react to even the slightest disturbance by fluffing out her feathers in an attempt to make herself look as large as possible in an attempt to scare off any potential predators.

Furthermore the patterns on the feathers become arranged in the form of a threat display as she follows the predator or threat with her eyes.

BATHING In the wild Tawny Frogmouths will not actively seek out any form of water source for the purpose of drinking or bathing. In fact even when it rains, most Tawny Frogmouths will remain in their classic, erect Page 103

camouflage posture. However in captivity I have observed that Tawny Frogmouths display a fondness for a fine mist spray, particularly during the summer months. During these activities the birds will spread out their wings to immerse themselves in the light misty spray.

Tawny Frogmouths are generally very placid birds in captivity and as such do not suffer from a great deal of behavioural problems.

If a Tawny Frogmouth has come from the wild for whatever reason it may take time for it to recognise the food that is being fed.

To help with this, most Tawny Frogmouths will gape when the bristles above its beak are stroked, at which point the food item can be placed in the birds mouth.

It may take some time for the Tawny Frogmouth to become used to this method of feeding but sooner or later it will come to associate humans with food and will recognise the artificial foods that are being given to it.

We would like to thank David Joyce for his invaluable advice and photos.

The majority of information for this article was taken from a wonderful manual called: “Husbandry Guidelines for Tawny Frogmouth” by Joshua Snow – Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, Richmond.

Excerpts were also taken from a great book called ‘Tawny Frogmouths’ edited by Gisela Kaplan.

Vote for your favourite story Page 12 Page 57 Page 66 Page 82 Page 107

Please choose between: Shelby – pouch reconstruction Little Girl's story Wattle and her wayward son Watson A koala baby named ‘Joey’ Have you seen my transmitter?

Every published story author receives a book – this Issue our authors receive 'The Hairy Nosed Wombat' by Jill Morris.

All authors have an opportunity to WIN a second book (this Issue – ‘The Wombat Who Talked to the Stars’ by Jill Morris).

Vote today and pick your favourite story – the most votes WINS! Vote for your favourite story, email vote@wildliferescuemagazine.com

To view an adorable video of Tawny Frogmouth chicks in a nest at Adelaide Zoo click here http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Ndgw6_Tkl4&feature=related Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Have you seen my transmitter?

Dr Sarah Brett

S

ince the arrival of the cane toad in the Kimberley, Kununurra has hosted many researchers doing studies on fauna numbers in the region.

Some of these projects have involved radio tracking reptiles,including lizards and snakes, to determine their survival rate once the toads have entered their habitats.

One such project run by the University of Sydney involved attaching radio trackers to Blue Tongue lizards and then following their movements once they had been re-released. Many of these lizards were successfully tracked, but unfortunately not all of them managed to survive.

A couple of transmitters turned up in unexpected places, and presented an interesting problem for the researchers running these projects.

Whilst searching for some of the candidates in their projects, two transmitters were locatedâ&#x20AC;Ś.inside snakes!

There was now one large King Brown and even larger Black Headed Python that had radio trackers in their intestines. The transmitters had survived. The lizards had not.

The snakes, which were now both

Administering anaesthetic to a Black Headed Python Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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emitting radio tracker signals, were captured by an experienced snake handler and taken into captivity.

The transmitters had been attached to the lizards by a combination of cable ties and shade cloth or fly wire, and there were some concerns whether or not the snakes would be able to pass them.

These concerns turned out to be well founded. After some months in captivity neither of the snakes were feeding or passing faeces, and action needed to be taken.

Kimberley Wildlife Rescue Inc was contacted by the Dept of Environment and Conservation, and asked if we could help them with their predicament. Of course we were very keen to help!

Both snakes were presented to us for examination, and even though they were slightly underweight, they were both generally in good health. We devised a snake anaesthetising cylinder, and with slight trepidation launched into removing a radio transmitter from the belly of two large and beautiful snakes.

Bill Stewart and his partner Corrin Everittare are a local couple that are licenced to breed and capture reptiles and who both work for the Dept of Environment and Conservation. Whilst we all had cuppas, Corrin watched on nervously as Bill deftly caught the King Brown Wildlife Rescue Magazine

How to anaesthetise a snake. Note the bulge.

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The retrieved transmitters

and we launched into our first operation.

Both snakes were x-rayed before they were operated on, so that we could exactly locate their trackers.

