So where to start … with so many animals coming into care, where do I begin?
Why do animals come into care? Should we intervene? Do we have to right to remove these animals and try to rehabilitate them in an artificial environment?
Firstly we have already intervened. Our involvement starts when they are hit by a car, when their habitat is removed, when our domestic pets attack them, when they become trapped in fruit tree netting or fishing line, when we feed them the wrong foods in our gardens or at the lake, or when we lay poison for pests. Native wildlife are also effected by litter, predators, disease, fires, storms and fighting for territory. These animals wouldn’t survive if we didn’t intervene. We all have a responsibility and a roll to play. My part comes with rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing these animals back into their natural environment. Returning wildlife to the wild is the end goal -always.
How can you help? If you saw an injured person would you stop? Would you take them home? Or would you get them to someone who has the experience and qualifications to help them? It is illegal to keep any wildlife in your care for longer than 48 hours in Canberra unless you are a registered wildlife carer. Other states, territories and countries have their own rules – please check with them.
So let’s start our wildlife journey. This is my story and this is the story of some of the animals in care. You can also follow me on Instagram wombats_and_wildlife_heljan09.
Disclaimer – All videos and photos are owned by me – please do not share without permission.
Latest from the Blog
A Puggle – a baby echidna
Australia has the only two monotremes in the world. A monotreme is a mammal that lays an egg. The two types of monotremes are the echidna and the platypus. I’ve never had a platypus in care – but I have had a few echidnas, see my earlier posts. The baby echidna is called a puggle.…
Natalie – release. The final chapter!
After failing to release Natalie the first time, I called on a few swans to help me! Actually I called on another wildlife carer who had two swans in care. I needed some swans to show Natalie that she’s not ‘just like me’, but is rather, just like them! We always try to pair up…
Natalie (the black swan) release. Part 1 !
Natalie is over four months old. At this stage of development, young swans are ready to leave their parents and go their own way. Natalie demonstrated all the necessary survival skills – seeking water if concerned (for safety), finding food and long run offs to practise her flying! The time came to release Natalie! Release…
Natalie – the black swan!
Many cygnets (baby swans) come into care. This story is about Natalie ~ who was named after Natalie Portman, from the film The Black Swan! Natalie was handed into a vet clinic by a member of the public. The member of the public told the vet that Natalie was found alone by the side of…
Crimson and Eastern Rosellas
Most people I meet love wildlife. They are fascinated by stories of cute wombat and possum joeys. But as soon as I talk about birds, people are turned off. Birds in care are lovely! Especially our Crimson (my favorite) and Eastern rosellas. Rosellas are native to Australia. They nest in hollows in trees and are…
When things go wrong – wombat runaway!
This is the story of Merlin, a wombat escapee! Merlin was due for release (weighing around 23 kilos) but instead of waiting for a suitable release site, he burrowed out of his enclosure, out of the garden and escaped around Mt Ainslie, one of the reserves in Canberra. Although technically ‘in the wild’, escaping into…
Flashback fun!
One month ago today, Elsie and Barney were released safely into the wild! With four possums in care and the arrival of two cygnets, I remain busy – plus I still teach in a primary school every day. However each day I look outside at the wombat enclosure (where my pet rabbit now runs free)…
Elsie and Barney – released!
The big day finally arrived! Well the big day arrived two months ago, but it ended up being postponed due to border closures because of the pandemic. So Elsie and Barney were more than ready for life in the wild! Our morning started with a cuddle from Elsie – did she know her big day…
Bonding to …… goodbye !
For those readers new to my blog – welcome! Other readers will know the story of Elsie and Barney. But let me re-cap – Elsie arrived weighing just 120 grams – so tiny! She is the tiniest wombat joey I have ever had the privilege to worked with. Barney joined Elsie months later weighing 600…
October 22 – Wombat Day!
Yes, there’s actually a day these delightful creatures are celebrated – October 22nd! It started around 2005 and ever since then Oct 22 is known as Wombat Day in Australia. Some call it World wombat day, but I doubt half the world even knows about wombats (despite my blog!) let alone celebrates them! The day…
Are wombats vicious?
