Points of View - Archive
Welcome to the latest update from the nursing ward here at the Australian Wildlife Hospital.
I have been working at the Australian Wildlife Hospital for a few months now; first as a volunteer, and now as a part-time Administration Assistant. Every day we get lots of phone calls from all over South-East Queensland, and beyond, from people who have injured wildlife that needs urgent attention. Last Sunday morning I received a call from a wildlife carer who had had a report of a 'pinkie' koala joey that had been handed in to a Vet on the Southside of Brisbane.
We sent Anika, one of our long-standing and very dedicated volunteers, to drive down and collect the joey. Anika is an experienced Wildlife carer and currently has 2 koala joeys in her care - so we knew that she would know what to do when she collected the little one - we were told he was the size of a hand! We did not have any information about why the joey was there - or what had happened to his mother - but we knew it was crucial to get him into proper care as soon as possible.
Anika set off and unfortunately hit bad traffic on the Bruce Highway and it took her two and a half hours to get to the Veterinary Surgery! When she arrived Anika was surprised to find that the joey was not a koala – he was actually a Swamp Wallaby! He was indeed a 'pinkie'- which means he has no fur yet, so appears pink, and he weighed around 330g. His eyes were open, but he was barely conscious from dehydration. The vet clinic had kept him warm but unfortunately he had not had fluids for many hours. Anika drove back to the hospital - going against the traffic it took only 45 minutes.
As soon as the joey arrived our Vet, Doctor Amber, set to work on assessing him and treating him. He was immediately put on oxygen to help him breathe. There was evidence that he had been separated from his mother for more than a day - perhaps in the care of a member of public? We considered all the possibilities for how he came to be in this situation - orphaned from a car-hit, thrown out of the pouch of an ill mother or thrown out because there was something wrong with him. We will never know the true story, but I knew he was in the best hands now.
Anika and I watched with bated breath as Amber used a tiny needle to give him intravenous glucose. You can imagine how tiny his veins were and how hard it was to get a needle in. Within minutes we could see all his veins open up from this tiny amount of glucose that helped to re-hydrate the joey.
By this time we were thinking of a name for him, I am from Africa and love to give African names but often Australians find it hard to pronounce them! Immediately I thought of the name Shumba - it is a Shona word for 'Lion' symbolising strength and power ... this joey had a very strong heartbeat and had the strength so survive thus far! (Plus I thought it was easy to pronounce). An IV line was put in at the base of his tail for further fluids to be given, and his broken arm was placed in a splint.
One of our most experienced Wildlife Carers, Karen Scott, took Shumba home with her - he had 24 hours to prove he had the strength to pull through this first hurdle. Shumba came through that first day with flying colours - he was sucking on his own and moving his head on his own! He has a long way to go yet, but how wonderful it is for him to have people willing to go however far it takes to give him a second chance at life!
26 February 2007:
We are pleased to report that Shumba is showing every sign of making an amazing recovery! He has an ulcer on his eye that is slowly healing, he is feeding well, putting on weight and – as you can see – is nearly able to stand on his own.
17 April 2007:
The latest report is that Shumba is doing brilliantly and his fur is now starting to grow. We hope to have a new photo to share with you
soon ...
30 April 2007:
Shumba is quite literally coming along in leaps and bounds. He is with a new carer - Tabatha - who reports that he is starting to hop and is looking the picture of health (see image right).
16 July 2007:
Shumba is now a strong and healthy young wallaby. His excellent condition is testament to the dedicated care he has received over many weeks.
December 2007:
I had the opportunity to accompany Shumba's carer, Tabatha, to see him placed into a pre-release enclosure.
Shumba had been restless during the car trip and couldn't wait wait to get going! He will now stay within the confines of this large area for a few weeks and then the gate will be opened and he will be a free wallaby in a very safe bushland environment.
I can't believe it now when I look at the pictures of him when we first got him. Wow!
