Victorian wildlife rescuers share story behind harrowing photo of injured kangaroo in mud, highlighting Australia’s current devastating toll I have native animals.
Deb Fowler, co-owner A juvenile male kangaroo was brought to her on Saturday after being caught in a fence in Kialla West, one of several areas under flood evacuation orders.
“He was full of mud, so I cleaned his eyes, ears and nose. My concern at the moment is an infection from pneumonia above all else. He was freezing cold and in shock.” ” she told SBS News.
Fowler said he “doesn’t expect much” of the marsupials recovering.
The organization posted photos on social media warning drivers to slow down on the Midland Highway, also known as the Mullupuna Causeway.
Authorities closed the highway late Saturday night.
“Kangaroos live on both sides of the Mooroopuna causeway. Yesterday the flooding came so fast that the kangaroos were forced to try to find dry land,” Fowler said.
A kangaroo got caught in a fence after jumping from the rising waters of Lake Kiara, Victoria. sauce: attached / Boholor Wildlife Shelter
“They jumped onto the causeway and got hit by a car. had to be euthanized.”
of garnered over 1,000 likes and comments within 24 hours, with many expressing a desire to help.
“Thank you so much for helping these poor animals. Take it easy everyone. These animals just want to live too,” wrote one Facebook user.
“We seem to forget that we weren’t the only ones affected by the floods,” commented another.
Fowler, who runs the shelter with fellow wildlife conservationist Kirsty Ramadan, said she welcomes cash donations as well as food, hay, bird seed, towels and blankets. rice field.
We currently have 40 animals including kangaroos, gliders and birds, with more to come.
An orphaned Joey is found in a home in Shepperton, Victoria. sauce: attached / Wildlife Victoria
Wildlife Victoria has been inundated with more than 1,100 calls from members of the public in support of rescued animals in the past week.
The charity’s chief executive officer, Lisa Palma, said rescue teams are finding it difficult to reach much of the afflicted wildlife due to rising flood waters and road blockages.
“What we see across the state are large numbers of animals that are waterlogged, injured, displaced or stranded,” she said.
“A complicating factor for our wildlife at this time is that it’s spring and many wildlife have young pouches… making them particularly vulnerable to extreme weather.”
Rescuers were called in on Sunday to help a herd of Eastern Gray Kangaroos trapped by rising water in the Golburn Valley region.
One kangaroo joey was rescued by Wildlife Victoria volunteers and is now being cared for at a local shelter, although some were killed by cars after fleeing onto the road.
Palma said this latest flood crisis in northern Victoria and Tasmania is yet another blow to Australia’s native animals, which have suffered from multiple large wildfires and floods in recent years.
Nearly 3 billion animals, including mammals, reptiles, birds and frogs, died or were displaced during the country’s “Black Summer” wildfires in 2019-2020, according to World Wildlife Fund figures.
“That’s the challenge of natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent. The impacts on wildlife can last for a very long time,” Palma said.
Despite sunny weather in Victoria on Sunday, state emergency services warned people to stay vigilant as river levels continue to rise.
Echuca is expected to experience two peaks of flooding, including one by Tuesday and another later in the week.