Big Boost to Possumwood’s Wildlife Learning Centre Project from the Bungendore Community Bank
There is now a very good chance that the Possumwood Wildlife Learning Centre project could be completed before the end of the year, with a generous grant of$88,730 from Bungendore’s Community Bank.Speaking about the project, Possumwood Director Professor Steve Garlick reminded us that one of the major lessons from the catastrophic Black Summer fires, in which an estimated three billion wild animals lost their lives, was the lack of knowledge of how to effectively respond to future environmental
Possumwood Bushfire Emergency Plan
This Emergency Bushfire Plan is based on the Possumwood Wildlife experience in both the Carwoola fire of 2017 and the Black Summer fires of 2019-20.Download the Emergency Bushfire Plan below:
Rehabilitation for post-trauma stress
Quantifying Post- trauma Stress in Macropods and the Polyvagal Theory and Therapy in Stress Rehabilitation. This paper was delivered at the 2023 Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference in Perth.Link to the paper below: https://www.possumwood.com.au/rehabilitation-for-post-trauma-stress
Advanced Macropod Course 2023-24. Module one: Fence entanglement rescue, treatment an rehabilitation
The first of the six modules to be presented by Possumwood as part of its Advanced Macropod Course 2023-24. The Fence entanglement rescue, treatment & rehabilitation module was held on 12 November 2023. Find the link to the powerpoint presentation below:https://www.possumwood.com.au/advanced-macropod-course-2023
Advanced Macropod Course 2023-24
Our fourth Advanced Macropod Training Course is a Six-module course series.Join us on the 12th of November for Module 1: Macropod Fence Injury Rescues, Treatment, and Rehabilitation, the first instalment of our six-module course series.Dates for Modules 2-6 will be announced soon.Modules:1. Macropod Fence Injury Rescues, Treatment, and Rehabilitation2. Post Trauma Stress Therapy3. Herpesvirus and Respiratory Problems4. Crystalluria5. Renal Failure6. Mouth ProblemsCertificates provided for each c
Enter our raffle 🎉
- RAFFLE CLOSED -One ticket, hundreds of lives.With your help, we can keep saving more than 500 wild animals each year! Every ticket purchase will directly contribute to the rehabilitation of sick, injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife. By purchasing tickets, you not only get the chance to win exciting local prizes, but to support our precious Australian wildlife. Enter for a chance to win one of the amazing prizes and help us spread the word to your family and friends by using the
Advanced Macropod Course 2022 - Braidwood National Theatre, July 31
- BOOKINGS ARE NOW CLOSED -Purchase the course here: https://www.possumwood.com.au/product-page/advanced-macropod-course-2022 Topics: • Kangaroo emotions, stress, poly vagal theory, & rehabilitation • Stress syndromes in kangaroos • Fence entanglement – rescue, treatment & rehabilitation • Burns – a carer’s perspective: rescue, treatment, rehabilitation & release • Renal failure • Herpes virus (if time permits)Bookings:In-person ($45): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/advanced-macropod-course-202
Rosemary is “Australia Day Citizen of the Year” for Bungendore
On Australia Day Rosemary was recognised for her services to wildlife rescue and recovery in the Palerang Shire at a ceremony at the council chambers in Bungendore. With Steve, Rosemary has rescued and helped in the recovery of more than 4000 injured wildlife over the past 15 years. In 2015 alone more than 350 wild animals were taken in to the self-funded Possumwood Wildlife Recovery and Research Centre for treatment and recovery.