Julie
Kate and I were called by a good mate of mine, Matt, who is a lifeguard at Caloundra. He had been advised by one of his colleagues that a dolphin was caught in the shark nets off Kings Beach. Being a Dive Master, keen surfer and avid lover of all things to do with the life aquatic, I thought this rescue was to be right up my ally. The one thing that did cross my mind however, was that I knew just how powerful dolphins can be in the water.
I have been involved in wildlife rescue throughout the 13 years that I have been at Australia Zoo, and I know full well that you can’t always expect the best outcome from rescuing an animal. But Kingy had a perfect ending. On 4 January, Kingy was taken to the southern tip of Bribie Island on board Seaworld One. Dr Jon, Sarah, Kate and I all came to say goodbye to our mate.
Some animals come into your life and touch you, leaving an impression that lasts forever. As a veterinarian it can be very hard to develop a bond with an animal because of the association that they make between you and pain or treatment. One animal, however, that I least expected to touch me so deeply, was a Carpet Python called Slugger.
Slugger was brought to me in the first three weeks of my new career as a veterinarian. Previously I hadn’t had much to do with snakes, except for handling a few pets. One thing I quickly came to learn about Carpet Pythons, however, is that you either get a really nice one or you get one that’s willing to bite your hand off at any cost. Fortunately for me, Slugger was one of those nice Carpet Pythons.
He measured 2.5 metres and was fairly dark in colour, with a large, regal head. He had spectacular markings but unfortunately his body condition was not so good. At 2.5 metres, and with such a large head, Slugger should have weighed in at about 10kg. However, he only weighed 1.6kg. This gives you some indication of just how skinny and sick he was.
Despite his condition, I immediately felt a bond with Slugger. Of course it was not a bond that I could confirm was reciprocated, but I was willing to fool myself anyway. He was terribly anaemic and obviously quite weak and when I examined him I could feel some unusual lumps under his skin. Once he was anaesthetised I made a small cut over one of the lumps and to my surprise, removed a small lead bullet! This was more than likely from a pellet gun, or air rifle. Not convinced that that was the only one I decided to x-ray Slugger and to my shock discovered seven more embedded in his body, including one in his head! My heart immediately went out to this snake. He had survived being shot eight times with a gun! And he wasn’t just shot the other day; this most likely happened over a year ago based on the body condition he was in now. At that moment I made a sort of silent promise to Slugger, and to myself, that I was going to try everything I could to fix him and release him back into the wild.
Because these pellets were made of lead I was concerned about lead toxicity, so I ran some blood tests and Slugger was diagnosed with lead poisoning. This in itself is treatable if the source of the lead is found early. It is certainly not impossible to treat at a later stage but because of the bone marrow involvement and potential for kidney damage caused by circulating lead, the outcome is less favourable. I immediately started Slugger on treatment to stop any more lead circulating through his body and then set about removing the source. After two operations, seven of the eight pellets were removed. The one in his head, however, had to be left because of the dangers involved in trying to remove it.
Slugger seemed to improve almost immediately. He seemed to hold his head higher and flick his tongue more and generally appear happier. I began tube-feeding him a slurry because he refused to eat on his own. He also began to shed his skin (normal for healthy snakes). However, because of his debilitated state, assistance was needed, and so began a daily ritual of bathing the snake. I would take him out for sun every day and then bring him back inside for his daily soak in warm water. He tolerated this extremely well and would coil up contently with his head on the side of the bath. I had high hopes that Slugger was beginning to get better.
As the weeks passed he had appeared to be improving, but then I noticed a rapid decline in his demeanor. I took some more blood and sent it off for tests and the results came back that Slugger may be developing kidney failure. I monitored his drinking and urination very closely (an increase in these are the first signs of kidney failure) and noticed that both of these were increasing. I took a little more blood and sent it off to test for kidney failure and lead levels. The results that came back were both good and bad. Slugger’s lead toxicity had been treated successfully, however it seemed that his kidneys were not recovering and he was still very anaemic. As a final attempt to assess to what degree his kidneys were damaged, I put a camera inside Slugger’s abdomen to determine if his kidneys looked normal. They appeared normal to the naked eye but I decided to take a biopsy to determine the extent of internal damage. Unfortunately the results that came back from the biopsy were not promising. Slugger’s kidneys were failing. At this stage there was nothing more that we could do and Slugger was euthanased on the 19 February 2006.