Are wombats vicious or dangerous? This is one question I am asked the most! Like any of us, wombats will protect themselves, their young and their territory. A wombat’s first response is to run for the safety of their burrow! Once they are at the entrance of their burrow they will use their large body…
Movie stars
In what little spare time I have, between teaching and caring for wildlife, I enjoy making movies ! With a diva wombat like Elsie and clueless Barney, I have the perfect actors! Nothing is ever staged – filming demonstrates wombats natural love of cuddling, rolling, playing and fighting! This film shows some of Elsie’s develop…
Elsie and Barney! How are they?
My lovely Elsie and Barney are well, fat and happy! Most animals in care are slightly heavier compared to the same species at the same stage of development that is living in the wild. That’s because animals in care have an abundance of food and very little stress! However, although life is good, Elsie has…
Ted gets a friend – meet Tilda!
As I wrote in an earlier post, many brushtail possums come into care – some hit by a car like Ted’s mum. But possums also face other problems – territorial fights, stress dermatitis, thrush or other illness, poisoning, animal attacks, burns, being trapped or abandoned. Many people also hate possums! They claim possums get into…
Night time = play time!
Welcome to the prerelease stage! This is the stage where Elsie and Barney prepare for release back into the wild. They are so big now and since wombats are nocturnal, most of their fun takes place at night! Elsie and Barney are now getting up – ready to run around when I’m tired and preparing…
❤️ Ted ❤️ The brushtail possum!
We receive many joey brushtail possums in care. They arrive in care mainly because their mum has been hit by a car and killed. Ted was found lying on his dead mum’s body by the road. Ted was protected from injury inside the pouch but as mum’s body went cold, he crawled out and sat…
Enrichment in their lives!
Every animal in care or captivity needs enrichment. Luckily animals raised together can use each other as a source of entertainment! Elsie and Barney roll, climb on and bite each other continually. I’m also a form of both nurture and entertainment for them! Togetherness at all times – they usually have at least one part…
Wombat combat!
Elsie and Barney love to play. They spend so much time cuddling, rolling around and chasing each other. But as they grow, practicing their skills becomes more important and the play occasionally turns serious. Whatever Elsie is communicating below (that we are unable to interpret) she clearly tells Barney to behave. He can be seen…
⚽️ Let’s play ball! ⚽️
Barney has always been the more aggressive of the two wombats. Elsie can bite hard, but when she plays, there’s still a certain gentleness. Yes I am covered in bites, knocked off my feet and have many bruises but Elsie plays differently. Barney is just aggressive – growling, jumping up and repeatedly attacking Elsie and…
Sibling ❤️
The bond between Elsie and Barney remains strong! Although wombats in the wild are solitary, these two have been raised together to lessen the bond with their carer and to ensure the wombats keep their ‘wombat’ behaviors. That’s the theory but carers and wombats still become very close which is evident in my other posts.…
Latest movie – a recap!
Just in case you haven’t read my blogs (and why not, what have you been doing?!) here’s a recap on the adventures of Elsie and Barney ! This is my latest movie. Elsie – from 120 grams to now a huge 18 kilos! Barney arrived in care months later weighing 600 grams and he now…
Nearly all grown up!
Elsie is huge! At this stage of her development she would still be with her mum but her independence is growing! Although she still wants to come in the house (but isnt allowed!) she can head off and put herself to bed, taking Barney with her! Elsie and Barney still have a bottle each twice…
Imitation
Flattery is the sincerest form of flattery – or so Oscar Wilde said! Even as a tiny joey, Elsie had 8 black nails and 2 pinks nails on her front paws! Very strange for a wombat but perhaps there was the tiniest something missing in her diet when she arrived in care at such a…
Literally bowled over!
Elsie is almost too heavy to lift up now! She has also mastered a great skill – she runs at me, clips my leg and sends me flying! I am bowled over by her at least twice a day! I am covered in bruises! Elsie and Barney are still fed a bottle each, twice a…
The Easter Barney is real!
