Wildlife carers come to the rescue of bushfire affected animals with remote food and water stations
Bushfires have wiped out wildlife populations in Wollombi but a new project building food and water stations will hope to feed and care for those animals.
Newcastle
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Devastation from the bushfires reaches far and wide.
It’s no different at Wollombi, with the Little L and Crumps Complex fires decimating wildlife populations.
“It has wiped out our wildlife population,” Judy Hopper, the local area coordinator at Cessnock for Hunter Wildlife Rescue said.
“It’s a killing field.
“There’s not even skeletons left, it’s just total devastation.
“The populations are wiped out and we’re not talking just a dozen animals, we’re talking hundreds of thousands to millions and it’s absolutely horrendous.”
Some animals have made it through, as they managed to escape the flames, but the injuries are brutal.
“What’s left, some have burns and we can’t get them because they won’t allow us to,” Ms Hopper said.
Others are left without food and water.
“They are starving because we had drought to start with,” she said.
“What little feed was there has gone and they desperately need food and if we don’t keep them alive until the forest regenerates, we would have lost the lot.”
But in hope of saving what’s left wildlife carers, landholders and volunteers are coming together near Wollombi to build a network of food and water stations.
A big endeavour, as they work on the edge of the massive bushfire which burnt out 170,000 hectares in the Yengo National park, and still burning in some areas.
“We’re going out into the state forest in Pokolbin and putting out food and water stations and keeping them filled and topped up for wildlife,” Ms Hopper added.
“The water stations are set up to deliver water in a shallow or U-shaped bowl or trough.
“We have to be careful the small wildlife doesn’t fall in and we don’t want to have to go out every day and fill up, so it’s been designed to hold a fair amount of water and deliver it slowly and carefully.
“The food stations are put out in shallow dishes into the ground so little things can find them, putting out pallets in different areas with carrot and sweet potato.
“We put out hay to which we moisten so it is not too dry, and to worry about their throats, they need something soft.”
Hunter Wildlife Rescue is also trying to support those landholders and community members which are trying to feed wildlife on their properties.
And calling for donations to build more remote stations.
“I’m desperately trying to get something like a small shipping container to store the food and then landholders and our volunteers working in the area, can go there get the food,” she said.
Funding and assistance is also needed.