Macropod Stress Research Agenda
The significance of stress on wildlife, particularly in mammals, is not fully appreciated by rehabilitators, zoos, conservation and reserve managers, ecologists and veterinarians. Acute stress in these animals can, without appropriate treatment or environmental adjustment, progress to chronic stress, renal failure, myopathy and death. This is of international relevance to many species of wildlife. In Australia, susceptibility to disease in macropods and other Australian mammals such as wombats,
Racquet
Everybody loves Racquet and Racquet loves everybody. He was found on the side of road with a severe head injury and fractured jaw, severely dehydrated, semi-conscious and covered in maggot eggs. He was 15 kg and was brought to us around midnight last summer . The vet thought his prognosis was poor. Because of his fractured jaw he had to be syringe fed for several months. He had vertigo for a number of weeks.Racquet is a very ‘laid -back ‘kind of kangaroo – the Fonz of the kangaroo world . He
Swimmer
Swimmer is a very old male swamp wallaby. During the extended dry period in Summer he got himself caught in a swimming pool fence in a backyard in Bungendore.He spent a whole night caught in a very awkward position and as a result developed pressure sores on his thigh and leg and had foot drop due to a nerve injury. He required a splint because of his foot drop and it has taken several months for the pressure sores to heal.He has a whole recovery room to himself and enjoys his daily bowl of frui
Flossy
Flossy was a tiny furless wombat when rescued from the pouch of her dead mother. She was raised with another larger wombat named Zany. Flossy disguised her quiet nature with loud screaming which made her seem more fierce than she really was. She has never been aggressive.Flossy was able to ‘talk’ to her carers at feed time and when transported to her final release site. When she emerged from her carry cage at her new home it was the first time she appeared lost for words. She quickly made hersel
Crackles and Dr Who
Crackles was a 5kg kangaroo joey who was found alone in a paddock being attacked by a fox (28 October, 2013). He suffered fractured ribs, severe abdominal bruising and extensive puncture wounds to head, neck and back. From his injuries Crackles developed subcutaneous emphysema, a potentially fatal situation where air increasingly occupies space under the skin. The veterinarian believed his prognosis was poor.Dr Who was a 5kg at-heel joey who was rescued in suburbia in a highly stressed state wit
Tammy and Danny
Tammy had been lying near a farm dam for three days without her mother before being brought into care. She was 5kg and had pelvic fractures and a deep laceration to her ankle involving an ankle ligament. She was unable to stand and was very dehydrated.Danny was a 5kg joey rescued from inside his dead mother’s pouch. He had been fending off an attack from a fox when rescued. The fox had begun to tear at the mother’s pouch to get to the joey. Danny was highly stressed and agitated when brought to
Hope
Hope was a 6kg kangaroo that was caught in a wire fence. She had a compound fracture of one of the metatarsal bones which was pinned and splinted.It has taken a long time for the wound to heal. Fence injury wounds are usually severe because of ischaemic damage. She adopted one of the older in care females -Ellie- as her mother is now hopping well . She will be released with her friends at a safe release site.
Dennis
Dennis was a 25kg male wombat rescued on a freezing cold winter’s day. He was in a debilitated state with severe, deep and badly infected bite wounds, emaciated and suffering from hypothermia. The stress of his ordeal resulted in him developing symptoms of mange. His wounds took a long time to heal. He however made an excellent recovery. He was a friendly and gentle wombat and was released back to the wild after being in care for six months.He was so handsome when recovered that he featured in t
India
India was a 700g orphaned swamp wallaby. Everyone loved India, but as she grew bigger she became very agile and naughty. She would jump on benches to steal teabags, fruit, muesli, nuts, etc. She chewed telephone cables, television aerial wiring, and left poo where she shouldn’t. Rosemary wanted her to stay forever, but she needed to be free and was released into a beautiful bush area and has been seen often with her most recent joey.
November new-comers
Possumwood had 10 rescues in November -a bit quieter than the previous month with 20 rescues. Steve was called to help a 20 kg Eastern grey (EG) kangaroo hit on the Kings highway. I met him as I was returning from the wildlife vet -Dr Howard Ralph at about midnight. Unfortunately this animal did not survive the night but at least he was safe and comfortable with analgesia, sedation and a soft, warm bed.Benice -a helper at Possumwood dreads full moon as this is when in good weather the animals a
Ill wind in Wamboin: What’s killing our young eastern grey kangaroos?
