TasWeekend: Bonorong on the hunt for future wildlife warriors

The 24-hour animal rescue service at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary is on the hunt for new volunteers, running a free wildlife rescue course in Hobart.

Bonorong director Greg Irons is encouraging volunteers to do their free wildlife rescue course so they can help animals such as this wombat, which is being rehabilitated at the sanctuary. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

WOMBATS, wallabies, pademelons, possums and kookaburras are among the most commonly orphaned and injured wildlife species in Tasmania.

The majority are hit by cars, while others have been attacked by other animals, entangled in fences and netting or impacted by natural disasters like bushfires.

It’s a heartbreaking scenario, but there are ways ordinary Tasmanians can help.

The 24-hour animal rescue service at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary is on the hunt for new volunteers, running a free wildlife rescue course in Hobart later this month.

Bonorong director Greg Irons with a wombat which is being rehabilitated after being rescued and brought to the wildlife sanctuary. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Bonorong director Greg Irons says the six-hour course will teach participants the basics of wildlife rescue, including how to safely handle injured animals, how to check a pouch for babies, how to identify some of our most commonly injured animals and how to create a rescue kit to keep in the car.

Course participants can also choose to be added to Bonorong’s database of wildlife rescuers, receiving WhatsApp messages when an animal in their local area needs help. Irons says almost 30 per cent of all animals reported to Bonorong’s Wildlife Rescue Service are injured or orphaned after being hit by cars, with thousands of animals treated by the service each year.

“This time of year is one of our worst for roadkill,’’ he says.

“The shorter days mean many people are driving to and from work in the dark, when animals are out and about.’’

If you find an injured or orphaned animal you should keep it warm, preferably in a dark, quiet place, and keep handling to a minimum. Do not provide food or drink to the animal. Call Bonorong’s rescue service on 0447 264 625 (0447 ANIMAL) for further advice.

The course will be held at the University of Tasmania’s Centenary Lecture Theatre in Sandy Bay on May 25 from 11am. Places are free but they are limited. Book at facebook.com/Bonorong