FAUNA RESCUE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC.
CASUALTIES ON OUR ROADS
| A number of animals become casualties on
our roads. Many of these are marsupials, the most common
being kangaroos, birds and possums. Some of the more
unusual are Wombats, Echidnas, Koalas and Bandicoots
which all have rear opening pouches that are set lower on
the body than kangaroos and possums pouches. Death on the side of the road for the mother does not always mean death for the joey. If you see a dead marsupial on the roadside these simple procedures may help save the life of a young one. If the animal is still on the edge of the road move it off to the side, this may save other birds/animals from suffering the same fate as they will come down to the roadside to feed on the carcass. One example of birds which do this is birds of prey. If you do not wish to handle the animal you can use a stick to push it away from the road. Make sure you keep your own safety in mind first. BEWARE OF TRAFFIC Check to see if the animal has a pouch, if it does use gloves or you can even wrap some cloth around your hand to check for a joey. If the animal is stiff and has a joey in her pouch it may be neccessary to force or cut the pouch open, because a stiff mother may still have a live joey in the pouch. A joey can survive for several days in the dead mothers pouch. If you can't access the joey in the pouch and the carcass is not too decomposed you can wrap the body in a blanket or towel leaving the joey in the pouch and transport the whole body to a wildlife carer or vet who is experienced in removing a joey from a stiff pouch. If a joey is found gently remove it, remembering that a joey especially a small one will be very firmly attached to the teat and the mouth can be damaged very easily. Sometimes it is necessary to cut the teat to get the joey out. If this is to be done make sure you cut the teat at the base of the mother leaving as much as you can in the joeys mouth. Once you have the joey out, wrap it in a cloth for both security and warmth. You will have to maintain the joeys temperature because young marsupials can not regulate their own body temperature. One way of doing this is by putting it inside your shirt against your skin. If the pouch is empty but has an obvious suckled teat (reddish or swollen), check the area for a wandering baby, as the distressed joey may have wandered off. Head to the nearest phone to seek immediate help. Native animals need special feed formulas and furless joeys may need feeding every couple of hours around the clock. NEVER FEED AN ORPHANED NATIVE ANIMAL/BIRD COWS MILK |