Each snake was then prepared for surgery and had incisions were made just below the ribs so that the intestines could be located and the tracker gently removed. The intestines were then sutured closed and then the skin incisions were closed before they were recovered.

Both surgeries went really well in the capable hands of Dr Bonny, and I was given the exciting task of monitoring the anaesthetic as they Wildlife Rescue Magazine

were operated on. Snakes have an extremely slow respiratory rate which makes monitoring anaesthetic somewhat harder than in mammals, but their heart rates stayed strong throughout their surgeries, and they woke up really quickly.

Both snakes were given pain relief and antibiotics, and our clinic also uses homeopathic remedies to support the surgery process as well. These remedies help to treat the trauma and stress involved in these surgeries and really helps to smooth the whole process.

The great news is that both snakes have now fed since the surgery, and

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have passed faeces, and have had shed their skins since their operations. They are still being held in captivity as they will have to have a few more sheds before we are sure that their wounds are completely healed, and that their intestines are completely recovered from these significant surgeries.

There is definitely never a dull moment in the Kimberley, and we really never know what we are going to have to deal with next. We were thrilled to be able to help these beautiful creatures and hope that we will not have to deal with the same problem again. Cane toads really are a huge threat to our wildlife, so we are

really glad that these two individuals are lizards not snakes this time!

Dr Sarah Brett Kimberley Wildlife Rescue Inc. Phone 08 9189 1229 Email Kimberleywildlife@westnet.com.au

VO TE

A happy outcome

Did you love this story â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go to page 104 to vote for your favourite story.

The winner will receive a wonderful book called 'The Wombat Who Talked To The Stars' by Jill Morris

Page 109

REPTILE BOOKS

These are just some of the great range of reptile books available for purchase today from our website. Go online now to see them all. www.birdkeeper.com.au/reptile-shop/reptiles-amphibians-fish-books

BIRD BOOKS

These are just some of the great range of bird books available for purchase today from our website. Go online now to see them all. www.birdkeeper.com.au/abk-bird-books

Welcome to East Coast Natureworld Andrea Devos

E

ast Coast Natureworld is seven kilometres north of Bicheno on the East Coast of Tasmania. A must see if you want to enjoy a relaxing day on 160 acres of parkland.

A beautiful feature of this park is the amazing sea views available at the lookout at the end of the park â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is even a track to a secluded beach for you to enjoy.

Front entry to East Coast Natureworld Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Sea view at the lookout Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Another special feature not seen in any of the other parks in Tasmania is the fabulous snake display â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such a variety of large healthy snakes, all deadly and a good variety of tiger snakes.

Female tiger snakes Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Snakes, snakes and more snakes www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Large snakes in an enclosure for all to see

Art Gallery with an amazing picture hidden within a picture of a wedgetail eagle

You can enjoy a cuppa or even a meal at their lovely cafe, restaurant which runs all day – sit back and take a look at the paintings on the wall in their art gallery – one amazing painting - painted by the proprietor himself – hidden within the shades and shadows of the painting is a large wedgetail eagle. A painting within a painting. Shop at their souvenir shop.

A lovely variety of birds: wedgetail eagles, cockatoos, gang gang, galahs, masked lovebirds, cockatiels, rainbow lorikeets, budgies, pheasants, king parrots, kookaburras, and such a vast display with even a masked owl.

The beautiful café Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Kookaburra Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Kookaburra www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Avairy of variety of birds including the masked lovebird, indian ringnecks and more Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Gang gang Page 117

Cockatoo Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Masked owl www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Tasmanian devils, wombats and kangaroos are throughout the whole park and the kangaroos just love a feed.

Tasmanian devil Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Tasmanian devils www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Tasmanian devils Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Tasmanian devil www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Tasmanian devils Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Tasmanian devils www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Tasmanian devil Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Tasmanian devil www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Common wombat Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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June 2012

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Common wombat Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Common wombat Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Common wombat www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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An ostrich and emus, plus peacocks, cape barren geese, ducks and more, enjoy the animal farm with happy animals all eager for some free snacks.

Ostrich Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Emu with ostrich and friend www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Emu and Andrea Devos Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Peacock www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Peacock Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Peacock being fed www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Cape Barren geese Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Farm animals being fed www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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If you enjoy nature walks there is plenty to see â&#x20AC;&#x201C; beautiful walks through an east coast Dry Schlerophyll Forest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we even spotted a tree with sap marks where the sugar gliders sip their nectar.

