Coastalviews - 31st December 2009

Snakes alive, WIRES kept busy over Chrissy
By Erin Brady

While most of us have wound down and are enjoying the holiday season, members of the Clarence Valley branch of WIRES (Wildlife, Information, Rescue and Education Services) are as busy as ever.

Calls about native wildlife are averaging more than 12 a day, covering almost the entire gamut of animals and birds.

Even on Christmas Day WIRES received more that 10 calls for wildlife assistance and 14 calls on Boxing Day.

WIRES volunteer Dick Richards said some of the rescues have been successful with animals taken into care and given R&R.

"But too many, especially kangaroos and wallabies, have had to be euthanaised because of horrendous injuries mostly from motor vehicle accidents," Mr Richards said. "One eastern grey joy, rescued from a dead mother, has been added to the number already in care."

But it's not all sad news. On the brighter side, Mr Richards said there had been sightings of three koalas in the valley. "All appeared to be healthy and were left undisturbed," he said. Another popular reason for calls has been snakes on the move with the hot weather.

"One WIRES member on phone duty had five calls in one day about snakes," Mr Richards said. People are warned not to approach or try to more the snakes themselves. "Unless the animal is in an unsuitable environment, it is best left alone," Mr Richards said.

"But if in a position where it is a danger to itself or people, a call to the WIRES rescue number 6643 4055, will have a snakes handler assess the situation and relocate the snake."

The summer months are also when baby bird are making their first attempt at flight - sometimes not successfully, and WIRES rescuers have been called to rescue many figbirds, doves, ducklings, raptors.

Holiday times means that WIRES rescuers are stretched to the limit, and there is always room for more trained helpers.

The next training course is scheduled for 6/7 March in Grafton and people interested in participating can register their names with the WIRES rescue number.

The Daily Examiner Weekend Edition - 12 - 13 December 2009

Movember winner

The winner of The Daily Examiner's Movember completion is Paul Jones, of South Grafton. Paul received the most votes for his fluoro green moustache, and wins a weekend for two at Angourie Rainforest resort. Roseanne Vaessen, who voted for Jason Thompson's mo' was drawn from all the entries received and wins a $100 Coffee Club voucher. Congratulations to Paul and Rosanne.

Paul is also a member of Clarence Valley WIRES.

Clarence Valley Review - 28th October 2010

Chicks Receive A Helping Hand

By Geoff Helisma

These eastern rosella chicks were rescued by WIRES last week. Yamba resident Joan Barnett, found them nesting in the trunk of a dead palm tree near the top of her back stairs on Thursday night.

"I don't come out here very often," she said. "I could hear all this squawking and pulled some of the rotting trunk away."

WIRES representative, Dick Richards, said the chicks, which looked to be about three weeks old, would be taken into care, as there were no parents around to feed them.

"They'll be fed with special crop feeders and released when they can fly and feed themselves, when they're six to eight weeks old," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Richards said that snakes were on the move with the onset of warmer weather. He said he has come across five carpet snakes at his Micalo Island residence in the past week or so. "And four carpet snakes have been relocated, for their own safety, from the area around the lighthouse on Pilot Hill," he said. "Some of those snakes will be used at the WIRES snake handling course."

He warned people to take care and lookout for snake, particularly around sand dunes and bushy areas. "Apart from carpet snakes, venomous snakes such are red belly blacks, browns, and death adders are likely to be more active, too," he said.

Clarence Valley Review - 2nd September 2009

Another busy year for WIRES volunteers

The Clarence Valley Branch of WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service) has a very busy 2008/09 year to June 30 last, with calls averaging about 10 a day. About two percent of the calls were of a general nature, including requests for training, but more than half the calls were for a wide variety of birds.

Total calls during the 12 months to 30 June were 3,546, down slightly from the 3,793 in the previous 12 months.

The high rate of calls for macropods - kangaroos and wallabies - has continued, with 566 calls against 544 the previous year. Most of these calls related to injured animals and did not include the larger number of dead bodies on the side of our roads. There were 1,337 calls for other birds - excluding parrots, raptors and sea birds - compared to 1,036 over the previous 12 months.

Snakes continued to keep the handlers on their toes with 361 call-outs compared with 324 the previous year. Wedge tail eagles continue to feature in the rescue of raptors, with calls numbering 44 for the year. At the recent AGM, John Ibbotson of Gulmarrad was elected chairman; Sandra Byrne was elected secretary and Barbara Clay, treasure.