To this day I still get tears in my eyes when I think about this amazing snake. Some may say “it was just a snake” but to me he was much more. There was courage to this snake, and a will to live. How else could he have survived for more than a year with eight lead bullets in his body and head? I think the relationship I felt with this snake also had something to do with the time that he came to me. It was in the first few weeks of my new career, a time in a new veterinarian’s life where you need to feel your worth. A time when you need to prove to yourself that you can make a difference and save animals’ lives.
For a time after Slugger’s death I felt a sense of failure for not having been able to fulfill my promise. I slowly came to realise, though, that had he not been brought to me he would most definitely have suffered a horrible death in the wild.
The knowledge I gained from treating Slugger has helped me tremendously towards successfully treating other snakes, and although I have never come across another that has touched me the way he did, I know that I did everything in my power to save him.
Rainy the Pelican
by Briano, Australian Wildlife Hospital
On Thursday 18 May, we had a call from the staff at the Bli Bli Waterfront Hotel to report that one of their resident pelicans had a fishing hook stuck in its head. I went up to investigate and sure enough this poor bird had a hook stuck in the side of its beak with fishing line still trailing behind it. This would be very uncomfortable (not to mention annoying) for this gorgeous water bird, so action had to be taken fast. Any attempt I had at trying to catch this poor girl failed as she was too nervous, so I enlisted the help of two experts in this field: Bridgette and Paula Powers!
Together, we returned the next day with some tasty fish and the twins had no trouble at all catching her quickly! I got the pleasure of naming her and called her ‘Rainy' (the weather that day had a lot to do with it!).
Back at the Australian Wildlife Hospital, Dr Che removed the hook and flushed the wound to prevent further infection. Rainy was also wormed and placed on a short course of antibiotics as she was to spend the next five days in care at the twins' house. Bridgette and Paula kept Rainy under observation and it was evident that this girl couldn't wait to get back to Bli Bli as soon as possible! After her treatment was completed, we all said our fond goodbyes and took her back to the lake to be reunited with her other Pelican friends.
As a resident of the Sunshine Coast for over 10 years now, it has always been an interest of mine to look out for marine animals and water birds. We need to be aware, as fishermen and nature lovers alike, that our habits and fish disposal around waterways has a direct affect on these creatures' health and wellbeing. Be responsible and encourage others to do the same. Don't discard used fishing tackle; put it in the bin, and resist feeding wild animals as this creates a huge problem for them. They will start to associate people with food and become very annoying around boat ramps and picnic areas. Do what's best for them and just observe them from a distance and remember, if you come across any sick or injured wildlife, give the Australian Wildlife Hospital a call on 1300 369 652.
Joel the Brushtail Possum
In January Gail asked me to pick up a brushtail possum with an injured leg. This poor little boy, whom we named 'Joel', had a totally de-gloved leg. We don't know the full story, but he was found inside the wheel cast of a car.
Not even 200 grams, he was very skinny for his age, and with a leg like that he must have been very sore. Dr Che decided to treat his leg with medicinal Manuka honey and for medication we used Metacam and Clavulox. He needed a bandage change every second day. We also decided to feed him not only the normal milk formula – DiVetelac with Impact – but give him some fruit with high protein mix too.
After two days it looked a lot better already. He was even trying to use his leg, but of course it did not want to cooperate, which Joel could not understand. He kept looking at it, probably thinking “Come on, you stupid leg..."
Four days down the track and again more improvement. We could actually see the skin returning, very delicate but beautiful. Joel was also gaining weight; nearly 10 grams every day… how good was that! Again a few days later, we were all very amazed. His leg was healing in a way that really surprised all of us. Che decided to leave it uncovered and apply Silverzine for a few days until the skin hardened.