Elsie and Barney enjoyed Easter! No chocolates for them, just carrots, sweet potatoes and lots of grass! We also took the opportunity to make some short clips to bring awareness about these wonderful creatures! Elsie and Barney continue to thrive! Have a safe and happy Easter. I’ll be blogging more soon! You can follow us…
Barney’s vet trip
You can read Barney’s full story all through my earlier blogs. Dear little Barney is very sweet and today was his visit to the vet for his microchip. All of our wombats in care are microchipped and eventually released back into the wild at the appropriate age. Then, if they ever come back into care…
One year to the day since Elsie arrived!
One year ago today – on the 14th March 2020 – a joey wombat was delivered to my house (see my first post). Little Elsie had been found in her dead mum’s pouch. She weighted just 120 grams, was dehydrated and a fetus! Those first few hours establishing her care – setting up the humidicrib…
Elsie and Barney – wombats growing up too fast!
Elsie is big – I’ve given up trying to weigh her! Barney is probably around 11 kilos. They live permanently outdoors now – or at least that’s the expectation! Keeping them outside and away from the back door is a challenge! I have to remind them frequently that they are outdoor wombats, preparing for life…
The day in the life of a carer….
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like being a wildlife carer? Is it all cuddles, love and joy – every minute of every day? Well, let me be honest……..it mostly is! But it’s also hard work; soul destroying when an animal doesn’t survive despite our best efforts; exhausting getting up around the clock to…
A new year!
Rolling into 2021! Elsie the wombat demonstrates her exuberance and love of life! Over Christmas and new year, I continued to have ducklings in care, crimson rosellas and of course Elsie and Barney the wombats! Barney loved helping me care for the wood ducks! Barney even had the opportunity to meet my pet rabbit called…
🎄 A little wombat cheer! 🎄 Merry Christmas!
So what is Christmas in Australia like with two boisterous wombats in care? Messy! Noisy! Fun! The wombats find everything, are into everything and destroy everything! But I wouldn’t have it any other way! ❤️ They also go searching for their Christmas presents! Elsie keeps watch… but….Busted! Barney finds his christmas present. Have you heard…
Elsie and Barney – what are they up to now?
The Elsie and Barney continue to thrive! Elsie is happy and robust and Barney has so much character! They continue to entertain and delight me! They both have two bottles a day – one in the morning and one at night before they go to bed. Elsie is a year old and weighs nearly 10…
12 December 2020 – Elsie turns 1 !
If you read my earlier blog you will know that Elsie came into care at only 3 months old and weighing a mere 120 grams. We weigh all animals when they arrive in care and record their progress to ensure they growing and developing as they should. Based on Elsie’s weight and development when she…
Lily the wombat – the first one !
Lily was the first wombat that I raised from joey until release back into the wild. You might start thinking that all these wombats (Elsie, Barney and Henry who appear elsewhere in my Blog) are alike but nothing could be further from the truth! Yes, wombats in care demonstrate similar protective behaviors – the running,…
Elsie and Barney star in their own movie!
Sometimes, just for the fun of it… and because I like to fill every minute of my day.. I make silly movies! These movies get posted on social media. There’s a fairly large audience who love them. My viewers then spread the word about these movies and suddenly even more people develop a love of…
Your own piece of wildlife!
Elsie, Barney, Lily, Mitchell and the others now have a shop! Are you interested in owning your own little piece of some of the wildlife that are in care? Are you interested in helping a charity that rescues, rehabilitated and releases Australian wildlife? Woo hoo! Then jump on Redbubble and make a purchase. The funds…
❤️ That’s a whole lot of love! ❤️ Elsie and Barney!
