Animal Welfare Australia Project #44512

Support Australian wildlife rescue to release

by NSW Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service (WIRES)

Project Report | Mar 22, 2022
Our flood rescue stories and efforts

By Frances Parkinson | Community Fundraising Coordinator

The past month for WIRES has been extremely busy due to the recent catastrophic floods across the east coast of Australia. There have been many animals who have not made it, however the ones that we can help rescue and eventually release, make the efforts of volunteers, members of the public and staff all worthwhile.

Echidnas saved from flood waters

An echidna was found floating down a river clinging to a mattress in a flood impacted town. It had some cuts on its beak and his skin appeared to have been submerged in the water for some time.

Most of our volunteer carers were struggling with significant flooding to their own homes at that time, with many entirely cut off. The echidna was taken to a WIRES carer, however had to be quickly evacuated when her home became at risk. The echidna was picked up by one of our emergency rescue vans and is now recuperating in an animal hospital.

Echidnas have been seriously affected by the floods with one rescue group reporting 32 in care by early March. Several orphaned puggles have been found alone, likely to have been washed from their burrows and are now in WIRES care. The lucky echidna above, was clinging to a pole in flood waters, when a member of the public, herself being evacuated in a tin boat, rescued him, and with advice from WIRES, transported him to high ground.

Displaced and exhausted birds

Many hundreds of birds have been found displaced, waterlogged and grounded in flood impacted areas. Often, they’ve simply been too exhausted to fly through relentless days of heavy rain. One juvenile white-tailed tropic bird was found a remarkable 300km from her natural home. Often these birds have been successfully released back to suitable habitat after they've had a chance to dry off and rest.

Orphaned joeys

Many orphans have been found wet, isolated, and alone after floods and storms have destroyed their habitat. Burrow animals have been particularly affected. In some places, flood waters were witnessed completely submerging established gum trees.

This eastern grey joey below, was found in a paddock during stormy weather, possibly thrown from her mother’s pouch by the wild storms. She was transported by one of our emergency rescue vans to a nearby vet.

THANK YOU

Thank you for the vital role you play in helping us rescue and care for these survivors. We are deeply grateful for your support.

Without you, none of this is possible. If you are able to give a gift to support the ongoing rescue, rehabilitation and recovery of wildlife, please donate today and share our project.

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Dec 8, 2021
Two pouches, two survival stories

By Dianne Browning | Online Communications Manager

'Billy' a wombat joey in care with WIRES

Meet Billy, a tiny hairless wombat joey whose mother had been killed by a car. It was only thanks to a passing motorist who’d stopped to check the pouch, that the joey was found and brought into WIRES for care.

It's nine weeks since Billy was rescued and he’s now covered in velvet fur and weighs almost one kilogram. Deb his carer is currently providing Billy four feeds a day and expects him to be in care for another 14 months before he’s ready to be released back into the wild. Billy is one of many wombat joeys currently in our care, and nearly all are orphaned after vehicle collisions. Thank you to the kind motorist who stopped and checked on Billy's mother, and thank you for the very important role you play, in making sure he's now receiving this vital rehabilitation and care.

Rare Glider Rescue

Also in October the female Yellow-bellied glider pictured below was found entangled in barbed wire surrounding an electricity substation. We always recommend fencing alternatives to barbed wire to reduce the number of animals impacted by this sort of entanglement.

The Yellow-bellied Glider is one of Australia's six gliding marsupials. They are an active species and feed on nectar, sap, pollen and insects. They live in small family groups and have a large home range where they forage for food.

These gliders are very vocal and have a distinctive call, consisting of a loud, high-pitched shriek, followed by moans and gurgles that often subside into a throaty rattle. They can be heard up to 500 metres away and although to our ears it can sound like distress, it is in fact just the way they communicate. WIRES Volunteer Sandy who was caring for this glider tells us that as she recuperated, she was often calling through the night.

While she was being examined and treated for a tear to her patagium, it was discovered that this glider was carrying young in her pouch, making it even more important to get her back to the wild quickly and fully recovered.

The patagium is the membrane that extends from the front paws to the hind paws and is used for gliding between trees. It is essential for survival and is one of the most frequently seen injuries in gliding marsupials who become entangled in barbed wire

We are very pleased to report the patagium tear healed well and she was released recently, to hopefully raise the young she was carrying.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting wildlife from rescue to release, you are directly helping us save more very precious lives.

Yellow-bellied glider in care with WIRES

Billy with his new velvet fur growing in

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Order your WIRES Wildlife Calendar 2022 today.

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Aug 12, 2021
Spotlight on the Short-beaked Echidna

By Dianne Browning | Digital Communications

Adult echidna in care with WIRES by Bec Crozier

This waddling creature that 'snuffles' as it searches for food is an Echidna and they are Australia's most widespread native mammal. Despite their wide distribution they are shy and infrequently seen.

Along with Platypus, Echidna are grouped into a separate order of mammals known as monotremes. They are different from other mammals because they lay eggs and the milk is provided for their young by being secreted from a 'milk patch' on the female’s abdomen.

Their snouts are strong, allowing them to break open logs and termite mounds. Echidnas feed by slurping up ants and other insects with their long, sticky, saliva-covered tongue.

Echidna are often most often sighted during the breeding season which is late winter through to early spring. The male echidna follow scent trails of females. The males, sometimes as many as 10, form a line behind the female and can follow her around for days or weeks until she chooses one to mate with.

Amazingly they are excellent swimmers and have been seen crossing wide rivers and beaches to swim and groom themselves in the sea. While swimming they put their beaks in the air and use them like snorkels!

Many calls received at WIRES are regarding echidnas that have 'dug' themselves in, and do not seem to want to move on. If you approach an echidna it defends itself the only way it can, by digging into the ground and this happens whenever it feels insecure or in danger. It may also roll itself into a ball or cling on to any surface it can.

Did you know young echidna are known as puggles?

This tiny echidna puggle (pictured below) was found alone in a horse paddock. The tiny puggle was trying to dig into the gravel in order to hide. The owner of the property called WIRES straight away knowing such a tiny animal was in urgent need of help.

Trying to dig when so young caused some damage to his/her feet as you can see in the photo, but treatment and TLC will ensure this damage is not long term.

After examination and hydration the puggle settled into care with a WIRES carer who already had another even smaller puggle in care.

On this little one you can see the tiny spines are showing through the skin so not too long now before it will become a more prickly puggle!

This strange little creature is an echidna puggle.

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