Joel has always been such a happy chappy. He was starting to use his leg as soon as the bandage came off and his little foot was clinging to my arm when I fed him.
Only two weeks after he was brought to the hospital, Joel was starting to walk around. His leg did not seem to bother him very much and he was doing extremely well.
And look how beautiful his skin looked!
A bit of physiotherapy did the trick and a few weeks later the fur on his leg started to grow back again and he was using his leg more and more.
Now he is running and jumping around in the big aviary like nothing ever happened to him. I teamed him up with George, another brushy of the same age, and you should see them chasing each other! His leg looks wonderful; there is still a little line where no fur grows, but Joel doesn't seem to care about that. He is still a very happy possum.
Nearing the one-kilogram mark, Joel and George will stay with us a little longer, but I cannot wait to release them back into the wild where they belong. I will try to find a place as safe as possible so that the rest of their lives will be much more pleasant.
Gemma the cygnet
Gemma was taken into our care on 4 February 2006 after being assessed by the Australian Wildlife Hospital at approximately two weeks of age. Gemma sustained an open neck wound at Lake Alexander on the Sunshine Coast ; it is suspected that maybe the wound was caused by an eel attack, as Gemma was very reluctant to return to the water. Gemma was from a family of five other cygnets.
The treatment program for Gemma consisted of administering medication, a lot of TLC and transporting her to and from the Australian Wildlife Hospital for bandage changes, where she was put under anaesthetic each time.
On Sunday 19 February Gemma was scheduled for the suturing of her neck wound. After the operation she started to become rather stressed, but with perseverance, some more TLC and another check from the vet, Gemma started to pick up.
As she was not allowed in the water, we sprayed Gemma with refrigerated water to keep her cool. Her diet consisted of fresh grated greens and boiled and strained carrot added to a bowl of cool water with starter mix, sea grass and as a treat some wholemeal bread.
Once Gemma was a little more mobile she joined an adult swan in care by the name of Alex, and they would graze together on fresh grass. Gemma followed Alex around as if he was her mother.
When Gemma was finally allowed to enter into the water, she was quite reluctant at first because of her trauma on Lake Alexander . Each day we would put her in the pond so she could adapt to her natural surroundings. Finally Gemma is at the stage where wanders down to the small pond, where we feed her wholemeal bread as a treat.
Gemma spends most of the day grazing on the grass outside and of an evening she is put to bed in her pen for her safety.
Gemma is now two months old, has a healthy appetite and is gaining weight at a normal rate. She is losing her baby down and getting her feathers, and her bill is slowly changing colour.
By Paula & Bridgette Powers – First Aid Bird Rescue
Sea Turtles
When I was studying to qualify as a veterinary nurse 10 years ago, I never imagined I would be using my nursing skills on sea turtles! In October last year we acquired the first Green Sea Turtle that would stay for treatment and rehabilitation at the Australian Wildlife Hospital . She was approximately 70kg and named Shelly. Shelly was a ‘floater', which means she had a build-up of gas/air in either her intestines or under her shell. Growing up sailing in Moreton Bay , I have seen sea turtles floating on the water's surface. I thought they didn't dive away because the sailing boats didn't make the loud noises that motorboats do with their propellers. How wrong I might have been in some cases. There are many different reasons why this sometimes occurs in sea turtles, but in all cases, it means they do not have the capability to dive under the water. This may then lead to dehydration, starvation, invasion by parasites, sun damage to the shell and trauma by boats.
