Waratah Wildlife Shelter in Launching Place, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

Waratah Wildlife Shelter

Locality: Launching Place, Victoria

Phone: +61 400 882 704

Address: Gembrook Road 3139 Launching Place, VIC, Australia

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation

25.01.2022 Who knew a chaff bag full of grass could incite so much excitement!

24.01.2022 With 13 Wombats in care we are going through an awful lot of grass They’ll easily eat x2 large tubtrug buckets (roughly 42l bucket) packed tightly each day!! We were wondering if any of our lovely Waratah supporters who are close to the Launching Place area might be willing to help us with our grass picking? Wombats don’t eat couch or kikuyu grass but almost anything else growing locally is fair game! Bonus points if you have the time to collect some native grasses. ... With the current Covid pandemic I would ask that the grass is left at the bottom of the driveway inside the gate or I am more than happy to swing by and collect. Send me a PM for more info- forgive me if I am slow to reply I have lots of new babies to feed at the moment! See more

24.01.2022 Yesterday a fellow carer and rescuer called for assistance with a wombat caught in a fox trap. The trap had been set in a small water pump shed on crown land behind a farm. There was a wombat hole dug directly beside the shed which I can only assume was the offensive behaviour that caused the individual to try and trap the wombat. The wombat had obviously been caught in the trap for some time, I’d estimate at least 5-6 days. The stench of urine was overwhelming when I enter...ed the shed. The wombat was huddled in the corner of a large fox trap- the door had actually been opened in the time that the individuals who discovered the animal had come up to the road to meet us and guided us back through the reserve. The wombat had made no attempt to leave the trap. He was collapsed, exhausted, malnourished and absolutely terrified. There was faeces everywhere and copious amounts of hair on the floor. We bought the trap out of the shed into the light so I could make an assessment. He was severely emaciated, dehydrated and wounded. He had wounds to his nose, head and rump from his desperate attempts to escape the trap. The wounds had become infected and there was visible pus seeping from several of them. I crawled into the trap and was able to pull him out without much of a struggle. Unfortunately his condition was so poor and he was so unwell I decided that our only option was to euthanise him there. He was a large adult male yet weighed little more than 14kg, he had damaged his teeth trying to bite his way out of the trap he had been imprisoned in for days. The lack of food and water coupled with the extremely elevated stress levels he had endured meant he just had nothing left to give. Making the decision to euthanise an animal is always difficult, when you have to do it because of blatant human cruelty it is so much more devastating. Please, if you find yourself having difficulty with the wildlife in your area DO NOT try and trap and relocate/dispose of them. Do some research online, contact your local wildlife groups for advice. There are ways we can deter animals from damaging property. We need to understand that they’re not intentionally destructive and find ways to coexist with them, after all we are living in their bush. IF you really must set a trap for an animal it is vital that you check the trap at least twice a day- animals that become caught in traps quickly become distressed and will injure themselves trying to escape (just as this poor boy had done). Setting and leaving a trap for days and days on end is wildly irresponsible, it’s blatant animal cruelty. Please note that the persons responsible for this have been reported to the appropriate authorities and I have personally informed them of the horrible implications of their careless actions.

23.01.2022 Today we lost one of our beautiful wombats Mae This is without a doubt the hardest part of being a wildlife carer. Mae became ill quite suddenly on Wednesday, it is unclear what exactly went wrong for her but she had a very upset stomach and was in significant discomfort. She was refusing all food and fluid and was extremely flat. While trying to syringe feed her some fluids late last night I noticed that as she had grown she had developed a very significant overbite. An o...verbite that was most definitely not as apparent when she was younger and being bottle fed. Mae spent the day at Healesville Sanctuary today so she could be closely monitored and given fluid therapy. During their examination of her it was found that her back teeth were in a bad way. Despite her young age she already had significant spurs (sharp edges) on her molars which were impacting her cheeks and causing ulceration. Wombats teeth grow constantly throughout their lives and as such rely on their opposing tooth to wear them down as the wombat eats. The cause of dental problems in some wombats is unknown but we do know that these spurs will continue to get worse as the teeth grow and are unevenly worn. This will eventually result in painful wounds in the mouth which may become infected and will inhibit the wombats ability to eat. Even if Mae was able to recover from her unknown illness she would not have been able to be released into the wild with her teeth. I could not release her knowing that she would eventually starve to death or succumb to a serious infection. Having to euthanise an animal that you have loved and raised is utterly heartbreaking, Maes illness came on so quickly and the incidental finding of her dental problems was quite a shock. We are all devastated to loose her, especially her buddy Betsy. RIP beautiful Mae, I’m sorry your last day on this earth was so distressing for you and I’m sorry there isn’t anything we could have done to ensure you a long and happy life. I take comfort in knowing you will never suffer like so many have before you. See more

23.01.2022 Little George loves his teddy!

23.01.2022 Amazing progress for the Lilydale Kangaroos! Please continue to share and show your support. DELWP needs to know that we are not okay with the senseless culling of innocent animals when there are other much more humane options available.

