Helping..and not getting hurt

There may be a time when you come across an injured or displaced animal near your home or while travelling.

Here we aim to equip you with some basic knowledge and tips for handling wildlife if you are able to safely get it to your local vet or while waiting for the rescuer to arrive.

Unless you feel confident in your ability to handle a situation, please,  don't do anything. Just call 1300BADGAR and a rescuer will get to you as soon as humanly possible. Its better for the animal not to be stressed by being handled incorrectly. If the animal can be safely picked up and put into a box, it can be taken to the local vet or local wildlife shelter. Caution needs to be used for both the safety of the animal and the safety of you.

In 90% of cases, it is much better for the animal and for you if you simply observe, take some  notes, and make the call to BADGAR Thats what we are here for!  

Moving an animal off the road to prevent the animal being further injured or being a hazard to human beings, is something people need to consider carefully, as this could be very dangerous eg. being injured from the scared animal and/or putting themselves at risk with moving vehicles, in the event of a road hazard the police are best equipped to deal with this (and are the only people authorised to do so) and can be reached on 000.

Here's what does help us...and might help you to know.

Things we need to know when you call us:

BASIC RULE OF THUMB:

'Cover head, keep in quiet dark ventilated container, provide warmth and transport as soon as possible.'

Possums:

Babies: If you find a 'pinky' or young possum alone that means  it has most likely been fallen from its mothers back or pouch. In this situation we ask that you take it to a vet clinic straight away and get them to call us.  Gently wrap the animal in a  *soft* towel and place it in a cardoard box. If you can, check out this useful link - Possum Identification Page.

Fill a drink bottle with warm water and wrap it up in a towel before putting it in with the animal to avoid the animal being burnt. Animals that are cold must be warmed slowly or they could go into deep shock.

Try to minimise any handling as their skin is so delicate and their immune systems very very fragile. The first few hours after trauma are the most important, so please, call us or get the animal to a vet as soon as possible.

If you can't make it directly to a vet and while waiting for a transporter to arrive, place the box in a dark quiet space. Please don't attempt to feed it - or any wildlife as a general rule unless advised by a registered carer or vet. 

A pinky or infant possum.

Adult possums:

Generally speaking, and when not dehydrated ( which causes them to become listless)  an adult possum can bite you so hard it can leave an impression on your bone.  So please, if your not sure - don't. A good pair gloves these will protect your hands.

Heat Stress : During the fire season we received over a hundred call outs in our area to heat distressed possums.  Heat stress is very serious and these animals need attention urgently. Cooling down too quickly can put the animal into deep shock and could lead to death.

Common sense prevails,  if you are even coming close to an animal in distress, please use rubber gloves, this will prevent infection being passed to the animal and protect you from being infected.

Water is the best form of re hydration, so if you are in a wildlife rich area,  during summer place shallow bowls/containers of water outside.

For the heat stressed  possum place a shallow bowl of water NEAR the animal - there is usually no need to handle it and give us a call.

Please, don't place a possum under a plastic bin or bucket in the height of summer as that could create a very hot sauna. A cardboard box with a weight on top might be a better option with a call to BADGAR immediately.  Just as with the babies, note the location, time, and size of the animal and observe the surroundings and conditions you found the animal in so the rescuer can piece together what may have happened to it and will know where to release it later.

Adult common < Ringtail and Brushtail > possums

Kangaroo's and Wallabies:

Adults:

Macropods - Kangas and Wallys,  don't handle capture very well at all and many otherwise healthy animals often die due to something called ' capture myopathy' - which is an extremely painful horrible way to go.  The best advice here is to do nothing until experienced rescue teams arrive. Just observe the animal and keep notes of its size, location etc....... call BADGAR immediately.

It is very important that you don't chase the animal or try to jump on it. Not only is this very dangerous to you, this would be extremely stressful to the animal and could start the process of capture myopathy which could lead to death. Our rescuers are trained in Kangaroo and Wallaby capture techniques, you can help by watching the animal, following it from a distance to keep an eye on it and ringing  BADGAR who will organise a rescue team.

 

Adult Eastern Grey with joey

Joeys:

Tragically many joeys are expelled from the pouch if the mother has become distressed or has died, leaving the joey vulnerable to predators, the cold and starvation. Just as tragically, many joeys remain alive in the dead mums pouch for days, starving and dehydrating,  possibly injured and in pain.  So it is important to advise us of dead animals on the roadside as it will enable us to have someone check the animals pouch if it is a female and to make sure that the animal is in fact dead and not laying there unconscious.

The best practice we can advise if  you find a joey,  is to repeat the process outlined for possum infants and call BADGAR immediately.

Once our rescuers have checked the body  we will mark it with bright coloured tape or a big coloured X. This lets other rescuers know that the animal has been checked by a rescuer

Unfurred Western Grey kangaroo joey

Birds:

If you find a bird that appears to be injured, sick, or orphaned take a few moments to observe the bird from a distance so not to disturb the bird.  This will help to determine your next action step.  Young birds in particular may just be waiting for their next meal to arrive with the return of one of their parents.

Here is an excellent LINK to handling most bird emergencies.

In our local area we have several Magpie populations. Please - if you see a fledgling  Maggi on the ground ( a fledgling is one that has often spikey black and white  feathers but no skin is visible) please don't immediately assume it is orphaned or injured. Wait for a while, and check to see if parents are about.

Much like us human beings, Magpie young are booted from the nest and taught to forage early. Taking a young one from this natural cycle can hinder it's development, and make mum and dad very angry too.

So apply a 'stop..look..listen' approach when dealing with birds. If your can see mum or dad and they are feeding and protecting the young one,  just leave the baby there...trust nature...and oh..DUCK!

Unfeathered bird chicks require a different approach and may need care treatment or rehabilitation. If you find a chick on the ground beneath a tree, try to see if there is a nest around. Call BADGAR and we will come and assess the situation and if it is viable, we will simply return the chick to its nestmates. If not, we have some incredible people who are bird specialists, who can nurture the tike until it can be released. A chick will have no feathers and a soft down over its body, skin will be visible and its head very round and small with an under-developed 'soft' beak.

A chick, downy rather than feathered

Bats:

It is critical that all bats be handled only by experienced rescuers and those who have had the necessary prior contact immunisations. Many Victorian bats carry a disease called Lyssavirus that will make you seriously ill leading to death if you are bitten and exposed. 

Please just call BADGAR right away for bat captures, transport and rehabilitation.

If you do accidentally come across any type of bat and are accidentally scratched or bitten please report to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for assessment and if necessary, treatment.  The wound should be scrubbed thoroughly as soon as possible with soap and water. Proper cleansing of the wound is the single most effective measure of reducing the transmission. Where possible, the bat should be kept for further investigation by the State veterinary laboratory.

Snakes:

The golden rule here is DONT!

WE dont, and nor should you!

Please call:

Right away!
 

Please dont HANDLE the snake

Please dont KILL the snake, they are a protected species. 80% of snake bites occur when people are trying to kill them.

Please dont RUN OVER the snake with your car.

Please dont POKE at or get too close to the snake. ( not even for a peek!)

Before going bush, learn how to treat snake bite.

If you are bitten seek medical assistance immediately.

It might pay to mention it is a $28.000.00 fine for killing a snake.

Below is the most common species of snake in the Western area -

The Highly Venemous Eastern Brown Snake.