Nature walk Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Nature walk Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Nature walk Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Education plates are located throughout the park making the walk educational and interesting www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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The children are not forgotten with a large playground, underground heritage mining display from the 1850's, there is even an educational centre with fun things to do inside using computerised interactive game boards and if that is not enough the nocturnal house is just great with quolls, possums and more.

Playground Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Underground heritage mining display Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Educational drawers in Devil World June 2012

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Devil World Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Animal boxes plus more Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Nocturnal House has an albino brushtail possum www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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See a bettong in the Nocturnal House Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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White ring tailed possum in the Nocturnal House June 2012

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Do you want to see one of the largest avairies in Tasmania â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not only do you get to see it you can walk casually through it at your own pace.

Natureworld aviary Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Inside the aviary Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Inside the aviary www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Inside the aviary Wildlife Rescue Magazine

Rainbow Lorikeets inside the aviary www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

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Nestboxes lovely and high in the aviary Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Pheasant in the aviary June 2012

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King Parrot in aviary Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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But our all time favourite thing to do at Natureworld was to feed the wonderful kangaroos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who were sweet, gentle and tried to jump into our laps :D

Mob of kangaroos enjoying the sun Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Stephan Devos feeding kangaroos Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Stephan Devos feeding kangaroos June 2012

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Stephan Devos feeding kangaroos Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Stephan Devos feeding kangaroos June 2012

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Come and enjoy the East Coast Natureworld 18356 Tasman Highway, Bicheno 03 6375 1311 www.natureworld.com.au

Stephan Devos feeding kangaroos Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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White peacock and kagaroo being fed by Stephan Devos June 2012

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ADVERTISEMENT

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

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The F.O.C has taken over 1500 wildlife rescue calls in its first 12 months of operation. We need 1000 more volunteers state-wide.

We have people working full-time, families, uni students and retirees on our rescue team. Everyone can help somehow; if you are unsure contact us!

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We have some more training sessions scheduled so please read the info below!

If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done so already please book in for one of the sessions so you can start actively getting involved in the program.

Could you be a wildlife rescuer?

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Wildlife Rescue Training Sessions

Give Bonorong your contact details and receive an email about the next scheduled F.O.C training session.

Attend a F.O.C rescue training session at Bonorong (Remember training is free of charge) You are then put on our rescue database and you will receive text messages when animals need help in your area.

If time allows and you feel like doing the rescue you can volunteer to help. This is not raising wildlife; it is simply rescuing and transporting the animal to where it needs to go.

When any wildlife carers need help you will receive group emails for working bees and if you are free, you can volunteer to help them and their wildlife.

It is as simple as that! This program is not designed to overload anyone and no experience is required. It is for people that have too many commitments to raise wildlife but still want to help our amazing animals in some way. A lot of people doing a little can make a big difference.

For more info contact Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary on 62 68 11 84 or email

petra@bonorong.com.au petra@bonorong.com.au

The training sessions are run so that our FOC members learn everything to do with wildlife rescue and transportation and how to make a rescue kit. You MUST attend one training session before you can help out with animal rescues. This is for your own safety and the safety of the animals that you are rescuing. We need as many of you trained as possible to get the program working even more effectively so please try hard to find a session that suits you and book in.

Every month we have training sessions. (Please note â&#x20AC;&#x201C; training sessions are all the same so you are only required to attend one.)

Contact bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary for next training sessions - phone: 03 6268 1184.

The training sessions run for approximately 2 hours 15 minutes and there is no cost involved. Please bring along a note pad, pen and warm clothes! (This is if you are coming to an evening session, it can be chilly at Bonorong!)

All sessions are run at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bush Tucker Shedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, or occasionally we run a session at UTAS usually in the Life Sciences Lecture Theatre in Sandy Bay. If the course you book in for is at Bonorong then when you arrive at Bonorong please park your car in the top car park (not the first one you get to) as far up as possible. The building at the top end of this car park is the bush tucker shed and there is an access door at the back of the building that people will be able to use when they arrive. If you choose a UTAS course then you will be given directions about one week before the date once we have confirmed what room we will be using.

Please RSVP for a training session via return email or by phoning Bonorong on 6268 1184. Children are welcome and you may bring along interested family members or friends as long as you include them in your RSVP.

