Compassionate Animal Rescue & Exclusion - CARE

13/08/2025

They are on the move, let them get where they are going!

Echidna breeding season is underway and they are out and about in high numbers.

Echidnas have thousands of electroreceptors in their snouts that sense vibrations and help the native animals snuffle for food, similar to a platypus.

Echidnas should never be relocated.

Moving an echidna away from its home range can result in:

1. Disorientation and Stress
Echidnas know their home territory well—where to find food, shelter, and how to avoid predators. If moved, they can become stressed and disoriented, leading them to wander aimlessly or try to return home.

2. Starvation
In a new area, echidnas may not find familiar food sources (like ants and termites), leading to malnutrition or starvation.

3. Increased Risk of Death
When trying to return to their original home (which they often attempt), echidnas may cross dangerous roads, encounter unfamiliar predators, or die from exhaustion or dehydration.

4. Breeding Season Concerns
During breeding season, male echidnas roam long distances to find mates, and females prepare nesting burrows. Relocating them during this time can disrupt their natural behaviors and reproductive success.

5. Babies at Home
Female echidnas can have young in burrows that they leave alone while they go out to forage for food and it is critical that they are able to return. If they are ‘rescued’ or contained by well-meaning people while they are away from their young it can leave a young puggle to starve to death in the burrow.

What to Do Instead -

If an echidna is in danger (e.g., on a road or construction site):

* Do not handle echidnas unless absolutely necessary, and avoid using tools like shovels to move them
* Move it just off the road or out of immediate harm in the same direction it was going.
* Do not take it far from where you found it.
* Contact a local wildlife rescue if you're unsure or if injured

📷 Echidna CSI /ABC News

31/07/2025

Keep wildlife wild and plant their food!

Don't feed wildlife - their lives depend on it 🦜 🦘 🦆

Victorians love their wildlife but feeding wildlife can cause significant animal welfare issues.

Issues include overcrowding and increases in the number of feral species like rats, pigeons and sparrows.

Animals may become dependent on being fed, so that when the feeding stops (if you go on holidays or move house), the animals may starve because they can’t fend for themselves.

Human food is not good for wildlife. Native animals have adapted to a particular diet and altering or supplementing their diets with foods that they wouldn't otherwise eat can make them sick.

Large flocks of birds at feeding points can also spread disease or make them vulnerable to predators.

You can help local wildlife by planting a mix of local native trees and shrubs in your garden. Native plants provide food, shelter, and breeding opportunities for birds.

For more information about living with wildlife:https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/710881/Living-with-Wildlife-Feeding-Wildlife.pdf

RSPCA Victoria
Agriculture Victoria
Animal Welfare Victoria
Wildlife Victoria

26/07/2025

I've never had a call like the one this morning..
I have been called to cats, bats, rats and possums in a roof but never a duck.

After seeing a duck hanging around a broken roof tile and hearing some odd noises in the roof, a homeowner in Caroline Springs suspected a duck had become trapped inside. Yes - a duck! Thankfully they decided to call for some help and I dropped everything to head over with all the gear I could muster. After driving through some hectic rain and windy conditions, I arrived at this HUGE house.

How was I going to find this duck?

How was I going to catch it in this roof cavity that is three times the size of my house?

I headed into the dusty roof cavity, looking everywhere.... listening out for any signs of a duck.

Could this be a complete misunderstanding? No, not it was not.

After a thorough inspection, I was blown away to find a beautiful Maned duck (Australian Wood Duck) stuck deep inside a wall cavity of a wardrobe on the second level. This wall cavity was so small and deep that there was no chance of scooping it out. Instead, I had to head back into the house and create a hole in the plasterboard and pull it out.

Thankfully, this duck rescue went perfectly. It was unharmed, rescued quickly and is now safely back swimming in a nearby lake 🦆 Phew!

16/07/2025

🇦🇺🐍 World Snake Day 🐍🇦🇺

Australia is home to some of the most diverse and evolutionarily fascinating snakes on Earth, with over 200 native species, including around 100 venomous species—more than any other continent.

While often misunderstood, snakes are a vital part of Australia’s ecosystems, acting as key predators that regulate populations of rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects.

📉 Despite their importance, many native species face threats from habitat destruction, invasive species (like cane toads), and persecution driven by fear or misinformation.

On , let’s shift the narrative:
✅ Respect their role in nature
✅ Promote science-based snake safety
✅ Support conservation of native habitats

🧠 The more we understand, the better we coexist.

📷 Pilbara Olive Python (Liasis olivaceus barroni) — a rare and powerful native of WA’s pilbara region I recently had the privilege of safely catching and moving out of harms way.

16/07/2025

World Snake Day 🐍

Tucked away in a log pile, this stunning Lowland Copperhead peers out with quiet curiosity, a perfect reminder that some of our beautiful wildlife is often hidden in plain sight.

Snakes like this one are misunderstood far too often. But the truth is, they’re vital to the health of our ecosystems. Snakes help control rodent populations, maintain biodiversity & deserve protection and respect.

Fear is understandable but knowledge changes everything. The more you learn about snakes, the more you realise how cool & important they really are

Today, on World Snake Day, we are giving thanks to those who stand up for snakes every day, particularly Five Freedoms Animal Rescue and CARE – Compassionate Animal Rescue & Exclusion, who work tirelessly to keep wildlife safe through rescue, advocacy and humane response.

Snakes aren’t out to harm us, it’s fear and misunderstanding that create the danger.

Please consider storing local licensed snake catchers numbers in your phones.
These two men show that compassion towards even the most feared species is a quiet kind of courage, one that reminds us it’s far more noble to be kind than to cause harm out of fear.

Manfreds details can be found at
https://fivefreedoms.com.au/snake-catching

Richies details can be found at https://care-aus.com.au/

Photo captured at The Wildlings Woodend Wildlife Shelter of
Brigette Bardot the Lowland Copperhead.

04/07/2025

03/06/2025

Help Us Help Them.
Accurate Locations are Vital!

When reporting injured wildlife, please make sure you provide the most accurate location possible, it truly makes all the difference.

A clear location means we can reach the animal faster, & we are not wasting precious time searching large areas. A pin drop is great if it’s dropped exactly where the animal was last seen, not where you stopped later.

Even better? Snap a quick photo of the surroundings. Landmarks like signposts, fences, tree lines, anything, help us know we’re in the right place. A visual reference is often the key to getting there quickly.

It’s heartbreaking when we can’t find an injured animal, knowing they are out there suffering. But without clear location details, especially at night, it can become an impossible task.

Yes, wildlife move around even when severely injuried, we anticipate that but if we know where it was, we can start there and expand our search. Without that starting point, we may be scanning kilometres at night.

15/10/2024

20/08/2024

Know what to look for so you know when they need help!

18/08/2024

Recently I was called out to a house in Clunes to rescue birds that were trapped inside the wood heater flue.

While the rescue was relatively straight forward, it was entirely preventable. (see photo 5)

With spring fast approaching, many birds will be looking for a nesting site - Animal proof your flue, it’s better for them and it's better for you!

16/07/2024

Itsss World snake day 🌎 🐍

Did you know Australia is home to more than 150 species of land and sea snakes?

Snakes are a vital part of our ecosystems, supporting biodiversity as both predators and prey!

📸 Red belly black snake moved out of harms way on a construction site in NSW