Since admitting and caring for Shelly, we have cared for nearly a dozen other sea turtles raging in weight from 2 grams to 200 kilograms! During a day, it is my job along with other dedicated staff and volunteers to:
• check the wellbeing and demeanour of the turtles;
• offer food twice a day (most of the sea turtles are not eating on arrival and sometimes refuse food for weeks on end)
• help tube-feed turtles if they are not eating
• administer medication either orally or via injections
• treat any ulcers or other medical conditions as necessary
• monitor and collect faecal matter
• check floating status
• clean pool enclosures and control temperature and salt levels in the water
Shelly was very special to me, as it is from spending a lot of time with her that I came to appreciate the fact that not only do sea turtles have personality, but that they are all very different! Some can be bossy, others may be cheeky, and others quite comical in their antics. Before Shelly arrived, I didn't even know the difference between species of sea turtles! Through reading and talking to vets and keepers, my knowledge has increased rapidly, though there is still so much to learn.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the team that released Shelly back out into the ocean. What a great feeling. I was so happy for her, and proud that we were able to give her another go at life instead of being ignored, washed up on the beach and left to die because no one could help her.
Although we have been able to save some turtles, there have been others that have had to be euthanased or have died even though treatment had been started. We may not be able to save them all, but at least we are giving them their best chance for survival. I'm happy to say that now I am a part of helping sick and injured turtles that I never before realised had a problem.
Pauline
Nurses
Dr Amber operating on an extremely ill Carpet Python
The last month has seen us work with the most diverse group of animals that I have seen pass through the hospital! If it wasn't marine turtles, it was pelicans, an Australian Bustard, birds of prey, snakes, koalas and lace monitors… all inside in the intensive care unit! You never know what your day will bring or what food you will have to prepare next.
One beautiful but less fortunate animal that touched my heart recently was Slugger, a five-foot Carpet Python that was delivered to us emaciated, cold and near death. The poor old fellow looked like he hadn't eaten for a year. His rough, shaggy skin was trying to peel but there was neither the fight nor the energy left in his body to help him shed his old skin.
Quickly Dr Amber began to work with him. X-rays were taken and an examination performed, soon we worked out he had an old fractured jaw. Even more alarmingly, six slug gun pellets within his body were a major part of his problem. Blood tests soon revealed lead poisoning from the bullets was also occurring. This boy was really sick.
The pellets we removed from Slugger
To date, Slugger seems to be improving. He looks drastically different from what he did three weeks ago! He has a shiny new skin, and loves to be allowed out in the sun and becomes extremely active once he warms up. Slugger is still unable to eat, but we are hopeful that his appetite will improve in the future. In the meantime he is enjoying some wonderful smoothie concoctions. Slugger is an amazing snake and shows the determination to live that wild animals have. Someday soon we hope he will return to the wild once again.
Nurse Vicky
Rehabilitation
Billy is a very lucky and very cute boy. He came into care on 8 October 2005. At that time he was just a little leg poking out of his mother's pouch. His mother was found on the ground in a backyard in Wyrallah, on the outskirts of Lismore. When a ‘Friends of the Koala' (FOK) rescuer arrived, Rose was sitting on someone's lap in the middle of a BBQ with Billy in her pouch – not a good sign for a koala mum.
Unfortunately, Rose died overnight as she was very sick. Billy, her pouch young, weighed only 260g. Due to his mother's condition, Billy was also sick. He was transferred to the Australian Wildlife Hospital for a full assessment, after which he was placed in care with Karen Scott .
Karen lives closer to the services of the Hospital and is a very experienced carer, so Friends of the Koala was happy to place Billy in her capable hands. It was touch and go with Billy for a while, but his condition soon picked up. In early November he was paired up with a friend – Jock, a 920g joey who was orphaned when his mum was hit by a car.
Jock had serious facial injuries so the Australian Wildlife Hospital was again called upon for help. Our carers down here were pretty well tied up with other animals, and we thought the transfer back to the Northern Rivers would be better for Billy if he had a friend, so Karen kindly agreed to take Jock on as well.
Billy has always been a very adventurous joey, and even though he was smaller than Jock he was the first to take the big leap from the comfort of his basket into exploring a makeshift tree. He found lots of comfort in having a friend and the two spent lots of time cuddling.
Jock grew very quickly and was ready to come back to the Northern Rivers for pre-release. Both Jock and Billy returned on 5 February 2006 to FOK carer Barbara Dobner. They went into an outside enclosure for the first time with four other orphans from this area.
