Secretary’s Notes

We are once again helping with the Rotary Christmas raffle this year. The roster is split into 2 hour shifts, 10am to 12pm, 12pm to 2pm and 2pm to 4pm at different locations around COGB. If you are able to help out selling tickets please contact me.

WRIN had a marvelous day at the recent Epsom Bunnings sausage sizzle it was a very busy day and we raised $1,834. Thank you to those who volunteered on the day, they all did an awesome job. They were Brenda, Lynne, Wayne, Caz and Kerrie.
I was very surprised and excited to see about a dozen Red Browed Finches in my back yard a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t seen them here before and haven’t seen them again. This is in Golden Square, has anyone else seen these finches in the Bendigo area?

General Meeting Notes

– 21 Renewal and 2 new memberships and 3 donations: to go towards swan food.

– Brenda gave an update on the virtual fencing petition outcome. Council have priced the fencing at $20,000 per km, totalling $340,000 to fence the areas noted in the petition plus ongoing maintenance costs. Council do not have to funds to go ahead with. They will try and find a grant to cover costs.

– Vicki asked to let phone operators know that she and Rachael are available to attend roos at night.

– Letter from Joelene suggesting the bequeathed money could go towards funding a stretch of road with virtual fencing to reduce roadkill

– Wrin going ahead in getting eftpos. Decided to go with the cheapest way which is via an online app. Charges through the Bendigo Bank or Telstra app is 1.4% per purchase.

Officers Bearers Elected at AGM

• President – Lynne Waller and accepted
• Vice-President – Jenny Somerville and accepted
• Treasurer – Brenda Argus and accepted
• Secretary – Brenda Argus and accepted
• Ordinary Committee Member – Jo Fischer-Morrissey and accepted
• Ordinary Committee Member – Rosie Galea and accepted
• Ordinary Committee Member – Michelle Mead and accepted
• Publicity Officer – Michelle Mead and accepted

Wildlife

FAQ’s

What do I do if I can visibly see an animal is injured?

If it is safe for you to do so, please consider taking the animal directly to your nearest veterinary clinic for assessment. Vets will not charge to see native wildlife. Use a towel or blanket to cover the animal, pick it up gently and firmly, and place it into a well-ventilated box for transport. Please keep the animal warm, dark and in a quiet environment. Do not transport the animal in the boot of your car or attempt to give any food/water.

As these animals are wild, some can be dangerous when injured or stressed. This includes larger animals and their young such as kangaroos and wallabies, also fruit bats (flying-foxes), snakes and birds of prey. These animals should only be handled by an experienced rescuer or wildlife carer to avoid injury to you or further stress and injury to the animal. If you are able to do so, please stay with the animal and keep an eye on it from a short distance away while you wait for a volunteer to arrive.

What do I do if I have found a young bird?

During spring, many of Victoria’s young birds are going through the fledgling stage of their development. After fledglings emerge out of their nest, they can spend up to 2 weeks on the ground while learning to fly. During this period, they are still being fed by their parents and should not be interfered with unless obviously injured. Many swooping birds that people perceive as aggressive, are simply trying to be good parents. This protective behaviour lasts only a few weeks. You can protect yourself by wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella while in the area,

What do I do if I have found ducklings?

Mother ducks are on the move in spring time, walking their clutch of ducklings for up to 2 days to search for food and water sources. They often hatch their young in suburban gardens and make their way to nearby parks, creeks and natural reserves. In most situations they do not need to be rescued and should be left alone and allowed to go on their way.

What do I do if I have found a snake or another reptile?

Increased temperatures in Spring and Summer mean that snakes and other reptiles often come out to bask in the sun. WRIN cannot relocate healthy animals so please consider calling a licensed snake handler.

Blue tongued lizards are harmless to people and benefit your garden by feeding on snails and slugs.

Can I feed the wildlife?

Unfortunately we only tend to feed those animals which are already numerous and ‘people friendly’. We can therefore provide an advantage to these animals and birds and a disadvantage to those not so aggressive.

Other disadvantages of feeding our wildlife include:

-foods are often given which are detrimental to an animal’s health, such as bread.

-animals become more prone to spreading diseases.

-they may not develop the correct skills in finding their own food.

-not all people are ‘wildlife friendly’ so it is sometimes better if an animal learns not to approach humans for food.

Can I look after sick, injured or orphaned wildlife?

Wildlife may only be cared for by authorised Wildlife Shelters or Foster Carers.

Wildlife requires expert care, treatment and rehabilitation to recover sufficiently to be returned to the wild. Without this care, wildlife may not recover or may lose their natural behaviours.

There is an incredible amount of knowledge out there and each bird and animal is unique and therefore treated differently. Even hand rearing a healthy orphaned possum can turn to disaster with a lack of knowledge. Feeding them the wrong diet can be fatal! Not recognising correct weight gain (and therefore an underlying problem) can be fatal! Giving them oral antibiotics can be fatal! We often get wildlife in that people have taken upon themselves to look after. Then days later find the animal not improving or have become very unwell and call us. Unfortunately by the time we are called the animal is in such bad state that it cannot be rehabilitated and requires euthanising or should have been euthanised when found and has suffered pain for longer than necessary. Our wildlife should not have to suffer a prolonged death because somebody wanted ‘to give it a go’ and did not have the correct training and support to do so.

It is illegal in Victoria to keep sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. All wildlife is protected in Victoria under the Wildlife Act 1975 and it is illegal to hunt, take, destroy, injure or interfere with them without authorisation, with maximum penalties of $46,154 and/or two years in jail. Penalties for animal cruelty can be up to $96,155 or two years in jail.

Coming Up

• Sunday 13th October 2024 – 11am Mandurang Valley Festival stall
• Saturday 2nd November 2024 – 9.00am Sausage Sizzle, Bunnings Epsom
• Sunday 10^th November 2024 – 9.00am Maldon Market stall
• Monday 2nd December 2024 – 1.30pm Committee Meeting
• Saturday 7th December 2024 – 12.30pm Christmas Lunch, One Tree Hill Hotel