Even though he seems grumpy, he’s grateful to you ***
Dear ***,
You may not like the way Stanley thanks you for saving his life. He’ll hiss and growl at you… then turn and run the other way. Yet you should be happy at Stanley’s response. Because this is exactly what Australian native wombats are supposed to do when they meet people. And it’s a result that seemed impossible when Stanley was found lying on the roadside back in June, barely alive, a badly burnt victim of the devastating Victorian Black Saturday bushfires.
It’s only with donations like your gift from abroad that Stanley is alive and well today ***. Thank you!
In the 90 days that followed, dedicated volunteers provided the patient day-to-day care that helped Stanley gain weight (16 kilos in 3 weeks!) so that now he’s ready for release back into the wild.
FACT: Every day Wildlife Victoria receives over 500 calls to help injured, orphaned or dangerously-ill wildlife.
It’s too often an occurrence to see many animals, like Stanley, left for dead on the side of the road.
As we reach out for help from afar, consider yourselves fortunate that you haven’t had to see the smaller animals, like birds, lizards, gliders and possums savaged by feral cats. Or hear the sad cry of a baby koala or kangaroo orphaned in a car accident. Or witness wildlife displaced and starving because their habitat has been destroyed by fire or land-clearing....we have.
Wildlife Victoria exists only to care for suffering wildlife that would otherwise be forgotten and left to die. No matter how long it takes, every animal we rescue is given specialised attention. Our unpaid volunteers wake at all hours to administer medication, change dressings or feed the youngsters.
Volunteers can give time and energy. But the dressings, medication and rescue equipment cost money. And that’s why YOU are vital now.
Your donation is urgently needed for rescue essentials like:
• Kangaroo transport bag – used to contain and carry injured or sick kangaroos: $AUD95
• Wallaby ‘formula’ – gives a young orphaned joey the same nutrients he would receive from suckling his mother: one month’s supply is $AUD25
• Humidicrib – controlled temperature, sterile environment, oxygen supply, essential for at-risk baby animals: $AUD1,000.
You’ll see more examples on the ‘Wish List’ at the bottom of my letter. Of course, any support you give will be directed where it’s needed most urgently to rescue and save the lives of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife.
The bushfire headlines have faded away now, but the danger to Australia’s wildlife has not. Right now as you read this letter, there is wildlife needing rescue and emergency care. Volunteers and vets are ready with medication, bandages and time… but lives can only be saved if you are there too with your donation.
Please help us with your gift today to save the lives of sick and injured wildlife. (I promise that unlike Stanley we will not hiss or growl when we say thank you!)
Yours urgently,
Jon Rowdon
President, Wildlife Victoria
PS: Our vets have told me ‘Kangaroo transport bags’ and emergency support are the highest priority in Spring. Please donate now to help our little friends. Thank you!
Wildlife Victoria’s Wish List for Stanley and his friends
All our carers have listed items they urgently require now. If you could possibly help us buy one or more of these items, we really cannot thank you enough.
A month’s supply of baby animal rearing milk formula $25.00
A turtle enclosure (including a shell shaped baby pool) $40.00
Heat pad $60.00
Microbat enclosure $80.00
Meadow hay for kangaroos in rehabilitation $90.00
Kangaroo transport bag $95.00
Aquarium for blue tongue lizard $200.00
Wombat transport cage $200.00
Possum aviary $300.00
20kg bag of kangaroo milk $400.00
Possum release aviary $700.00
Echidna enclosure $800.00
Humidcrib $1,000.00
Koala enclosure $3,000.00
Humans who accidentally find themselves in an affray with a wombat may find it best to scale a tree until the animal calms and leaves. Humans can receive puncture wounds from wombat claws as well as bites. Startled wombats can also charge humans and bowl them over, with the attendant risks of broken bones from the fall.
补充说明,野生的wombat不能乱抱抱。遇到一群wombat的话,最好还要学会爬树。
They can be awkwardly tamed in a captive situation, and even coaxed into being patted and held, possibly becoming quite friendly. However, their lack of fear means that they may display acts of aggression if provoked, or if they are simply in a bad mood.