Jock soon decided he was now an independent boy and ready for some experience in a big tree. Jock and three others – Skye, Emily, and Wendy – are now out in a big pre-release tree going through the process of dehumanisation and getting skills necessary for living out in the big wild world.
As Billy is a bit smaller, he is still in the outside enclosure with his new buddy Joshua. He doesn't think Joshua is as good at giving cuddles as Jock, but they are still very rarely far apart.
After a brief setback (the Australian Wildlife Hospital came to the rescue again) from what we think was a fall, Billy is now going really well and will hopefully be heading for release in the next few months. He is a real character of a koala, full of energy (unusual for his species!) and very courageous. He loves his bottle and there is absolutely no chance of cleaning out their enclosure before he gets it. It is not much fun carrying leaf around with a koala on your head.
Thanks always from Friends of the Koala in the Northern Rivers for all the advice and help that the Australian Wildlife Hospital gives to our koalas. And thanks especially from Billy and Jock.
Cecilia the Common Brushtail Possum
On Saturday 18 February 2006, baby Cecilia, a Common Brushtail Possum, came into care as a 37-gram pinkie (approx 70 days old) after her mother was mauled by a dog and died as a result of her injuries. Our “guidelines” for raising a viable Brushie is minimum 50 grams… but I am well known for stretching the “guidelines”!
With the blessing of having a 1977 humidi-crib and being able to survive for weeks with very little sleep, I began the joy of feeding Cecilia every two hours around the clock with a very tiny syringe teat. She prospered and blossomed beautifully until she became 300 grams (approx 135 days old), at which point she started having diarrhoea. Three trips up to the Australian Wildlife Hospital (1.5 hours north of home), and the vets could not find anything wrong. Cultures were sent to pathology and still nothing was found. Then early one morning (2:30am), Cecilia’s stomach was distended and swollen, about the size of a grapefruit full of gas. Fearing the worse, I pictured Gail having to talk me through placing a needle in her abdomen and sucking out the air. We waited until 6:30am then headed up to the Hospital, arriving at 7:30am. Dr Che performed yet another consultation on Cecilia and diagnosed a possible twist in the mesentery and enteritis, especially in caecum (similar to appendicitis in humans, with twists in the bowel). Then she broke the news.
"We have not had a very good success rate with surgery to treat this kind of problem, as by the time the cause is found it is often too late to save them."
Through numerous tears (my nickname is ‘Niagara Falls‘) I said, “Let’s go ahead and operate.” So Dr Che, Nurse Kia and I prepared for the surgery. It was my job to monitor her heart and breathing. The surgery seemed to take forever; Kia kept telling me stop sniffing and that my paper mask was falling apart.
But we all made it through to the recovery stage. Dr Che said it would still be touchy for the next 10 days. Cecilia had two layers of internal stitches and then staples. Dr Che also said that Cecilia was very plump and that suturing her was like sewing up a fat little puppy.
Cecilia has since been soft-released. She hasn’t left home completely (sometimes sleeping in the roof cavity) and still thinks she should be able to kiss me and get cuddles. She has also been know to come inside via the open laundry door looking for ‘Mum’, and I often wake up at 3:00am with a possum lick to my nose.
It is only a matter of time before Cecilia will have a little bulge at the base of her scar. If her pouch was ‘damaged’ during surgery I have told Dr Che that she will have to do plastic surgery to repair it.
I can’t thank the Australian Wildlife Hospital enough for the great care and compassion they offer to our wonderful, unique wildlife.
I love driving all the way up there to have the staff be cheeky to me, but would prefer if I didn’t have to make as many trips as I do (for the sake of the wildlife).
Terri
Archive Points of View
Nurses - March
Rehabilitation - April
Sea Turtles - May
Black Cygnet - June
Brushtail Possum - June
Rainy the Pelican - June
Slugger - June
Cecilia - August
Kingy - September
Shumba - October
