By Parker McKenzie
A wallaby joey who miraculously survived its mother being run over by a car in Belgrave is now on the mend at a wildlife rescue centre in the hills.
On Sunday 15 January, the young joey was found in its deceased mother’s pouch, before being taken to the Emerald Monbulk Wildlife Centre.
Carol Seeger, who runs the Wildlife Shelter, said the joey was found just off Burwood Highway in Belgrave after a wildlife rescue group was contacted by the property owner.
“She’s only 300 grams, but that’s viable with a joey, and she’s drinking well. It’s a little girl and I’ve named it after the lady who called it in,” she said.
“It was just inside the fence line and I had to get down into the creek. The wallaby had its legs taken off, so the people were a bit distressed as well.”
Mr Seeger said she euthanized the mother because of the extensive injuries it had received, before taking the joey — named Kim — to her wildlife sanctuary.
“It’s very unusual for someone that hits an animal to ring up, it’s mainly the other way; they keep driving and a bystander calls it in,” she said.
“At least pull it off the road and ring the local vet, and they can get in touch with somebody if you don’t know who to ring, but it’s always Wildlife Victoria or Wildlife Rescuers or a local shelter like me.”
Mr Seeger and her 50-odd volunteers at Emerald Monbulk Wildlife Centre have been caring for the joey, which will need two years of care before it can be released into the wild because joeys are reliant on their mothers for the first 15 months of their lives.
She said she’s seen a lot of wallabies in the past year, with more and more getting hit on the road.
“Wellington Road is a disgrace, there’s so many getting hit there and they need to put up those virtual posts along the side of the road, they’ve reduced the amount that has been hit down at Lysterfield Road,” she said.
“It’s not a very nice road at the best of times.”
Aside from macropods like wallabies and kangaroos, possums, wombats and other native animals are also cared for and rehabilitated at the wildlife centre.
For more information about Emerald Monbulk Wildlife Centre, visit facebook.com/emeraldmonbulkwildlifeshelter
