Well as many of you know i spent two weeks at some of the Bushfire areas doing rescuing. It was an emotional time with very few animals surviving the fires. Many areas we went into you could smell death in the air of wrotting animals and perhaps even people. many raod we went donw no one survivd along the street and the yellow ribbons tied to the properties contested to this.

I returned home a couple of times and found it quite hard to cope with normal life however the last time I came home I brought with me three furless eastern Grey Kangaroos all of which we had to shoot there mothers due to how badly burned they were. I have learned to cope with just a couple of hours sleep a night but have loved waching these little ones grow. However on Tuesday night at midnight when I went to feed the eldest joey Maddison I found her heamorrhaging from her cloaca bright red blood. I rushed her to the emergency vet and got there around 2am. Not that there was much they could do but they said her colour was ok and the bleeding had eased a bit. I took her home and then after I had fed the joeys again in the morning I took her too the Healseville sanctuary health centre that specilaizes in Australian Native animals.

They thought it might be Coccidiosis, however I think she had a burst bowl or tawn intestine. They gave me antibiotics and pain meds that i have had to inject just under the skin. Her blleding eased over the next two days and she was bright and feeding well. Then at 4am this morning her breathing was laboured and i could tell things had changed. This morning ealry I fed the other two roos and she was panting which ment she was dieing. I rushed to the vet at the sanctuary but she died just as I arrived. I have been very emotinal about loosing her as you all know we get so attached to aniamls and even though she was only in my care about 9 weeks she had really become a part of my life. To watch them bag her for a neropsy was a hard thing to watch although they were very reverant with her body. I am hopeing to hear about the results by Monday although they only had one vet on today so they wer no sure when they could get it done. The beauty of being wild life carer is that we don't have to pay for thisbut then it isnt a priority for them either. I told them how important it is for me to know if this was contagious as I still have two joeys in care. They did not touch each other but they were housed close to each other. I am proberly parenoid now but Jack the little boy has the runs so I am treating him with some yoghurt in his milk as this can help restore their gut fauna if used for a limited time.I do have antibiotics to give to him but thsi can alo give them teh runs so I will monitor him throughout the night for any change.

So today has been a very emotinla day and I keep bursting into tears. However it has made me more determined to do the right things and raise these joeys the best I can. Then tonight the shelter I work with rang me to say a 130gram pinkie wallaby has come in do I want to take it on. It makes me know she has confidence in me so if it survives the night I will pick it up in the morning. When you are doing rehabilaltion you need to keep moving forward as there will always be those we loose but then another one alwasy seem to come in that needs us just as much. For some reason we are coming into a busy time of year. Summer saw us with heat stressed animals with soaring temps into the 100 degrees and then the bushfires. Then now we are getting many roos and wallabys hit by cars so joeys are coming in a coule each day. Luckliy we have many shelters out this way with great experience with furless joeys from Wombats, wallabys to roos and even small gliders of all kinds.

will give you an update soon......The wallaby also died this morning, bruising continued to come out on his leg so he must have also sustained injuires we didn't realize. I also found out that he had been left in his mothers pouch till he had gotten wuite cold so he really didn't have much hope.

 

Jett
Gender: Female
Occupation:Wildlife rescuer and foster carer
Member since: Dec 30, 2006
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I love studdying about Wild Australian Native animals in particular. We have so many animals I have never heard of. Like did you know we have a Marsupial Mole in Australia? My News
I'm finally a grandma to Bonnie Jordana born 1st Novemeber weighing 6lb 15oz I have just become a Wildlife foster carer. I have already been doing rescues but now i get to keep those I don't put down till they are well enough to be released again Favorite Quote
"The most damaging phrase in any language is "It has always been done that way". Rear Admiral Dr Grace Hopper (1906 - 1992) Mathematician, Mother of Computer Engineering, First woman Admiral in the US Navy.

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