From left: Wendy Power, holding Lulu, Jenny Mattingley, Marilyn Rastall and Francine Davy are among the wildlife lovers who operate shelters for native animals found around Cardinia Shire.By Paul Dunlop
A BIGHEARTED bunch of animal lovers are almost as nocturnal as the brighteyed and bushytailed creatures whose lives are placed in their hands.
It is nothing for wildlife shelter operators to be called out several times in one night to rescue possums, wombats or wallabies found on roadsides around Cardinia Shire.
Francine Davy, who together with husband Paul are hoping to set up a new refuge at their Bimbimbie Wildlife Park at Mount Burnett, said displaced animals were becoming increasingly commonplace.
“With the growth of housing development, the hot conditions and the increase in traffic, we are getting more and more callouts,” Mrs Davy said.
A baby wombat called Aussie – sonamed because he was rescued on Australia Day – is just one of many young animals getting a new start in life.
Mr Davy was called out at midnight to rescue Aussie from the pouch of a wombat accidentally hit while crossing someone’s driveway.
“The mum was killed almost instantly but the baby, about five months old, was well but needed to be cut out of his mum’s pouch as he was a big boy weighing 3.3 kilograms,” Mrs Davy said.
She said there many other animals and birds with a similar stories.
“Many people are unaware that shelters and carers of wildlife are volunteers who, because of their love of Australian wildlife, get called out at all hours of the day and night and who feed and care for orphaned animals and birds in their own home and at their own expense,” Ms Davy said.
Reg and Jenny Mattingley have run their shelter at Maryknoll for 15 years.
Mrs Mattingley said the demand for their services was stronger than ever.
“Animals are being displaced by all of the building that’s going on around the area,” she said. “It’s happening so fast.
“Echidnas, for example, are waking up from hibernation to find their feeding grounds have gone.”
Mrs Mattingley said the hot weather recently had resulted in a number of animals being brought in.
“I had a couple of little gliders brought in during that spell of 40degree heat,” she said.
“One was found on the ground, probably had been looking for a drink and must have got separated from its mum.
“It was very weak and heataffected but is now doing really well.”
Wildlife shelters also operate at Tooradin, Emerald and Gembrook with many foster carers helping to look after the growing numbers of displaced animals.
Mrs Mattingley said the carers, who were all volunteers, were driven by a common love of the wildlife in their keeping.
“You need a passion for animals,” she said.
“You get calls at all hours of the night. Often the phone will ring just as you’ve got into bed and usually there is an unpleasant task ahead, especially if the animal has been run over.
“The demand has certainly escalated.
“It’s sad to say but some people don’t appreciate having all this wildlife on their doorstep.
“Others do and hopefully we can learn to live together, but I suppose the sad reality is that the more we encroach onto their habitat the less wildlife there will be.”