Callouts summary (previous year in brackets): Amphibian 23 (23), Feral 134 (134), Flying Foxes 167 (168), Insectivore bats 46 (45), Lizards 138 (135), Macropods 566 (544), Other birds 1337 (1036), Other mammals 91 (85), Parrots 314 (316), Possums/Gliders 168 (170) Raptors 44 (43), Seabirds 39 (39), Snakes 361 (356), Tortoise 75 (75), Snakes 259 (198).

The Daily Examiner - 4 August 2009

Homes for homeless possums

THE housing shortage on the North Coast is not just a people problem. Possums too have been struggling to find a home.

But thanks to a generous partnership between Caringa Enterprises, Grafton Bunnings and WIRES, 14 new possum boxes have been built to house 14 Clarence Valley possums.

WIRES carer Sandra Byrne said the boxes were crucial to the animal's survival because its natural habitat was being destroyed.

“Unfortunately, people cut down old trees because they think they are dead but they are actually home to a number of unique animals that live in the hollows, including possums,” Sandra said.

The shortage of suitable trees in the region has forced possums to look elsewhere for a home.

WIRES receives on average 90 calls a year relating to possums.

The majority of callers asked for advice about getting the creatures out of their roofs.

WIRES member Dick Richards said the best thing to do was close up all holes into the roof at night when the possum was out, and put a possum box in a tree nearby.

“All going to plan, the possum should move into its new home,” Dick said.

Possum boxes are also used by WIRES for injured or baby possums taken into care.

When the creature is ready to be released, its box goes with it.

“You can't just release a possum without the box because the tree hollows are so far and few between,” Sandra said.

Bunnings in Grafton donated the building materials for the 14 new possum boxes and members of Caringa Enterprises put them together.

“We'd like to thank Bunnings and Caringa for their support and we'd like to see an ongoing partnership in the future,” Sandra said.

WIRES has also encouraged all Valley residents to get involved and build possum boxes for trees around their homes. For a copy of the plans and instructions, email Sandra at taloumbi@tsn.cc or call the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 6641 1500.

Other creatures that live in tree hollows include kookaburras, rosellas and the brush-tailed phascogale.

The Daily Examiner - 29 July 2009

Echidnas looking for love

DON'T be surprised if you find an echidna looking for love in your backyard tonight.

The breeding season of the echidna runs from June to September, so right now male echidnas are on the move across the Clarence looking for females.

Clarence Valley WIRES is asking people to be on the lookout for the mammal, especially in their backyards.

WIRES carer Sandra Byrne said if someone thinks they have an echidna in their backyard they should make sure pets are tied up or locked up until morning.

“By then the 'intruder' should have moved safely out of sight,” Mrs Byrne said.

“However, unless they are in danger from domestic animals in your yard, they are best left until they move on.”

If an echidna is in danger or looks injured, Valley residents have been asked to call WIRES on 6643 4055.

Mrs Byrne said, if necessary, an experienced WIRES rescuer will relocate it to a safer spot very close to where it was rescued. Injured echidnas are taken into care.

The Daily Examiner - 25 July 2009

WHAT is a snake's favourite snack? We may have found the answer.

A python around three metres in length was discovered near the front door of KFC in Grafton on Wednesday.

It is possible the snake had simply tired of eating rats and had heard about the Colonel's famous 11 herbs and spices.

One KFC customer suggested the reptile may have been hoping to find a sssssnack-box and a bottle of Ssssseven-Up.

Another report suggested the snake was trying to wriggle out of paying for its meal.

In the end, KFC staff decided to call Clarence Valley WIRES volunteers to come and collect the python.

While waiting for a snake handler to arrive, a number of nervous but inquisitive KFC customers took advantage of the free entertainment by taking photographs of the snake.

To the relief of customers and staff, Clarence Valley WIRES reptile handler Paul Jones arrived to collect the python and remove it for re-homing, but not before allowing intrepid Examiner photographer Adam Hourigan to take a quick snap.

WIRES secretary Teresa Woodley took the phone call from KFC on the day.

“KFC rang and asked us to collect the snake because no-one wanted to go in or out of the front door,” she said.

Ms Woodley said snake activity was usually limited at this time of the year but flooding and the warmer weather had got some snakes on the move. She said she received a call from a Clarenza woman yesterday asking WIRES to remove a red-bellied black snake from her home.

It is believed the snake found at KFC was brought from Minnie Water and left at KFC as a joke.

