Hurt roo help

By Tania Martin
A MACCLESFIELD couple has been thrown a $35,000 lifeline so they can continue their work with injured kangaroos and wildlife.
Tina and Rodney Hudson-Davies of Shangri-La Wildlife Shelter had nowhere to turn to gain funding for kangaroo compounds but the Federal Government has now come through with a grant for the shelter.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood said wildlife shelters was a grey area where funding wasn’t readily available.
Mr Wood said there were no precedent for funding for shelters like Shangri-La and was pleased that the Federal Government had come forward with the cash.
He said there was no funding grants programs set up through State, Federal or local governments specifically for shelters.
But he said the Federal Government was able to give Shangri-La a helping hand through the Natural Heritage Trust program.
“I visited the volunteer run shelter in May and saw first hand the amazing work Rodney and Tina do looking after injured kangaroos,” Mr Wood said.
“Their commitment is inspirational and they have never received any assistance.
The Hudson-Davies moved from Boronia to Macclesfield eight months ago to set up the shelter but had no way of applying for funding.
In December they uprooted their family and moved to Macclesfield to open the shelter because their home had become too small to look after all the injured kangaroos.
Mr Hudson-Davies said the funding has come just at the right time because paying for the temporary fencing for the existing compound was becoming too much.
The couple was hiring the fencing by the month and had been getting no outside funding help.
But problems with funding or financial difficulties were never going to keep this family from caring for injured kangaroos.
“This funding is an absolute saviour for us, it’s just absolutely brilliant to finally get some help,” Mr Hudson-Davies said.
Minister for Environment Malcolm Turnbull visited the kangaroo sanctuary last week to announce the cash boost.
Mr Turnbull said the funding would enable the shelter to continue its efforts to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and injured native animals.
He said Shangri-La had fast become one of the state’s leading wildlife shelters by not only taking care of locally injured wildlife but specialising in taking care of injured kangaroos and wallabies from shelters across the state. “This funding will help build two new enclosures and four shelters to house and protect these vulnerable animals while they complete the rehabilitation process,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Once the animals are well enough to return to the wild, they will be released into local natural bushland, well away from major roads and built-up areas.”
Mr Wood said if it wasn’t for Shangri-La many injured kangaroos would be left on the side of the road.
“Instead, they are rehabilitated by a group of dedicated volunteers,” he said.