Emma the Flatback

Emma the sea turtle

This weekend saw the release of Emma the flatback sea turtle, i can't believe the difference between her arrival and her departure. when she first came in she was swollen and pink, her flesh stuck out from around her shell, now she is swimming of the coast somewhere happily back in her home environment.

Emma was released at Dundee Beach by the people who found her, Paul Arnold the bush Photographer had a three hour drive to rescue her initially and her took her back to a welcoming crowd of well wishes her then waved her on her way.

I always think of Sea Turtles as serene animals gentle and non aggressive but Emma showed us a completely different side, she was the crankiest turtle i have ever come across, unbelievably fast moving and she had us all ducking so that she couldn't bite us. At least we know that she is a surviver and i am sure that it was this fierceness that helped her recover as quickly as she did. hopefully Richie the little sea turtle who was hit by a boat will recover as well.

any body wanting to contribute to our Sea turtle rehab is quite welcome to contact us for information on how they can help.

Pelican

We have also had a Pelican brought into us. It is another teenager who has not managed the transition from being cared for by his parents to looking after himself well. He is very thin and emaciated but otherwise is very healthy. We took xrays to check for fishing hooks etc that are another common cause of thin pelicans but none are visible. So he will simply require feeding up so that he can have a second chance at a wild life.

Green Turtle

We have had another sea turtle brought into us. He was a "floater". He has pneumonia and as a result was unable to submerge himself. The pneumonia caused him to loose a lot of weight - he is emaciated & exhausted. As a result of him being unable to submerge he was hit by a boat which has fractured his shell. So there is lots of repairing required. We need to fix the fractures in his shell, treat his pneumonia & put a lot more weight back on him.

Kookaburra

This Kookaburra came in today with a fracture in its distal humerus. It was most likely caused by being hit by a car. It is in good condition and amuses everyone with its distinctive call. Surgery to pin the wing will take place tomorrow.

Rainbow Bee Eater

The pinning went well. We got good stability in the little Falcons fracture and she recovered uneventfully. She will stay in hospital for a few days and then go to the Prison for her rehabilitation & recovery.
Just on closing we received a Rainbow Bee eater. He has been attacked by a cat. Bite wounds are always serious and require prompt treatment with anitbiotics. Bee eaters tend to be fragile birds that often die from shock when they need care. So far this one is doing well.

Little Falcon

We also had a Little Falcon brought in today. He was found by the side of the road so was probably hit by a car He has a wing fracture that will require surgery. (pinning). Which I am just about to start. Will Keep you posted.

Slatey Grey snake

Today we got an adult slatey grey that got caught up in bird netting. He was really tangled and the netting was starting to cut into him. Slatey greys are not venomous but are very jumpy bitey snakes so releasing him from the netting was a task. We cut away the netting and treated his fortunately minor wounds and he has now been released.

Little Red Flying Foxes

There has been quite a number of Little Red flying foxes caught on barb wire fences in the last week. We have been rescuing at least 2 a day everyday! Barbwire is very bad for flying foxes because they are big and use their eyesite to navigate they often get caught up on it. The wounds they get (mouth wings etc) trying to get off are heartwrenching. They are such lovely creatures and certainly don't derserve to end like this. Often they are so very badly damaged by the time we get them and so don't survive. However they are survivors and so help us to help them and we do get to get quite a number through to being released again.
here is a photo of me removing one from barb wire.

juvenile Tern

We had a juvenile Tern ( a type of sea bird) come into care today. He seems to be very thin and exhausted. He is a teenager who doesn't seem to have been able to find his way in the world yet. We will feed him up so that he puts on some weight and release him again to give him a second chance.

Nankeen Kestrel

This little nankeen kestrel was hunting for insects over a dry season fire when got hit by a passing car. This broke its wing. It then landed in the fire and singed it's feathers and burnt its eyes. Fortunately the people in the car rescued it and brought it to us. We have pinned its wing and are treating its burns. The burns to its eyes are very painful but should heal ok.