The Daily Examiner - 10 July 2009

Ducks in flap over chimney

ROSS Wood and his partner Denise Ireland have found a new way to catch ducks.

The chimney on their 19th-century Grafton home has been filling up with wood ducks (maned geese), which are most likely trying to find a safe place to nest.

Ms Ireland has owned the double-storey house with an original chimney for 27 years. She said prior to 2008 she had never had a duck fall down her chimney and get stuck.

The drama began recently when the couple heard a rustling noise in the chimney.

They removed the slow-combustion wood heater that had been set in the original fireplace a number of years ago and found more than they expected.

Mr Wood said he removed 'two buckets of soot, two dead ducks and a live one (duck)'.

He said the two dead ducks appeared to have been there since winter last year.

The live duck, however, was in good condition and immediately flew away when released.

Yesterday, The Daily Examiner was invited to the couple's home to watch the rescue and release of a second duck.

It too appeared to be in reasonably good condition and flew away after being released.

Amazingly though, only an hour or so after Examiner staff left the couple's home, Ms Ireland phoned to say that a third duck had become trapped. It too was released.

Mr Wood said he had made a number of calls seeking someone to cover the top of the chimney to prevent more ducks from becoming trapped but was having trouble finding anyone prepared to do the job.

Barbara Clay, from Clarence Valley WIRES, said she had heard other reports of ducks falling down chimneys.

She said land-clearing and the removal of old trees was responsible for the animals having to find alternative places to nest.

“The lack of hollows and big old trees is forcing them to look for other places to nest,” she said.

The Daily Examiner - 10 July 2009

In recent months the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) has seen a sharp increase in calls from motorist reporting injured kangaroos and wallabies on Clarence Valley roads.

“We're averaging between one to two road side kills a day,” WIRES volunteer Dick Richards said.

“And that's just the numbers people have reported to WIRES.

“You've only got to look along the road side to see the numbers are high.”

WIRES and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have urged motorists to keep an eye out for wildlife when driving, especially when kangaroos and wallabies are on the move at dawn and dusk.

NPWS spokesman Lawrence Orel said kangaroos had poor roadside sense so drivers needed to be aware.

If you hit an animal:

	Stop when safe to do so and turn around to check to see if the animal is alive or dead.
	If dead, move the animal right off the road. This will reduce the chance of large raptors feeding on the carcasses and being hit by passing cars.
	If the animal is still alive and injured contact WIRES on 6643 4055.
	Check to see if the animal has any pouch young still alive.
	If the pouch young is still alive contact WIRES on 6643 4055.
	WIRES will arrange for a carer to assess the animal's health and arrange for the animal to go into care or be euthanased.

The Daily Examiner - 29th May 2009

Special TLC for tiny flood orphan

SMALL, pink and orphaned, this joey is one of the lucky survivors from this week's floods.

The tiny red-necked wallaby was found at Minnie Water on Tuesday.

In a remarkable case of survival, he was transported on a SES rescue vehicle over Sandy Crossing and delivered to a Grafton WIRES handler in a Country Energy truck.

A WIRES spokeswoman said the Clarence Valley branch had received about 20 calls for assistance daily since the floods began.

From three separate cases of lost joeys, to stranded kangaroos at Palmers Island, to snakes, birds and echidnas, all sorts of wildlife were affected by the floods.

“It's been a real variety of animals,” she said.

She said volunteers always tried to reach injured animals, however, during the floods this task was a little more difficult.

Thanks to the help of quick-thinking locals and caring SES volunteers, many animals were able to be transported safely.

The spokeswoman praised the efforts of the SES for helping to deliver stranded animals to WIRES, and also thanked the community for being aware of animal welfare.

In one case a kookaburra was found covered in mud at Tyndale, with the weight of the mud making it too difficult to fly and find food.

She said without the help of the community, it would have almost certainly died.

“He's pretty hungry, the poor thing,” she said.

“I take my hat off to the public for taking time to care about the bird or kangaroo out the front of their house when they are in flood themselves.”

While the little wallaby probably will not be released for nine to 10 months, the spokeswoman said he was doing well, as were most animals rescued during the week.

The Daily Examiner - 30 April 2009

Coastal emus left to die in agony

IN the past two weeks two coastal emus have been hit by cars in the Tucabia region and left for dead.

But the birds didn't die. Both lay on the side of the road with broken legs, one possibly for days, until they were found by passing motorists and then eventually put down.