The bond between Elsie and Barney is now very strong! They adore each other! For a while I doubted it would ever happen, but look at them now! Even with all this love, their play is still rough! I’m always amazed that these spirited battles are ‘friendly’ – imagine what a real fight between two…
Remembering Henry
Henry the wombat arrived into care weighing 1.5 kilos. He was around 6 months old. Henry had ticks and mange and was very dehydrated. We presume mum had been hit by a car and he had tried to survive alone in the wild as best he could. Since wombats stay with their mum until round…
Victoria
Victoria was one of the loveliest adult swans that came into care. This will be a hard blog to write… So why write it? To share the story of this beautiful and majestic animal and maybe to help me get some closure after all these years. Victoria was rescued from the lake with the help…
Wrestle mania
Playtime between Elsie and Barney is rough at times but it’s all in good fun! With every bite, head bump and chase they are learning how to defend themselves and survive in the wild when they are eventually released. Elsie likes to win! She’s bigger and stronger than Barney and although Barney often instigates the…
Samuel the Cygnet
A cygnet is a baby swan – cute name – gorgeous animal. In Australia we have black swans which are grey fluff balls when they hatch. Samuel the cygnet came into care after being handed into a vet. He may have been abandoned or taken from his parents. Taking one of these delightful fluffy creatures…
Echidna
Working with wildlife isn’t just about wombats! Although I’m licensed to receive all wildlife (except snakes) I prefer not to work with reptiles, cockatoos or galahs. I have worked with those animals in the past – I just prefer not to! Wombats, tawny frogmouths, echidnas, possums, swans and rosellas remain my favorites. Then one afternoon…
A lot to lug, a lot to love!
So now there’s two wombats to take to work! Up at 5:30 am to play and bottle feed and toilet both Elsie and Barney. Then there’s time for me to get ready to head off to work lugging both wombats with me. Elsie weighs four kilos and Barney weighs three, that’s a lot of wombat…
The great outdoors?
So Elsie and Barney loved their time exploring the great outdoors – well the great outdoor enclosure actually! They climbed, went digging, ran around and ate something but I have no idea what it was! It looked like rocks or dirt – something that was tasty for a wombat! But once we came inside, exhaustion…
Yes! Bonding!
So what to do with two arguing wombats? What would you have done? Seriously! Im open to suggestions….! Then I considered the great outdoors! There’s nothing like getting outside in the sunshine and enjoying nature! Beside if the wombats were concentrating on not losing ‘mum’ and exploring a new environment, then they couldn’t be fighting!…
Bonding?
At first Elsie was indifferent to having a wombat in the house. But after a few weekends, Elsie would run through the house with Barney trailing behind her – then she’d leave him somewhere and run back to me pretending that there never was a second wombat! Quite a good trick! When the trick of…
Learning through play!
Elsie is thriving in care! She is now over eight months of age, weighing nearly four kilos! She’s an active and happy wombat. Wombats stay with their mum for over 18 months and create a bond that is strong and very necessary. Elsie has that bond with me – she needs that bond to feel…
And then there were three?
Unfortunately then another wombat joey came into care! Her name is Brindabella or Brindy for short. She came into care at around four months old and weighing over 500 grams. Brindy’s mum was hit by a car. Luckily a member of the public stopped and checked the pouch and found little Brindy. Although the vehicle…
And then there were two…
Elsie is thriving after 5 months in care and now weighs over two kilos! Then another wombat joey arrives in care. Meet Barney – Barney Rubble! Barney came into care when mum was hit by a car. Unlike Elsie, who only had mum for the first three months, Barney arrived in care weighing around 600…
Elsie, huge growth, great development!
At six months of age and weighing over a kilo, the change in Elsie was incredible. She no longer needed to be kept in a humidicrib so she was moved into a portacot. Unfurred joeys are unable to generate enough heat to keep themselves warm and, in the wild have the constant warmth of their…
Elsie continues to thrive!
When Elsie came into care at just 3 months old and weighing just 120 grams she looked like a jelly bean! Her progress was slow. However each new drama was dealt with and her progress and development continued. After looking pale and being diagnosed with low iron – she took her oral iron and her…
Elsie the Joey Wombat from 120 grams
So let’s start with Elsie – the joey wombat. Well let’s start a little before Elsie! Just before Elsie came into care, a tiny joey wombat was delivered to me weighing just 40 grams. Unfortunately she arrived cold and very dehydrated. She had to be euthanized, one of the saddest parts of my job. For…
Working with Australian Wildlife - Helen Hardy 