Heat causes wildlife distress
We are in the midst of a week of high temperatures here in Northern Victoria. The heat can be very difficult for our wild creatures, although when temperatures build up slowly they seem to cope a lot better.
It’s sudden temperature fluctuations which can cause even more havoc. Yesterday’s activities began with a huge male roo out at Kialla. Poor roo was emaciated. He had a badly fractured and infected foot, an older injury which would have been excruciatingly painful.
My sons and I caught him up and sadly we had to euthanise. Not one of our favourite jobs, but a necessary one in our wildlife work. Sometimes, it’s the last act of kindness we can provide for a suffering animal.
We travelled onwards to Rushworth where an echidna was stuck at the bottom of an old mine shaft in the Whroo Forest. Thankfully, the shaft was not very deep and was quite narrow so I was able to climb down, retrieve the echidna and manage to climb back out wedging my feet against the walls.
I intended to release the poor echidna immediately but after a quick, on-the-field health inspection, it was obvious that she had been there for quite awhile. She had lost a fair bit of weight and because the bottom of the shaft was full of pungent, stagnant water and mud, the bottoms of her feet were white and wrinkly like she’d been in a bath too long. The decision was made to bring her home to the shelter for a week of good food and rest before going back out. The water probably saved her life in this heat. Echidnas do not like extreme heat nor extreme cold. Lucky someone noticed her as she was off the track and would have perished down there without help.
Headed home to drop echidna off and left straight away again for a Little Corella hanging up in a tree by his wing over the creek in Numurkah. I was getting a pole out to bring him down when he suddenly managed to snap the line himself and hit the water which hastened the urgency to get a net on the end of a pole and reach him from the shore before he got further out, got him just in time before he was out of reach, though a swim in the creek would not have been unpleasant in the stifling heat. On the way out another Corella dropped from a tree, an emaciated juvenile bird. Stopped, managed to net him on the fly and add him to the patient list.
Home again, only to be called to an injured Wedge-tailed Eagle over the other side of Rochester. Time had to be spent spraying down enclosures and birds at the shelter before I could hit the road again so it was just on dark when I arrived at the location. Searched for a couple of hours, could not locate the bird. Apparently he’s been down for at least two weeks! Got home close to midnight, another long day. Rescues today have already been stacking up.
A juvenile White-faced Heron has been picked up in Shepparton, a duckling family in the centre of GV Health needs catching up and relocating. Mother Pacific Black Duck nests every year in the staff area of the hospital which is open roofed but enclosed in the centre of the hospital. If they don’t call me to catch the mother and babes, sadly the ducklings begin to perish, likely through lack of food although the landscaped pond in there would be a great, safe place otherwise. Unfortunately, no one called this year until this morning and she only has two ducklings left of fourteen. I will head out to the location of the eagle again this afternoon and have another crack at finding him. Busy days. Stay cool.
