Since opening the rehabilitation facility years ago at
the old Skippy Park, we have had a variety of
animals come through.
We received a call to the Sydney Wildlife hotline
about a large eastern grey kangaroo that was in a
suburban backyard. The member of the public said
that it always appeared at 7:30am each day so
suggested that was a good time for us to try to catch
this poor kangaroo to relocate to a more suitable
area. Early the next morning, we arrived at the
location to be ready for the kangaroo's visit. As it is
a wild kangaroo, it was decided the safest way of
capturing it was to use a dart gun to reduce the
stress on the animal and ensure we could
catch it quickly.
As expected, at around 7:30am the kangaroo
appeared and we were able to dart her on the first
attempt. Once the drugs took effect and she was
sedated, we were able to put her in a large
macropod bag and transport her to the
rehabilitation facility allowing her to wake up in
safety so we could assess her condition and
behaviour.
After a few days of observation to ensure she was
feeding correctly, in good health and not showing
any signs of odd behaviour she was able to be
released into the company of a wild mob of Eastern
Grey Kangaroos.
Our facilities have proven to be excellent for some
species in their rehabilitation phase to the point
where they never want to leave.
One bandicoot in the large aviary was unable to be found when we were trying to catch her for release. After two attempts trying to find the bandicoot with no luck, we were puzzled. We knew she was in there as the food was being eaten and there were small freshly dug holes around the floor of the enclosure from her searching for and eating insects. We decided to put a camera in the aviary to make sure that it was in fact the bandicoot eating the food. The camera showed after just one night that it was in fact a very healthy bandicoot. Now more determined than ever to catch the bandicoot, three Sydney Wildlife volunteers spent well over half an hour trying to find it. Just when we were about to give up we disturbed her out of a very well-camouflaged nest. Being able to provide such a natural enclosure enabled the bandicoot to exhibit its survival techniques which resulted in her being able to evade capture for so long even though we knew she was there. This is a testament to the work of Sydney Wildlife volunteers and the facilities that give these animals such a good foundation for success.
One bandicoot in the large aviary was unable to be found when we were trying to catch her for release. After two attempts trying to find the bandicoot with no luck, we were puzzled. We knew she was in there as the food was being eaten and there were small freshly dug holes around the floor of the enclosure from her searching for and eating insects. We decided to put a camera in the aviary to make sure that it was in fact the bandicoot eating the food. The camera showed after just one night that it was in fact a very healthy bandicoot. Now more determined than ever to catch the bandicoot, three Sydney Wildlife volunteers spent well over half an hour trying to find it. Just when we were about to give up we disturbed her out of a very well-camouflaged nest. Being able to provide such a natural enclosure enabled the bandicoot to exhibit its survival techniques which resulted in her being able to evade capture for so long even though we knew she was there. This is a testament to the work of Sydney Wildlife volunteers and the facilities that give these animals such a good foundation for success.