There has been a mystery illness killing the juvenile (last year’s joeys) Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the Wamboin /Bywong area over the last 2 months. The first cases we became aware of were rescues by experienced wildlife carers in the local area; Jo Walker, Tony and Terry Cooper and ourselves. The animals were so weak that the rescuers could often just walk up to them and wrap them in a blanket. Most would die within 12-24 hours despite treatment with warmth and security, fluids antibiotics and
2020 AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE CRISIS
Preparing for the next wildlife catastropheAlmost all the 30 fire victims that came to Possumwood have now recovered and been released. Just a few more that had the worst burns are waiting to return to the wild over coming weeks. The past ten months dealing with the fire victims together with all the other injury trauma cases that ordinarily come in has been exhausting for Rosemary and me.Our results have been excellent, and we have learnt a lot on top of the experience we gained treating and ca
Possumwood to be on display in India
The Wildlife Trust of India has asked Possumwood to present its work with Australian wildlife in the Protecting Animals Seminar Series at the Third Minding Animals Conference in New Delhi in January. In addition, Steve and Rosemary will be presenting two papers on wildlife emotional behaviour in the academic section of MAC3.
Two grants to Possumwood
This week Possumwood Wildlife secured two grants to assist with its operation. Both grants recognise the significant contribution Possumwood makes to wildlife wellbeing.The first grant is from Voiceless, the animal protection organisation.The second grant is from the NSW Wildlife Council to help with an upgrade to the large macropod enclosure.
A Great Summer Read
Gypsy Wulff’s new book Turning Points in Compassion is a great read this Summer for those interested in the compassionate lives of animal advocate personalities around the world. Steve is interviewed for his work as founder and president of the Animal Justice Party of Australia.
Herpes virus isolated in kangaroo respiratory illness
In the Fact Sheet section we reported on our success in treating a life threatening respiratory illness in infant eastern grey kangaroos using the antiviral Valaciclovir. We had suspected a herpes virus which are known to affect kangaroos and this medication is used to treat herpes virus infections in humans. Nasal swab pathology tests were ordered for Herpesvirus PCR. Test Result: The sample was positive for th
Steve and Rosemary speak at the MAC3 International Conference on Animals in New Delhi
Steve and Rosemary delivered three papers at the Third International Minding Animals Conference in New Delhi in January. One paper was on the work they do for injured wildlife at Possumwood, a second was concerned with neuropsychological issues in Australian kangaroos and the third was about wildlife knowledge systems and the epistemological implications for environmental analysis.
Manar
It was late one night when Manar, a severely injured adult female wombat, was brought to us. She had a fractured skull and jaw , severe concussion and dehydration.The rescuer had noticed her by the side of the road in the morning but thought that she was dead . On his way home in the afternoon he noticed that she made a slight movement and stopped and rescued her . She was barely alive. Thus began a long relationship with a dear, gentle but wild creature who one day found the call of the wild
A Big Thanks From Big Bertha
The rescue and rehabilitation of injured native animals is a team effort and Bertha the wombat has many people to thank. Bertha was injured near a major highway and then was seen scurrying down her burrow. First she had to be dug out of the burrow. When rescued, X-rays showed Bertha had fractured her pelvis in three places.The prognosis however was good as wombats have very strong muscles in this area of their body which would support the fractures while they healed.While not happy to begin wi
Monga Goes Home
Monga the wombat was rescued near Mongarlowe. Weighing in at 34 kilograms the wild wombat, despite having a dislocated elbow and fractured wrist as a result of a motor vehicle accident, had no wish to be rescued and put up a real fight, which involved wrecking two nets, and bruising his rescuers.However, unable to dig a burrow because of his injuries, Monga was vulnerable to predators such as marauding dogs. The veterinarian relocated the elbow and reduced and splinted the fracture .Initially
Wilma’s Story
The snow lay lightly on the surrounding hills on a frosty July morning when the call for a wombat rescue came in. The prospects for a successful rescue did not seem good when told by the wildlife rescue line caller that the mother had been killed the night before. With overnight temperatures at minus six, there was little movement in the pouch. One very small pink arm lay dangling motionless outside the pouch in the freezing air. The snow lay lightly on the surrounding hills on a frosty July mor