23.01.2022 Our beautiful little man is still going great! His name is Henry and he is now a whopping 390g! He has a long way to go yet but I am so pleased with his progress thus far

22.01.2022 The little boy I picked up in Gembrook this evening. Weighing only 213g he has a long fight ahead of him. He has a few small bruises that I’ll be keeping a close eye on. So far he has had a good little feed and is tucked up cosy and warm. Raising joeys from such a young age is difficult, they’re simply not supposed to exist outside of the safety of their mums pouch. We can only try our best and monitor him closely. If he starts to show signs of failing I will let him go quickly and peacefully. It’s never an easy choice to make but one you must be willing to do if you’re going to try with such little babies. Keep him in your thoughts

22.01.2022 Hi everyone, check out my eyeballs! Our little dude is still going great!

22.01.2022 We want to say a big thank you to the Animal Rescue Craft guild for the awesome supplies they sent us this week. We got some great possum cubbies, hanging pouches and lots of pouches and liners. Not to mention a box of medical supplies for any sickly babies we get in. Keep up the great work guys we really appreciate it!! #craftguild #petbarnfoundation

20.01.2022 George, Pearl and Arthur

20.01.2022 Big thanks to our awesome friend David for his ongoing support of the shelter! Check out his awesome photography and buy some prints to help support a local business AND the shelter

20.01.2022 Update- it’s 5.30am and I’m finally going to bed. I’m devastated, I euthanised her about half an hour ago. I’ve been up all night holding her and watching her fade away. She was done, she had nothing more to give and now she is gone. I’m so sorry the world was so cruel to you sweet girl, we were only together for a short time but I loved you and that’s why I had to let you go. Our newest wombat has a long journey ahead of her. She is in terrible shape and I honestly don’t ...know if she will pull through. I received a call for a young lone wombat on Sunday evening and rushed out to Don Valley to collect her. It seems her mum has died several weeks ago and she has been fending for herself since then. At some stage in the past week she had ventured too close to the road and been knocked by a vehicle sustaining nasty road burn up her back and onto her head and ears. She also has a deep laceration on her foot and shoulder which are much older than the road burn and quite infected. She was riddled with various sized maggots and smelt horrific. She is now on antibiotics and we are hoping the infections will clear up and the wounds can be sutured. She is very underweight, dehydrated and sickly so we are doing our best to help her gain her energy back. She is taking bottles and being paste fed some critical care as well as munching on some grass when she has the energy. Keep her in your thoughts, I fear she may not be able to gain back enough strength to heal from all of her injuries. I will continue to fight for her for now but if she deteriorates much further I worry I may have a horrible decision to make. See more

19.01.2022 The Lilydale Kangaroos have 24hours! To be very clear- it seems that the developer has tried to find ways to help the roos. DELWP is to blame here! DELWP are the ones that are refusing to let anyone relocate the animals, DEWLP are the ones issuing the permits to have them slaughtered. https://au.news.yahoo.com/bloody-frustrated-developer-says-

18.01.2022 Tiny wombat is doing well so far. He has gained 5g and is taking his bottles really well. He has a bit of inflammation in his right front leg that I’m watching closely but otherwise he’s looking good

16.01.2022 George is getting so big

16.01.2022 Maeve the rat bag

16.01.2022 Jean, Vera and Frankie

15.01.2022 Hollys impression of a brown bear

13.01.2022 Little Marvin came to us about 6 weeks ago, he was found all on his lonesome in Christmas hills. Goodness only knows what happened to his mum. He was covered in the most ticks I have ever seen on such a little wombat. He was so afraid and weak. Fast forward to now and he is the sweetest cuddly boy with a heat of gold. He has settled in beautifully with Frankie, Vera and Martha- the 4 of them are now the best of friends.

12.01.2022 Honesty George, how is that comfortable?! At least Pearl looks cosy underneath I just love the funny positions I find these guys in sometimes!

11.01.2022 Maeve, Holly and Peggy are getting big! All going well the three of them will be off to release at the end of this winter. While I’ll definitely miss their antics it’ll be so lovely to see them take that final step to freedom!

08.01.2022 Around midnight last night I headed out to Gembrook to meet a lovely couple with a little orphaned wombat. What I came across just a few kms up my road left me feeling so utterly heartbroken. This beautiful big girl had been hit and left in the middle of the road not too long before I came along. Whoever hit her didn’t even bother to move her off the road. She had a sweet little baby boy in her pouch who was also killed in the accident. I spent the rest of my drive to Gembr...ook trying to understand how someone could be so callous about an innocent life. She was such a beautiful big healthy looking girl, my heart breaks for her and her little boy. If you’re ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident on the road please stop, if the animal is still alive call for help. Move the body off the road. Show some respect for the life (or in this case lives) you’ve taken.

06.01.2022 Jean, Martha, Frankie and Vera enjoying their new playpen

05.01.2022 Marvins tick infestation when he arrived. Most of his body was covered like this. He was very lethargic and must have been quite anaemic. I spent many hours removing as many as I could and used bravecto to kill off the rest. He is very lucky he was found when he was!

02.01.2022 STOP AND POUCH CHECK!!! I feel like a broken record sometimes- always stop and check the pouch of deceased marsupials on the road. This little girl was uninjured and a viable size to come into care. I could have saved her. Instead she died cold and frightened in her dead mothers pouch in the gutter. Not good enough people- this was on Sheep Station Creek road in Woori Yallock! How many locals drove past and did nothing?

02.01.2022 Once again I can’t help but be disappointed with DELWP and their approach to managing the impact of urban sprawl on our beautiful wildlife. Culling these kangaroos is not the most humane option. Please feel free to contact DELWP and the Kinley group and let them know how disgusted we all are by this.

01.01.2022 Update- looks like we’ve now got everything we need! Thanks to those who’ve so kindly donated bits and pieces Nancy, Alisha and Sally you guys are awesome! We are going to be fencing off an area between two existing pens to make an additional area for the wombats soon. Trying to keep costs down so before I go and buy new stuff I’m wondering if anyone has any second hand Star pickets and/or a small gate to sell? Where possible I much prefer to try and use recycled materials!

01.01.2022 Little George is such a character! He says stop filming and pick me up for a cuddle!