Howard Ralph of Southern Cross Wildlife Care.
Binalong resident Renee Arabin has been helping our furry friends over
the last week with bushfires raging across the eastern part
of our state. She said, “I have been following this bushfire crisis since it started and then 9 days ago I found a report in an overseas media outlet that it was estimated that almost 500 million animals had been killed in the bushfires. I couldn’t find anything from any of our Australian
outlets. I was sitting there on New Year’s Eve and watching the news.
The programs just resumed as normal.”
The turning point was when one of the programs did a segment on
what to do with chicken leftovers after Christmas instead of focussing
on more important issues such as the impending bushfire crisis.
Renee said to herself, I just can’t keep sitting here, thinking
that something needs to be done. I need to take action, now. What can I do tomorrow?
She started searching for groups because she didn’t know where to start
or where to direct her focus.
Renee made contact with The Rescue Collective and Southern Cross
Wildlife Care.
She put some information out on Facebook to see if any friends wanted
to purchase supplies for the animals and found that she was inundated
with offers of donations, help and money. Young resident, Amy Dawe contacted Renee and offered to come along to help.
Together they met with Landmark Yass and collected supplies and have since set up collection points at Landmark Yass, Harden Post Office and through Chontelle Perrin in Young. Once supplies have been dropped off they are directed to affected south eastern areas of NSW and to organisations such as Southern Cross Wildcare and Rescue Collective.
Howard Ralph a Veterinarian from Southern Cross Wildlife Care has been caring for animals for decades and focusses on injured wildlife.
He said, “We look after wildlife, we have been doing that for years. We have a good service which extends to offering advice to people all over the country and overseas from time to time. We run a facility and a service, we are always needing money and certain types of materials. The current terrible disaster going on with the fires is only the beginning with this tragedy. The simple thing is that people can make a cash donation through our website or donate materials.”
“If people are rescuing critters from the fire they need to take that critter to a Veterinarian for assessment and treatment. They can then be referred to us. Animals tend to hide the pain because they are wild and they don’t want predators to know that they are in pain. They certainly do feel pain and it has a profound affect on their recovery and survival. Even those that are burnt now can come to attention weeks from now.”
Many fire grounds will remain officially closed until they are appraised by emergency services due to the potential risk of falling limbs or falling trees which have been burnt.
Renee said, “This isn’t ending anytime soon, it’s going to be
ongoing, so whatever we can do to keep it happening will be helpful.”
Renee said having this on social media shows people that even
though we are where we are, we can make a direct difference. “When I
was buying all of these fruit pouches in Aldi a lady asked me what I
was doing with them. She turned around and gave me money to buy more.”
There is an extensive list of products which the organisations are seeking assistance with. Products include, Dog food- wet and dry, Cat food- wet and dry, Dog crates, Cat carriers, Dog Toys, Food Bowls, Dog Beds, Cooling mats,
Shell Pools, Lectade Spark Fluids, Wombaroo Impact, Flamazine burn
cream, Hydrolyte, General Mixed Medical Supplies, Birdseed, Pouches,
Bat wraps, Possum nests, Wombaroo products, Water, Divetalect,
Macropod Pellets, Vet wrap, Nutrigel, Baby wipes, Gloves, Vitamin e
oil, Fruit, Harymanns Fluids, Baxter Fluids, Biolac Fomulas, Lectade
Oral Hydration, Fruit baby food squeeze packs (preservative free
brands) Vetafarm Spark Fluids, Wombaroo Impact, Fuel Cards, F10
Veterinary Disinfectant, Metacam Moloxicom, Syringes 1-60ml, Vitamin E
Oil, Puppy Pads, Vetafarm Critta Care, Animla wound gels and spray,
Nutrigel, any Vetafarm Bird products , Animal Feeding Bottles and
Teats, and Vetwrap.
Other items include, Hay – lucerne (not chaff), All Timers pellets, All Purpose pellets & Economix pellets, Bird seed – wild bird mix, 10L & 20L water, builders wheelbarrow x 2, portable/mobile fire fighting pump & reel, garbage bins (to store seed), extension ladder, battery for solar power, plastic water troughs, clean working cot (for joeys), cat & dog ‘donut’ beds, Clipper blades 30 & 40 (Heiniger & Oster), Prontosan (wound irrigation – Braun), Betadine ointment, Betadine (povodine iodine) liquid, Sutures – Vilet 2.0 (V453), 3.0 (V422), 4.0 (V397), 5.0 (V391), Vetwrap/Coban or equivalent bandaging, Soffban/Velband or equivalent bandaging, Burettes for IV fluid delivery 120ml, Pediatric IV fluid (0.45% + 2.5%), Sterile injectable IV saline 100ml bags, IV Gelofusine fluid, Sterile syringes, particularly 1ml & 2ml, Sterile needles – particularly 23 gauge, Vetlite splinting material, IV sterile cannulas – 20, 24, and 23 gauge, IV bung – Braun IN-stopper (for cannula), Dressings: – Mepitel, Mepilex, Aquacel Ag, Acticoat, Acticaot Absorbent, Allevyn Ag, Bactigras, Instrasite, Disposable gloves – Xl, L, M, Nilstat oral (from chemists), Microscope slides & cover slips, Urinalysis sticks – 10 parameters, In date bacteriological swabs, Yellow top (urine) containers. Nutrigel by Illium (for high energy vitamin supplement for animals),
Drop off locations: YOUNG Chontelle Perrin Photography, 18 Elizabeth
Street, Young.
HARDEN Harden Post Office (Business hours only), 32 Neill Street, Harden.
YASS Landmark Yass (Business hours only), 75 Laidlaw Street Yass.
If you would like to offer assistance or make a donation follow
the links and directions in the story. http://southerncrosswildlifecare.org.au/ or
https://au.gofundme.com/f/wildlife-need-urgent-help-from-drought-amp-fire
