There is only One Rule: Personal Safety Is Your Main Objective, ALWAYS!!!!!!

Never Attempt an Animal Rescue Unless It Is Safe For You to Do So.

It’s always a good idea to have the phone numbers of your Regions, Wildlife Rescue Services already in your phone. You are most likely to come across Injured Wildlife while you’re out in your vehicle. It’s also a good idea to have the POLICE, LOCAL FIRE BRIGADE, LOCAL AMBULANCE, SES, VET, LOCAL PORT AUTHORITY, RSPCA, and LOCAL AIRPORT programmed into your phone. You never know what you may come across. Always be prepared. It’s also a good idea to carry a First Aid Kit, a couple of Pillowslips, a couple of towels, a blanket or two, a pair of Welding Gloves & a pair of Riggers Gloves in your car. You can fit a lot of different types of Injured Animals into a pillowslip (Birds, Reptiles, Possums, Joey Macropods, Mammals) ECT, for the short term. Unless you are prepared to carry an animal transport cage in your car, the pillowslip will work just fine, if a Rescue is required. You should never handle Any Wildlife without wearing a pair of Gloves, with Every Animal Rescue. All of Australia’s Native Wildlife has the ability & the Courage to Defend Itself. It is Not Advised for People to try & Rescue an Animal that is lively or Aggressive. Some of Australia’s Native Wildlife Has the Ability to Kill. E.g. Most  Snakes, right through to an Eastern Grey Kangaroo, there are many documented Injuries & fatalities, ie: someone approaches an Injured Roo, it has 2 Brocken Legs & Unfortunatly the Humans that are trying to help the Roo,  get Attacked by an Animal with Shard, Brocken Bones protruding & the Humans can recieve horendis injuries from the Roo striking out with its brocken legs, hitting the Human in the Grion or the Stomache & some have been Disembowled.I make No Appoligy from being so graphic. I only do this so you are aware of your personal safety & to make you aware that these are Wild Animals & if you are unsure, uneasy or nervous, then leave the animal alone & CALL FOR AN EXPERT AT WILDLIFE RESCUE PERSON.

Do Not Rescue a Snake. Venomous or Not.

Unless it is a slow moving small animal or an unconscious animal or an Animal that you are comfortable & confident, leave it to a professional. If you find Injured Wildlife on the side of the road, be aware that you are very close to a road. Make sure that people know that you are there & that you can be seen, i.e.: if your stopped on the side of the road assessing an animal, put your head lights on high beam  & put your hazard lights on.

On all Wildlife Rescues I perform on or near a road, I am wearing a high visibility vest, my high beam is on, my hazard lights are on & my roof mounted emergency flashing lights are turned on & we have 2 large reflective A  frame caution signs packed in the Rescue Vehicle  that we can use if needed.

So remember rule number one

PERSONAL SAFETY COMES FIRST.

Now, you have come across an injured Possum on the side of the road that can’t move, it’s probably been hit by a car. You have taken care of all your personal Safety Precautions. You will need a pair of Welders gloves, I wear my Welders Gloves for every Brushtail Possum Rescue I do. Before you approach the Animal, make sure that any other people that are watching are quiet; you need to keep all noises to a minimum so you don’t stress out the animal. Make sure you have everything you might need for the rescue, with you. gloves on, towel & a pillow slip in hand.  Approach the Animal slowly & calmly, do not make eye contact with the animal. Once you are close enough, drop your towel over the Possum, scoop it up & put it straight into your pillow slip. Tie of the pillow slip, securely, you don’t want an angry possum running amuck freely in your car.

Don’t try & examine the animal, just take it directly to a Vet or a Licensed Wildlife Shelter & let them attend to the Animal. They will check the poach if it’s a female to see if there is a Joey in there. So even if Mum dies from her injuries, there could be some good come from it if there is a Joey. A Vet will know who to call to raise it & a wildlife shelter will know if the animal is viable & they will know how to raise it. If you are unsure, ring your local wildlife shelter or wildlife rescue call centre for advice on what to do. The plan I have given you for a possum rescue could be used to capture a bird or a lizard as well. It will work on almost all native wildlife rescues you always approach any animal with all the rescue equipment you may need with you. You approach slowly, confidently, never making direct eye contact with the animal, you never talk to the animal as you approach it, you do not smile at the animal, the display of teeth is seen by most species of animal as aggression. Find a Pinky Possum/ Kangaroo you will need to keep it on a heat source, Pinky Marsupials cannot generate their own heat so you will need to provide a source of heat, hot water bottle ect. When we rescue a Pinky Marsupial we put them directly against our skin to keep them warm till we get them back to the Shelter & they can then be put into a pouch & put into one of our heat boxes for hand raising If you do find a Baby of any species, it will need heat. I hope these words Help with your ability to Rescue an Injured or Orphaned Native Animal in a safe manner.

If anyone is in our region & finds Injured Wildlife please call us any time of the day or night. We are on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year. We will be more than happy to Help.