Denton takes the Wheel
Denton was never your typical wombat. Named because of the dental and other surgery to fix a fractured jaw when his mother was killed by a motor vehicle, he was happiest sleeping in a backpack. Initially this was alright but as he continued to grow this soon became impractical. ‘Attack’ was his mode of operation with anything that moved and several of us have the scars on our legs to prove it. He would get up on his hind legs and bring his teeth down into your flesh. He was impossible to outrun
Big Max makes full recovery and goes free
Just before Christmas Steve and Rosemary were called to rescue a huge kangaroo that had been hit by a vehicle near Queanbeyan. Max must have been 75kg and 2 metres tall. His injuries included a fractured cheek, fractured upper palate, head injury and severe concussion. His jaw was intact. The rescue was undertaken around midnight and Max was brought back to the Possumwood Recovery Centre for treatment and recovery. As Max continued to improve he became increasingly difficult to medicate.After t
Big Autumn Move Almost Completed
Our Autumn move of rehabilitated kangaroos to their delayed-release site is now nearing completion; with their eventual release on 2000 acres of remote private wildlife sanctuary land. Thirty four animals have so far been translocated to the five acre pre-release enclosure with another three to be moved in the next few days. A further 30 kangaroos will be translocated and released in Spring. Kangaroo translocation and release back to the wild has to be undertaken very sensitively and with a l
A new beginning for Scottie the wombat
Rosemary and I rescued Scottie last September. He had been attacked by dogs and was in a bad way. But this was to be his lucky day. His wounds and his general condition were so bad most other rescuers would probably have had him euthanised.Fortunately our wildlife veterinarian could see him the same day and after a lengthy procedure to clean out seven very deep incisor wounds he came back to Possumwood for the recovery stage. After three months in recovery all his wounds had healed and he weig
From Chaos to Calm in a Second
One of the joys of living with wild animals is going for a walk and having previously cared-for animals come over to you to say ‘hello’.Recently Rosemary was out walking in the afternoon. It was windy and the local kangaroo mob were unusually nervous. Kangaroos don’t like the wind as it disturbs their vital senses of hearing and smell. But on this occasion the mob were even more nervous so she decided to look around the area to see what was upsetting them. She heard a commotion near one of the f
Tangled up with Tangles and Captain (his father)
Late in the afternoons the local kangaroo mob with their alpha male gather near our treatment centre in the hope they might get some additional feed. Most times we oblige and give them a bucket or two.This allows us to monitor our wild mob for sick or injured animals . For a few weeks we had noticed one of the mothers had a very large joey in her pouch and wondered why it had not yet emerged. The answer became clear one such evening.Looking at the local mob we noticed the joey from the mother
Fur Elise
She was as beautiful as the music she was named after and a very lucky little joey. Elise was caught by her foot in a wire fence suspended off the ground on a hot afternoon. The wire had cut deeply into the skin proximal to the metatarsophalangeal joint( between the ankle and toe).Just imagine how it must feel to be suspended upside down and unable to touch the ground to relieve the pull on your leg .The wire wound tightly around your leg cuts off the circulation and as you struggle to get free
Emotional Eyes
Steve and Rosemary’s story‘Dasher’ had lost her long time and inseparable companion ‘Rudi’ to cardiomyopathy – resulting from being chased by a dog.For weeks Dasher ran expectantly back and forth to all the favourite places she had shared with her friend – the Casuarina embankment, ‘Rudi’s tree’ with its long shady branches, amongst the rose bushes and in amongst the violets calling out urgently . She pulled herself up high enough to look through every window of the house with the same sense of
George
George is a lucky kangaroo. A member of the public stopped by the side of the road in the ACT and noticed movement in the pouch of a dead female kangaroo. Following instructions over the phone the member of the public was able to reach into the pouch and safely extract George who was only 500 grams and furless( called a pinkie).He was transported across the border into safe care in NSW away from likely death at the hands of the ACT Government(orphan kangaroo joeys are bashed or beheaded in the