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If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Visit us at 593 Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania 7030

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of the Readers’ Choice Story Terri Eather won with her great story and pics “Princess Possum” in Issue 3.

Your prize is the enchanting book ‘Camp Croc’ by Catriona Hoy.

O a k v i ew Nature Refuge Te a ts A wide range of stainless steel moulds and latex teats available.

Australian Bird and Wildlife Art

Email me for the complete range and price list.

All items in stock and ready to ship to you today.

by Janet Flinn

Wildlife Artist, Janet Flinn, paints the colour and character of the Australian birds that visit her garden and nearby bushland in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The paintings feature Kookaburras, Parrots, Cockatoos, Fairy-wrens, Robins, Raptors and Owls. Studio visits for viewing paintings are welcome by appointment. Art work may also be purchased online or commissioned.

Email Anne-Marie Dineen anmacropod@bigpond.com

Email jpflinn@bigpond.com Phone 03 9560 5003

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

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What to do with a Wiggling Wombat Linda Dennis is proud to present the two hour course, What to do with a Wiggling Wombat, a Fauna First Aid lecture.

There are two sessions of "Wiggling Wombat", one for pre-schoolers and one directed at children in infants and primary school.

Fauna First Aid

Although titled "Wiggling Wombat" the course covers all native animals including birds, kangaroos, reptiles, koalas and of course wombats!

The Program

The course includes the following topics: • What do you do if you come across a wiggling wombat in distress?

• How does your mum or dad pick up a wiggling wombat?

• What do you feed a wiggling wombat?

Fauna First Aid is a wildlife lecture program that Linda established in 2004. The lectures are aimed at wildlife carers, veterinary nurse students, schools and community groups.

Fourth Crossing Wildlife is incredibly proud to announce that the Australian Geographic Society supports Fauna First Aid. Linda could not be more honoured to receive this support and thanks the Australian Geographic Society from the bottom of her heart. The support, donations and sponsorship from the Australian Geographic Society will help Linda teach the public – adults and children alike – how to correctly handle native animals that have been injured or are in distress which will help prevent the animal and the handler from being injured during contact.

If you are interested in learning more about the Fauna First Aid lectures, or would like to book a session then please email Linda at linda@fourthcrossingwildlife.com.

In the fun filled program Linda shares stories of some of the native animals that have been in her care over the 10 years she's been a wildlife carer.

The inaugural "Wiggling Wombat" at Trinity Preschool in Orange, NSW

There was also a "take a wild guess" competition using photographs and the wonderful native animal soft toys that were donated to the program by the Australian Geographic Society and Mink Plush (a Division of TomFoolery Holdings Pty Ltd).

Bookmarks featuring native animals, and chocolate Freddo Frogs, Caramello Koalas and Fruity Frogs are given as prizes.

During the competition Linda also displayes how to properly handle a native animal so that the handler and the animal are not injured. She also advises what the "nasty bits" are in each animal species, such as claws and teeth (and in the male Platypus’ case – the poisonous spurs!).

Class photo at Trinity Preschool

The two hour long presentation has the kids transfixed and keen to learn more. An eight page booklet titled "What to do with a Wiggling Wombat" is also eagerly received.

This mini-manual, which details correct handling technique, is distributed to all students for them to take home and share with their families.

The Fauna First Aid program is not only fun for participants but also educational and in the long run our precious native animals will benefit from Linda's knowledge sharing.

Class K12 group photo, Gum Flat Public School

The more the community knows about rescuing and providing short term care for native animals the better. And in the end, from a combined community effort, there will be more animals that are received into care and rehabilitated by experienced wildlife carers, resulting in more animals being returned to the bush… which is exactly where they belong.

If you would like to book a Fauna First Aid session for your school or community group please contact Linda at linda@fourthcrossingwildlife.com.

Fourth Crossing Wildlife is supported and sponsored by the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia - they do a lot to support my work

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REPTILE BOOKS

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Atherton Tablelands Queensland www.tolgabathospital.org

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Rescued Book http://janinefitchdesigns.com/

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www.wildlifemonitoring.com.au Outdoor trail and security cameras it’s what we do, it’s all we do.

Wildlife Rescue Magazine

www.wildliferescuemagazine.com

June 2012

v1n4

Page 151

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