Volunteer for animal shelter

Sam and Henri are volunteers at The Wild Ones Wildlife Rescue Shelter at Kooweerup, which also has rescue horses. 234235_01 Photo: SHELBY BROOKS

By Shelby Brooks

A Kooweerup wildlife shelter is seeking volunteers to help in the rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned wildlife.

Penny Reeves has been running The Wild Ones Shelter on Main Drain Road for three years on her 20 acre property and relies on volunteer help and donations.

Currently she has about 30 orphaned possums that she is currently caring for, as well as birds like galahs and lorikeets.

She began her wildlife caring journey about 10 years ago, volunteering at a shelter in Langwarrin before becoming qualified as a training carer and achieving her shelter licence.

Ms Reeves said she had not wanted to get into dog and cat shelters, as they are already quite prevalent.

“Nobody gives a damn about wildlife,” she said.

Ms Reeves explained that her work is vital because the general public is not allowed to look after wildlife of any sort.

“Injured wildlife has to go to a registered carer,” she said.

“If someone sees a magpie with a limp, they’ll tame it and then it can never be released into the wild again because people don’t understand how to look after them.”

Ms Reeves urges people to stop and look in pouches of roadkill.

“If someone is driving along and sees a dead kangaroo, wombat or possum, it’s really important check pouches,” she said.

“I get so many orphans from mums that have been knocked by a car but the baby is still okay.”

The shelter has a lot of working bees and a never-ending list of jobs that need completing.

They are always seeking donations of old towels, any sort of building material to make aviaries, or old aviaries people don’t need anymore.

Leafy branches from native trees are also welcome and used as food for possums.

Ms Reeves said she is able to pick up any wildlife in the local area, or an animal can be dropped off.

“I’ve always got the phone next to me,” she said.

For a wildlife emergency contact Penny on 0412 143 372 or head to the website thewildonesshelter.org.