By JO HARRISON
WHEN the Independent caught up with local wildlife carer Rebecca Evenden on a property outside Armidale she had just picked up an orphaned joey whose mother had been shot.
The new addition to the household made it five joeys and a Wallaroo that Rebecca will raise and care for before releasing them back into the bush.
When Rebecca first moved to the New England two years ago she signed up to do a wildlife course with Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers and it wasn’t long after this that she received her first call to care for an orphaned joey.
“That was the start of my love and passion for macropods,” Rebecca said.
“It is such a rewarding and beautiful experience and I bless every day that I have with them.”
Three of the joeys will soon leave her care and be transitioned back to their natural habitat. They are cared for just over a year until they are around 15 months old and released into a soft release pen where they are de-humanised and integrated with other macropods of the same species to make a mob. They spend five months at the soft release site before being released into the bush.
“It is very hard when you walk away and they are running up and down the fence looking for you,” Rebecca said. “But you have to be cruel to be kind and I try and go back every day for the first week and then gradually less and less until I stop going.”
She said it was vitally important if anyone come across an abandoned joey that they call Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers or WIRES immediately to pick up the joey.
“Macropods have a very specific diet,” Rebecca said.
“The main formula that Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers use is the kangaroo milk replacer Wombaroo. It all depends on their weight and size as to what you feed them and how much so it is best to leave it up to a carer with the right skills.”
Rebecca said the last few weeks have been particularly sad as she has come across a number of kangaroos killed on local roads.
She is keen to get the message across to motorists who accidentally hit and kill a kangaroo to check their pouch for joeys.
“It is very important to check for traffic first when you pull over to check on a kangaroo that has been killed,” Rebecca said.
“If it is a female kangaroo check their pouch for any young.
“If you find it is a little pinkie in the pouch it is wise to drag the whole kangaroo into your car and take it to the local vet. Otherwise you can cut the nipple off with the pinkie attached to the nipple,” she said.
“If you just pull the pinkie out you will rip its mouth off. Put a safety pin through the nipple so the joey doesn’t swallow the nipple and wrap the joey up in a jumper that has been rubbed over the mother so that the joey still has her scent.
“Keep noise to a minimum and take the joey immediately to the vet or call a wildlife carer.”
Rebecca said she loves the job she does and finds it very rewarding. To allow her and other wildlife carers in the Northern tablelands to continue caring for orphaned joeys, you can donate to Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers by visiting their website www.ntwc.org.au for more information.
