Secretary’s Notes

It was National Volunteers week from 19^thto 25^th May. So I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to all of WRIN’s volunteers. Some volunteers do a lot, some do a little, but when you put it all together our native animals are getting the help they need. WRIN volunteers are involved in the rescue of thousands of animals each year. Our volunteers show a lot of passion for our wildlife. Keep up the awesome work, but remember to always put your health first and take that break if you need it.

Another integral part of WRIN is our members. Memberships help in reimbursing rescuers with petrol and equipment, and carers with equipment, feed and medical fees. So remember to pay your fees by the 1^stJuly each year. If you know someone who loves our wildlife and would like to help out but hasn’t got the time to volunteer, they can help by buying a membership or making a donation. The end of financial year is near and any donations over $2 are tax deductible.

April General Meeting

• Three new memberships and, one renewal membership and one donation of $61.60 from an anonymous donor.
• Michelle reported CVBA are doing a half hour radio program with Phoenix FM on Mondays at 12.30pm. Sessions will mainly be about bats but will include other wildlife.
• Brenda reported sales at the Maldon Market were $143.50 and $134.50.
• The situation on having to pay for sausages from now on for sausage sizzles was brought up and attendees were asked if they knew of a butcher who would be happy to give WRIN a discount. No suggestion. Lynne looking into it.
• Committee decided to open a new account for the CVBA auspice money.
• Julie Sloan advised she is happy to do a grants workshop for anyone interested when the DEECA grants open up again.
• Nest boxes & seat with plaque at Lake Tom Thumb, Eaglehawk
  After contacting COGB they replied that the council policy is very restrictive on the installation of plaques and our request does not qualify.
  Council have asked the Coordinator of Environmental Management to contact WRIN regarding erecting nest boxes and any other suggestions that WRIN could help with.
  It was advised that Ray would not want a seat for him as he would prefer the money spent on helping wildlife.
  It was decided not to purchase a seat. A plaque could be attached to another project with a media release on the project and Ray’s contribution. Further discussion to be had after the Coordinator of Environment Manager has contacted us regarding a project at Lake Tom Thumb.
• Fund a darter in Bendigo
  The hard part is finding someone willing to take on this position and willing to take on the training (which is in NSW), paperwork and has a good relationship with a veterinarian for medications.
  This was put on hold to be reconsidered if someone comes available. Brenda advised another darter has become available north of Bendigo so we would have 2 darters, both about half an hour away from Bendigo.
• Virtual Fencing – Reduce Road Kill
  Stats on kangaroo hits are very spread out and complicated to pin point a stretch of road to run a trial. The cost would be $10,500 per km plus maintenance. Last meeting’s presentation and information gathered gave conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of virtual fencing.
  
  It was decided that a Virtual fencing trial too expensive to run at this stage. Decided to wait for improvements and more evidence of its effectiveness. Would only be able to afford a trial section of road, way too expensive to cover most roads requiring reduction in road kill.
  Other ways of reducing road kill to be looked at including; education – targeting the young, approaching council regarding wildlife corridors and planting at new residential areas, painted signage on roads, solar powered flashing signs at dusk and dawn.
  Cooperation with other wildlife groups in these suggestions would bring a stronger force in approaching councils and governments.
• Finding carers with land to release kangaroos
  Not an easy task, people would have to be very dedicated and prepared to spend many years attending to kangaroos. Joeys need to be raised for months until they are old enough and ready to venture out with a mob of their own. A concern would be if neighbours shoot kangaroos.
  To be included in future Recruiting/Training.
• Recruiting & Training
  Lyam had written up a recruiting plan, this was read out. A very detailed job descriptions and responsibilities would need to be written up. A volunteer coordinator should be elected to process interested people and perform training. Post volunteer opportunities and sign-up form on Facebook, website and other volunteer websites such as SEEK and Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre. Target suburbs/towns that require volunteers. Run a volunteer information session which could maybe advertised in a media write up on WRIN.
  Volunteers should undergo training with an accredited organisation and provide evidence of completion. There are a few online training courses available. Manfred is doing a rescue training course in September for Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network.
  Member’s were happy to go ahead with Lyam’s recruitment plan. Election of a volunteer coordinator to be held at the next AGM.
• Veterinarian Bat Education & Vaccination
  Julie Sloan still investigating.
• Laptop & Software
  Happy to update when required.
• Donation to McIntyre Wildlife Shelter
  Suggested a donation be made to our main wildlife shelter in McIntyre. $8,000 which was the bequeath amount left to WRIN by Catherine Pollinelli.
  Forwarded by Cheryl Goodman, seconded by Brenda Argus and agreed by all.
• Other suggestions on the day of meeting
  It was suggested that we scrap the limit of $700 to petrol reimbursements and leave rate at .25c per km. Forwarded by Ken Goodman, seconded by Brenda Argus and agreed by majority.
• It was suggested that we scrap the limit of $500 for carer reimbursements. Brenda to look into costings of this suggestion and report at next meeting.
• Brenda asked if WRIN could pay the extra costs for a flight aviary to be built on her property. Quote was $7,007.00. Brenda will try to obtain a grant for $5,000. Forwarded by Michelle Mead, seconded by Cheryl Goodman and agreed by majority.
• It was suggested that milk formula be stocked for carers that may run out before an order is delivered.
  Agreed by majority that Formula one, Wombaroo and Di-Vetelact be stocked.
• A suggestion was made that a 15kg bag of Di-Velelact be donated to Trish Mutimer. Agreed by majority.
  