National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ranger Gina Hart said the drivers who hit them should have stopped to check if the animals were still alive, and then called WIRES (animal rescue).

“I think people think they will get in trouble if they report that they have hit an emu,” Ms Hart said.

“But they won't get in trouble for hitting them, it's leaving them that's the problem.”

One bird was found on the Wooli Road between Tucabia and Pillar Valley and the other on Firth Heinz Road.

“The one near Tucabia had quite an old break on its leg indicating the animal had been incapacitated for quite some time,” Ms Hart said.

“It was basically left to die of thirst.”

Evidence of the recent spate of wildlife killed across the Valley can be seen on roadsides in most rural areas.

Ms Hart said the onset of winter always brought an increase in road kill because people were driving home from work on dusk or at night. As well as slowing down, she urged motorists to check any wildlife they hit for signs of life.

If an animal was still alive, Ms Hart said people should call the WIRES hotline on 6643 4055.

There are around 120 coastal emus in the region.

Clarence Valley Review - 1st April 2009

Caring for Injured Wildlife

The Clarence Valley branch of the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) is conducting a Rescue and Immediate Care Course at Grafton over the first weekend of may for anyone interested in becoming a member.

"Although the majority of calls we receive relate to orphaned or injured birds, members can specialise in particular species to suit their commitments and lifestyle," says Dick Richards from WIRES.

"Courses are held throughout the year for members who wish to specialise in the care of possums, macropods, raptors, flying foxes, reptiles and small mammals."

While WIRES is always looking for new carers in the Clarence Valley, Mr Richards said people too busy to become a carer could assist in other ways.

"Those people may like to help with the rescue and delivery of injured birds and animals to and appropriate carer, or assist with fundraising and publicity or management of the organisation," he said.

WIRES is a voluntary, non-profit, non-political wildlife rehabilitation organisation. For further information or to register your interest is attending the course, please phone the WIRES Rescue Hotline on 6643 4055.

Clarence Valley Review - 18th March 2009

Passing on a Passion for Wildlife

Our guest speaker at March Jabberfest was Pam Kenway, volunteer with WIRES, and we were entertained, informed and moved by her presentation. Pam introduced her talk with a moving account of two koalas, Sam and Rob, which were badly injured in the Victorian bushfires and were rescued and cared for at a wildlife refuge. WIRES volunteers collect animals and care for them at their homes.

WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service, Inc) are a network of community based branches with its headquarters in Sydney and 30 branches throughout NSW. The Head office is involved with issuing licences; public relations; provision of insurance and fundraising (since WIRES is a charity and depends on donations).

The Clarence Valley Branch receives about 20 calls per day and members are involved in collecting and delivering injured animals; committee roles and responsibilities; fundraising; public education, collecting statistics and animal co-ordination.

Whilst most members of the public are concerned about the welfare of our native animals and the preservation of their habitats, it is important to remember that they are native animals and should not be thought of as cute and cuddly in the same way as our household pets.

WIRES branches and volunteers bear many expenses such as initial set-up of cages, heat pads, etc and ongoing expenses such as food, medicines, veterinary costs and incidentals. The reality is that many rescued animals do not survive as they are often sick, orphaned, poisoned, geriatric or suffering horrific injuries or habitat loss.

Pam's work involves rescue and care, phone duty on one day per fortnight, assisting with fundraising, educational presentations to community groups and food distribution.

Anyone can join WIRES as a volunteer. There is an initial 2 day training course, the next course being on the weekend of May 2/3 from 8:30 to 4pm. There is a cost of $70 which included lunch and morning tea on both days.

For further information, phone 6643 4055.

Grafton U3A (University of the Third Age) is a happy group of retired and semi retired professional people who are committed to sharing their knowledge, skills and experience in a friendly, convivial way. New members are always welcome.

Our next Jabberfest is Monday, 6 April at 10am at the Community Centre. Guest speaker is Kay Distel. Visitors welcome. To join, or obtain more information, contact Grafton U3A Membership Secretary, Carole Cairns, on 6642 4615.

The Daily Examiner - 4 March 2009

PICKING up a red belly black snake is not the smartest thing Sam Landers has ever done, especially after it bit him on the hand.

But Sam had his reasons.

The 16-year-old was bitten by the venomous snake at Yamba on Friday after he tried to move it out of the way to protect some children.

“I was walking along up near the tennis courts at Main Beach and I saw a kid nearly step on it,” Sam said.

“So I picked it up and tried to move it out of the way and he bit me.

