THE FRONT BOOT
AUSTRALIAN FIRES:
AIDING WILDLIFE
THE DEVASTATING AUSTRALIAN FIRES
HAVE PROMPTED REGULAR GORV
CONTRIBUTORS LINDA LEE RATHBUN
AND STEVEN DAVID MILLER TO PROVIDE
ADVICE ON HOW TO AID INJURED OR
HEAT-STRESSED ANIMALS.
The terrible Australian fires have devastated
us all. Those of us lucky enough to have
travelled this unique country have had the
privilege of encountering native wildlife, and
of visiting landscapes that have now been
utterly destroyed by the fires.
Currently, there are state park, state forest
reserves and national park closures across the
country. You may not, and should not, enter
these areas. However, as an RVer, you may
come across heat-stressed or injured wildlife
in other areas, or you may choose to look for
heat-stressed or injured wildlife in areas you
are permitted to safely access.
BE PREPARED
Be prepared. Keep some basic aids in your
vehicle at all times. This includes towels to
place over an animal so you can pick it up,
pillow cases to put joeys in, ventilated
cardboard boxes (collapsed with tape on
hand), a torch, heavy gloves, poultry scissors,
hand sanitiser, and non-toxic paint to mark an
animal whose pouch has been checked (so
others don’t have to re-check it).
OFFERING WATER
When you find a heat-stressed animal, do not
give it food but you can gently offer it water.
Some sources say injured animals should not
be offered water, but some vets say they
should.
Be familiar with the proper way to help
wildlife until you can find professional rescue
assistance. Many of the websites listed on In any case, no food should be offered. We
rescued a flying-fox from a barbed wire fence
once (we had heavy gloves and plenty of
GoRV’s website
(https://www.gorv.com.au/australian-fires-
aiding-wildlife) include extensive information
on what to do. experience) and when we offered it water, it
literally grabbed for the bottle and desperately
drank. Most of us have seen videos of koalas
seeking water provided by people.
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