WILDLIFE STORIES

Every rescue has a story

Behind every animal that comes into care is a journey. Sometimes it is happy, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes completely unexpected. These are some of the stories behind the pademelons who have found their way to Little Pouch Crew Tasmania.

WHERE IT BEGINS

Sometimes we know their story. Sometimes we don't.

Most of the pademelons who come into Little Pouch Crew's care arrive through the xMatters app, which is used by Bonorong to ask registered wildlife carers if they have the capacity to take an animal.

Often, that's all the information we receive. We may know where a joey was found, or simply know their condition and weight when they arrive.

Whenever we can, we name our pademelons after the places they came from. It gives each animal a little connection to the beginning of their journey with us.

Brooke came from Quamby Brook. Parker came from Parkham. And Arthur and Archie arrived with a story of their own.

OUR RESCUES

Stories from Little Pouch Crew

Every animal has a different journey. These are just a few of the pademelons who have become part of the Little Pouch Crew family.

Brooke, a pademelon rescued by Little Pouch Crew Tasmania

BROOKE • QUAMBY BROOK

The little girl who wouldn't give up

A member of the public contacted us after seeing a little pademelon joey standing beside her deceased mother on the side of the road, around 15 kilometres from home.

The location was Quamby Brook, so Karen named the little girl Brooke.

Karen knew Brooke needed help, but catching a frightened joey isn't always easy.

Over the following days, we travelled out to the area at least seven times, searching at different times throughout the night. Each time Brooke spotted us, she would hop away into the darkness.

But Karen persisted.

At around 3am one night, Karen found Brooke again. By this stage she had become so weak that she was no longer able to get away. Karen was finally able to catch her and bring her safely into care.

Sadly, the search had taken its toll. Despite finally getting Brooke to safety, she passed away just two days later.

A difficult reminder

Not every rescue has a happy ending.

We don't always know exactly how old a joey is when they come into care. What we do know is their weight, their condition and what they need from us at that moment.

Seven trips into the night. Different times. One tiny joey.

For Karen, Brooke was one little life that deserved a chance.

Sadly, this time, that chance came too late.

Big Boy, a pademelon cared for by Little Pouch Crew Tasmania

BIG BOY • HIT BY A CAR

The "baby" joey who wasn't a baby

A member of the public posted on social media that they had found a baby joey that had been hit by a car.

Karen answered the call and told them to bring him around.

There was just one small problem...

He wasn't a baby. 😂

When he arrived, it turned out that the "baby joey" was actually a fully grown pademelon.

He wasn't well, so Karen took him to the vet. The initial assessment was that he appeared to be okay, although there were concerns about possible head injuries. With injuries like that, you don't always know the full extent of the problem straight away.

It soon became clear that Big Boy was either blind or had very limited vision. Whether this was caused by the accident or whether he had poor eyesight beforehand, we'll probably never know.

Finding a safe place for Big Boy

Normally, releasing blind wildlife back into the wild isn't considered safe. An animal that can't see properly can struggle to avoid predators, roads and other dangers.

We were advised that if we were prepared to keep Big Boy in a large, safe environment, he could potentially live a normal and happy life.

So that's what we decided to do.

Big Boy has learned his surroundings incredibly well. He knows where his water and food are and gets around his enclosure successfully.

He has adapted to his environment and is thriving.

We do need to be careful about startling him. If he gets frightened, he can panic and may bump into things. Keeping his environment calm and predictable helps him feel safe.

And the name? We just call him Big Boy. Because he's big. 😂

Parker, a pademelon cared for by Little Pouch Crew Tasmania

PARKER • PARKHAM

The one Karen couldn't leave behind

Karen had gone to the vet late one Friday afternoon to pick up some supplies when the staff mentioned they had a pademelon who was about to be euthanised because nobody had come forward to rescue him.

Karen wasn't even looking at the xMatters app that day. She was already at capacity and caring for several other pademelons.

But she couldn't stand the thought of him being put down simply because nobody had come to rescue him.

So Karen took him.

He was named Parker, because he came from Parkham.

And, of course, Parker thrived.

He's now happily living in the large enclosure with several great mates and will soon be ready for release back into the wild.

Building a way home

We're currently building a very large rehabilitation enclosure with a gate leading directly into the huge area of bush behind us.

When the pademelons are ready, they'll be able to make the transition to the wild at their own pace.

They can head out into the bush when they're ready, while still having access to the enclosure, shelters and familiar surroundings they've grown accustomed to.

They'll be free to explore the bush, but they'll always have a safe place they know they can return to.

For Karen, that's what rehabilitation is ultimately about — giving these animals the skills, space and confidence to live independently in the wild.

Arthur and Archie, two pademelons cared for by Little Pouch Crew Tasmania

ARTHUR & ARCHIE

We came home with two

Another wildlife carer was preparing to go away and needed someone to look after a pademelon joey for a short period.

Karen was happy to help, so we drove over to pick him up.

Only there was a slight problem...

There were two of them. 😂

The carer actually had two joeys that needed looking after, so Karen brought them both home.

They were named Arthur and Archie.

The original plan was for them to stay with Karen while the other carer was away.

That was several months ago.

😂 They're still here.

Arthur and Archie have settled into the large enclosure and, rather than being short-term guests, they've become permanent members of the little group we've been caring for.

They've grown, developed and made themselves completely at home.

So much for "just a short stay."

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

See what's happening now

Follow Little Pouch Crew on Instagram for updates, photos and glimpses into the day-to-day care of our wildlife.