“It was only about 40cm long but gee, he's got a nasty bite on it.”

Sam went straight down to the Yamba surf club where life savers strapped up his arm to stop the venom from spreading in his blood stream.

He was rushed to Maclean hospital and then up to Lismore Base Hospital where he was given anti venom.

Sam spent most of the night attached to a drip and heart monitor so hospital staff could monitor his condition.

A lover of snakes, Sam has a pet python at home and has been bitten many times by various snakes before, but never as badly as on Friday.

He said he wanted people in the Clarence Valley to be aware that there were dangerous snakes about and not to touch them.

That message was echoed by Stuart Dart, a member of the WIRES reptile team.

Mr Dart said there were plenty of snakes in the Clarence Valley so people needed to be aware of them and wear protective footwear when walking in long grass.

He said when Sam went to grab the snake it would have appeared a predatory act to the snake.

“The only way to defend themselves is to fight and that's what this little snake did,” Mr Dart said.

The snake handler also said smaller snakes were harder to handle because the distance between their head and tail was much closer.

“I'd prefer to handle a six foot red belly or brown snake than a 40cm snake because the smaller ones are too short and very fast,” he said.

“And small snakes are just as venomous at that size as they are full size.”

Mr Dart urged people not to touch snakes and call WIRES on 6643 4055 to report injured snakes and wildlife.

Coastalviews - 30th January 2009

Eastern Forest Bat Vespadelus Pumilus

Weighing only four grams, the eastern forest bat is just one of the more then two dozen micro-bats species that call the New South Wales North Coast home.

These delicate creatures are nature's mosquito control mechanism, consuming hundreds each night when they venture from their roosts in tree hollows to feed.

The eastern forest bat is not listed as threatened, however, along with all other tree hollow-dependant species, loss of old growth trees is now recognised as a critical factor in the long term outlook for all those species.

Their rapidly shrinking habitat is forcing these fragile creatures to seek refuge in roofs and wall cavities, and wildlife carer groups are receiving increased numbers of calls to rescue bats found roosting in exposed places such as external walls of buildings.

Contributed by the Clarence Environment Centre.

Late in August my husband Rick and I travelled to Clermont in central Queensland to have a month as caretakers at Epping Forest National Parks, the last stand for the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii).

It is estimated only about 115 of these animals are left. One of the caretakers duties was to ensure that the 15 feed stations within the park were replenished each day. Each morning we visited these checking any animal tracks near then (cat, macropod, echidna and hopefully wombat) and recording them. Then we swept the area so that only the tracks for the day were there next morning.

At most of the feed stations there were cameras which had to be checked daily and downloaded to a computer twice weekly. Each morning we also checked half of the perimeter fence. A two metre high 20 km long fence surrounding the wombat habitat is there to protect them from dingoes. The wombats are very serious diggers and there was always the worry that they might dig under the fence but fortunately this did not happen while we were there.

They are also very elusive nocturnal animals and we only managed to see two during our stay. Our mode of transport within the park was a Polaris Ranger (like a golf buggy on steroids) which only let us down once - it broke down in the northern end of the park, furtherest from camp. It took us an hour and a half to walk back.

Apart from the wombats we shared the park with eastern grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, rufous bettongs, various species of snakes and the biggest goannas you've ever seen (Goulds). Unfortunately, rabbits and cats also live in the park.

It was a great place for bird watching. I identified about 80 species within the park and 10 more on dams adjacent to it. Sadly it just seemed we were getting the hang of it when it was time to leave. We feel privileged to have been able to help in a small way to ensure the future of these wonderful animals and hope to return for another month in 2010.

Joan O'Shea

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition.

Man to the rescue

By Erin Brady

The 115 northern hairy nosed wombats, written about in the Voice For The Earth (above), can only be found in the one isolated colony at Epping Forest National Park Queensland.

But soon around 10 will be on the move.

A three year $3 million partnership between the Queensland Government and global mining company Xstrata will help to establish a new wombat population away from the Epping Forest National Park in case of an extreme event life floods, fire, disease or severe weather change caused by climate change eliminates the entire species.

Rangers and the landholders have begun work to create a suitable environment for the new colony on a private property near St George.

Work includes clearing a fence line to build a predator proof boundary fence, removing predators and natural threats, and providing supplementary food and water stations.

The St George property was found after a two year search across Queensland by EPA rangers to find the right soils, vegetation and landscapes to support another viable wombat population.

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