Belinda Gales, right, is looking to help joeys like these get back to nature.By Kath Gannaway
BELINDA Gales has the passion and the skill to ease the plight of injured native wildlife.
What she needs now is some practical help to turn her plans for a wildlife rehabilitation centre into reality.
Belinda, a qualified veterinary nurse and zookeeper, moved to Healesville last year and became a licensed shelter operator in December.
In just three months, working through Help For Wildlife, she has done more than a dozen rescues.
With an almost hairless eight-month old wombat named Zoe toddling along behind her and two joeys imploring a feed, Belinda leads a tour of the former cattle farm she says will make an ideal haven for injured and orphaned native wildlife.
“Wildlife require intense nursing and supportive treatment while they are in recovery and care which makes it difficult to work full-time,” said Belinda, who works on a casual basis with Animal Aid at Coldstream and is working hard to establish a “pet nanny” business.
“I have the land and some existing structures that require labour and building materials to erect and reinforce individual enclosures, yards and pens to enable me to adequately house and rehabilitate a variety of species that are regularly injured in this area,” Belinda explained.
The most critical need is a yard for young kangaroos and wallabies, including her little joeys ever more keen to stretch their legs, a joey yard.
“It is traumatic enough for young wallabies and roos to become orphaned, but if their time in captivity is as stress free as possible they can become ready for reintroduction to the wild with the least imprinting of humans as possible.”
Belinda needs old or new building materials, such as timber, heavy gauge wire mesh, gates and livestock sheds and is asking anyone who can help by donating the materials, or by donating money to help purchase new materials, to contact her.
“Many, many animals potentially would have a half way house to come to. Animals that require intensive nursing and recuperation from vehicle accidents in the area could be saved,” she said, bundling the joey pair back into their makeshift pouches.
“I am only a phone call away, but the facilities to provide for them must be here too,” she added.
Belinda can be contacted on 0402 755 462 or through Help For Wildlife on 0417 380 687.
