Hello, possums
Hello, possums
July 31, 2008
Section: News
By BRENDAN CRABB
THE Secretary of the Illawarra WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) branch, Kathy Joukador has praised the efforts of an unnamed local motorist for saving the lives of two baby ringtail possums.
The two babies were found by a member of the public on Saturday, July 19, in the pouch of their dead mother (who had been killed when hit by another motor vehicle earlier) on the side of Andrew Avenue in Keiraville.
“The person stopped and checked the mum and found the babies in the mum’s pouch,” Kathy said. “The babies wouldn’t have lasted long if they hadn’t found them and called WIRES about it straight away.”
Kathy has been looking after the two babies at her Albion Park home since last Monday; she has named them Bella and Alice from characters in a story she and her daughter are currently reading.
The tiny creatures weigh just 60 grams at the moment but, according to Kathy, they are coping well and could be ready to be released properly into the wild within three or four months.
“When they first came in they were so small, but they’re eating well now and also gaining weight,” she said.
“They’ll be here for a few months and will eventually go to an aviary and be soft-released – where they’ll be released into a bushland area to get used to the conditions.
“There’s a release hatch in the aviary,” she added. “We’ll leave it open until they’re well-established in the area and then let them go permanently.”
Kathy advised anyone who encounters baby possums or any other baby animals not to feed them, as giving them the wrong food could often have a detrimental effect.
Instead, she advised the public to phone the Illawarra branch of WIRES on 4285 5630; this line is manned 24 hours a day by volunteers and this would ensure that the animals in question have the best chance of survival.
• The WIRES Illawarra branch will be holding its major fundraiser for 2008 – a Trivia Night – at the Dapto Ribbonwood Centre on Saturday, September 6. All are welcome; tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased by phoning the WIRES hotline on 4285 5630.