  
  
  

Central Victorian Bat Alliance (CVBA)

During April, the Bendigo Central Victorian Bat Alliance joined with the City of Greater Bendigo to deliver fun, engaging information sessions for all ages. At the Bats of Bendigo event we delivered sessions about fruit-loving Grey-headed Flying foxes and insect-eating micro-bats, viewed Grey-headed Flying-fox behavior with binoculars in Rosalind Park, and offered the kids bat-themed craft activities. For Nature in the Mall in Hargreaves Mall we hosted a static bat-stall with fact sheets, links to web pages (www.batsvictoria.com), bat-models to explain anatomy, and a bat-stop off on the City’s Treasure Hunt for the kids –a wonderful batty-day out in school holidays that we aim to develop and expand going forward.

A discussion about bats and ecology with Dr Bill Holsworth, a renowned ecologist, mammologist, wildlife biologist, philanthropist, was illuminating and insightful. Dr Holsworth is a huge advocate for proactively engaging the early year’s cohort (bush kinders, nature playgroups), school children (curriculum development, grassroots programs), and young people (skills development, youth science projects, leadership roles) if we are to enable current and future generations to care for bats and help prevent species extinction.

Dr Holsworth and Mrs Carol Holsworth have donated to La Trobe University through Bendigo Tertiary Education Anniversary Foundation for over a decade; in 2022-2025 The Holsworth Biomedical Research Initiative will host local Year 12 students, interested in health or science, for a multi-day workshop to experience La Trobe’s world-leading research facilities and be inspired about a future career in research; community seminars, guest lectures and interactive laboratory exercises will also be hosted. I wish to express my gratitude to Dr Bill and Mrs Carol Holsworth for welcoming me and for sharing your time, expertise, and ideas, with us all.

Bats and Banter

The April Bats and Banter program was hosted by Michelle and Julie and was titled “Batty Behavior”, where we chatted about typical, and less typical, bat behaviors you may see when observing bats in nature as well as some interesting facts about bats.

The May program was hosted by Michelle and Kelsey and was a seasonal update regarding our local wildlife and the challenges they face at this time of the year such as lack of resources due to the dry conditions and lack of rain. There was an emphasis placed on encouraging people to be tolerant of wildlife in our cities and streets as they seek food and other resources and to take care when driving and look out for wildlife. With decreased visibility due to the end of daylight savings and cloudy weather it can be much harder to spot kangaroos and other wildlife at dusk and dawn when they are most active so drivers are encouraged to drive a lot slower. The program included an update on the flying foxes living in Rosalind Park. The Bats and Banter program seems to be going well with good feedback. The program is on Phoenix Radio 106.7FM and held at 12.30pm on the 2nd Monday of each month.

