Wildlife Rescue Kits
Posted on 27 June, 2018 by Frances
Connecting Country has put together some Wildlife Rescue Kits to keep in our vehicles, for use should we encounter an injured animal.
It was fun gathering up all the bits and pieces. Many we found at the op-shop or around the office, some we had to purchase.
The op shop had some beanies, old towels, pillow cases, sheets and blankets. These are all useful to cover a small creature to help it to be calm. Sheets may be needed for larger mammals.
The storage box with newspaper and a sturdy stick on the bottom doubles as a safe place to secure an injured bird.
Before attempting to rescue an injured animal, it’s essential to think about your own safety. We put in some safety equipment, including a fluoro vest, sturdy gloves, disposable gloves and hand sanitiser. There’s a water bottle and cotton cloth to clean up and wash hands with afterwards.
Some useful things we included:
- A
list of numbers to call and things to consider before handling injured wildlife (for our list see wildlife-rescue-numbers-to-call) - Flagging tape for tying to a tree to mark the location in case you can’t stay
- Soft rope or string
- Newspaper
- Sharp kitchen scissors
- Pad and paper
- Torch and red cellophane
Other items that could be included:
- Hot water bottle or heat pack
- Small inexpensive binoculars
- Pliers
We packed it all in a pillow case which fitted well inside an empty office paper box.
Many thanks to Margaret for putting together our kits. If you regularly drive on country roads, you might consider making your own kit. Please take all rescued wildlife to a vet or registered wildlife carer as quickly as possible.
Hullo This is a terrifically useful article. We have had to try and rescue a young joey caught in a twisted wire fence on the property in the past. It proved very tricky and not a little dangerous, while we worked out what equipment we needed to keep both joey and us safe. One of the useful strategies was for one of us to stay still with the rather frantic animal, talking soothing sounds (maybe I was humming?) while the other found a large woollen blanket. By the time the blanket arrived, the joey was resting, whether through mesmerised humming or exhaustion, I don’t quite know. The rescue was a success although it took a while to source the required assistance.
Yes this is very informative and practical. I will create the kit to put in our cars. You just don’t know when you will use it.
I would like a list of phone numbers
I would like a list of phone numbers to call. Thank you
Hi Christine
Please click on the ‘wildlife-rescue-numbers-to-call’ link in our post for our list of phone numbers for the Castlemaine area.