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Rescuing Wildlife After The Fire

Noel Lees rescues ring-tail possum

Not everyone who lives in the bush can make the decision whether to stay and defend their homes or leave for safer havens.

By Department of Sustainability & Environment - 23rd January 2006 - Back to News

The Moondarra fire north of Moe has burned through 9500 hectares of public and private land, including the homes and habitat of many native wildlife.

Wildlife officers from DSE and Animal Health staff from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have been patrolling some of the burnt areas of the fire looking for animals, both native wildlife and farm stock, that may have been adversely affected by the fire.

Senior Animal Health Officer with DPI, Lew Armstrong and DSE Wildlife Officer Anthony Ball said that while at this stage no stock were found affected, a number of Koalas and Ring-tailed Possums were found and taken to the Wildlife Shelter at Rawson.

"Fire crews have been great," Mr Ball said.

"They seem to take an active interest in looking out for wounded animals."

"They would pick up possums and Koalas that needed attention and organise for them to be transported to where they could be looked after by a wildlife shelter."

"Both DSE and CFA firefighters took an active role in helping to rescue injured wildife."

Noel Lees, a DSE Forest Ranger from Erica shared his personal water supply with a scorched Ring-tail Possum to rehydrate it, before transporting it in his hard hat to the wildlife shelter.

Wildlife and Animal Health Officers will continue to patrol the areas burned by the fire for injured animals.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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