In conclusion, some fantastic news – our Small Grant Application drafted in March and submitted to City of Greater Bendigo in early April, has just been approved! We are delighted to announce approval of $1800 enabling CVBA to purchase essential items (marquee, bi-fold table, binoculars, bat models etc) to enhance and expand local community engagement, education, awareness-raising, and advocacy events. To know that our application was successful is a joy; we are indebted to WRIN for agreeing to be our auspicing body for the application and sincerely thank you for your ongoing support enabling us to continue advocating on behalf of all bats.

Wildlife

The Echidna

Echidnas are the oldest surviving mammal, with five sub-species of short-beaked echidnas found in Australia. Their close relatives, the long-beaked echidnas, are found in New Guinea.

Echidnas are found all over Australia including regions of rainforest, dry sclerophyll forest and arid zones. They can survive extreme temperatures with localised adaptations such as denser fur found in several sub-species. Although echidnas are seldom seen by people, they are widespread and relatively common. Echidnas are solitary animals and are not territorial. They have overlapping home ranges, which vary greatly in size. An individual’s home range could be as large as 50 hectares.

The short-beaked echidna is classed as a myrmecophage (ant and termite specialist); however, they will also eat larvae of other invertebrates such as the Scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae), as well as other adult beetles and earthworms. The size of prey is limited by the gape of the echidna’s mouth, which is around 5mm. The tongue can dart out and reach up to 18cm to catch its prey, with the help of its very sticky saliva. To find its food the echidna is extremely reliant upon its snout. It will forage through the leaf litter poking it’s snout into rotting logs and other potential food sites until it can detect either the smell or the electrical impulse of its potential prey. It will use its powerful forearms and claws to rip open logs and ant mounds to reach its content.

Echidnas will often blow clear bubbles from their nostrils, which is perfectly normal. This is their way of blowing dirt from their nose, which can accumulate while they dig for food. Bubbles that are tinged with blood are however not normal and indicates trauma requiring immediate care.

An echidna’s spines cover its head, back and tail, with only a covering of fur on its ventral surface (belly). The spines are generally straw-coloured with black tips, and are both strong and sharp. The purpose of the spines is purely for defence. Echidnas in colder climates have less spines and thicker fur. Adult short-beaked echidnas can weigh anywhere between 2 and 7kgs.

Neither the size nor weight of an echidna is a useful indicator of age, maturity or gender. It is therefore very difficult to tell if an echidna is a male or female unless an experienced veterinarian conducts an ultrasound, or there is obvious evidence of the sex (such as the presence of a baby). It is believed that female echidnas become sexually active at around 5 years of age and normally have their first baby (called a puggle) at 6 or 7 years of age.

Feast your eyes on an echidna train…this time of year echidnas are courting.
Echidnas spend most of the year alone, however when a female comes into season (June until the end of September), ‘trains’ of echidnas may be seen for up to a month. Echidnas will be moving across the landscape, a number of males (can be up to 10) will follow a female and the one with most perseverance will likely succeed. You may see them crossing farms, fields, gardens and, most treacherous of all, roads.

Echidnas are monotremes, which means that they lay an egg instead of giving birth to live young. The egg remains in the female reproductive tract until it is about the size of a grape. The egg is oval and weighs between 1.5 and 2 grams. Once the egg has been laid, it remains in the female’s pouch for a further 10 days. The baby echidna (puggle) hatches from the egg by using an egg tooth to crack the shell, and pulls its way along the mother’s hair to the pouch area. During this period, it is believed that the female echidna starts to construct her nursery burrow, which normally consists of a metre-long tunnel with an enlarged area at the end where she will deposit her baby.

The female echidna does not possess nipples or teats to feed her young. Instead, she has milk patches in her pouch area, where fine pores secrete the milk onto specialized hair follicles. The puggle suckles the milk at a rapid rate, whilst encouraging milk letdown through ‘nuzzling’ at the pouch area. Once the puggle starts to grow spikes (around 50 days of age), the mother will leave the baby in the burrow whilst she forages for several days at a time (from October to January). She will return to the burrow every 4 to 6 days to feed the baby. When the baby is around 200 days old, the mother will return to the burrow, dig the young out of the nesting area, and then emerge from the burrow with her young echidna. She will feed it one last time and then leave the burrow entrance open. She will not return to the burrow again and will generally have no further contact with her young.

Echidnas follow an individualised scent trail with which they mark and find important locations such as their nesting burrow and familiar range. For this reason, an echidna on the move must not be picked up and relocated. Moving and relocating an echidna could ultimately cause its death as it will be in a foreign range without markers as to its food sources, it’s nesting burrow and its other significant points of reference. This is especially important if the echidna is a female with a nest young. If you move or relocate a female she may not be able to find her way back to the burrow – meaning certain death for the puggle, and most likely the mother.

When you see an echidna on the move, let it move in its own time and at its own pace. If the echidna is on the road, bring your vehicle to a stop and put your hazard lights on. Do your best to safely alert other drivers about the presence and location of the echidna and indicate to them that they need to stop and wait also. Let it cross in the direction it was headed.

Dogs often raise the alarm about an echidna in the yard. Echidnas are very quiet animals (they do not vocalise at all) and move around mostly at night. They are very common in all areas of Australia including suburban areas and they are frequently found in people’s backyards looking for ants, termites and grubs. If you find an echidna in your garden, take pets and kids inside and let it move on (usually within an hour). They are no threat at all to you, but when alarmed or threatened it will dig itself into the ground, only emerging when it senses the threat has gone. NEVER attempt to try and dig out an echidna. You may injure them. Let them emerge and move on themselves.

Generally, if it was able to get into your yard, then it will be able to find its way back out. Echidnas are very secretive animals so they will not move on until they feel that it is safe to do so. If they sense any disturbance (such as people or animals nearby), they will remain stationary and will not move on. If the echidna is not in a safe place or is trapped and you feel confident to do so, you can pick the echidna up and move it out into nearby bushland, however it is vital that echidnas are NOT moved more than 200 metres. Remember that they have very strong home ranges and if a female, they may have a baby in a burrow nearby. Moving the echidna away from the area will be a death sentence to the baby.

If you find an injured echidna, it needs immediate vet assistance. If you can transport it, cover it with a very thick blanket or towel, lift and place in a sturdy container such as a strong box or pet carrier. Echidnas are very spiky and handling them can be tricky. They are also extremely strong, can climb well and are great escape artists! It is important that they are always placed into an appropriate container such as a tall plastic container (e.g. a bin) with a secure lid with holes drilled in the lid for ventilation. Layers of towels should be placed on the bottom. In hot weather, one of the towels should be dampened with cool water to keep the temperature below 25°C and avoid the echidna overheating. It is important to note where you have picked it up from.

Echidnas will often avoid capture by digging themselves into the soil or other tight spots. It is very difficult to remove them without digging them out physically. NEVER use a shovel to dig an echidna out – only ever use your hands to prevent accidental injury to the animal. To remove the echidna, place a hand just behind the forelimbs on the underbelly. Echidnas can also be picked up when rolled into a ball with thick leather gloves to protect your hands. For those that are not experienced with handling echidnas, the use of a pair good quality leather gloves are strongly recommended. Alternatively, use a thick towel (folded over) and wrap this around the echidna to pick it up.

If you can’t, call your local wildlife rescue group.

If you find a deceased echidna, it’s vital to stop and check it’s underside for a pouch and the possibility of a puggle. If a live puggle is in the pouch, call your local wildlife rescue group ASAP for advice and assistance.

The echidna’s thick spiny covering can obscure many injuries, and this, coupled with their inability to vocalise, means that very often the seriousness of their injuries is overlooked. Any echidna that has been hit by a vehicle must come into care for a full veterinary assessment.

The most common injury found in road trauma echidnas is a fractured beak; this is not easily identifiable without an x-ray. Even if the echidna moves off the road itself, it could still have life-threatening injuries. The fracture site in an echidna’s beak swells quickly and impacts on their ability to breathe. If left untreated, they can suffocate or will starve to death as the receptors in their snout could be damaged and prevent them from locating food. If you find an echidna that has been hit by a car:

– Ring your local wildlife organisation immediately who will find a wildlife volunteer to attend.

– Stay with the echidna and keep an eye on it until the volunteer arrives.

– If you are confident to do so, you can pick the echidna up and place it in a secure, ventilated container.

– Echidnas must be kept COOL. In hot weather, put a damp towel over the animal and place it in a cool spot.

– It is important that any injured animal receives veterinary treatment as soon as possible. Treating injuries such as wounds requires the prompt administration of antibiotics to ensure a successful outcom