An Australian wildlife rehabilitator has warned the public about how quickly hazard reduction burns can spiral out of control in hot, dry weather, after she came close to losing two dozen rescued kangaroos in a devastating blaze.
Queensland woman Shai Ager, founder of The Agile Project, based in the state’s north, said she has some 26 kangaroo joeys in her care at the sanctuary — the vast majority of which she rescued after their mothers were killed in car accidents.
Ager told Yahoo News Australia how a neighbour was conducting controlled burns on his sprawling 6000 acre property last week, when hot, windy conditions saw the fire quickly spread and tear through the area. Ager said hazard reduction burns “have to be done” and play an important role in keeping both wildlife and communities safe from catastrophic fires.
But, she said, if they’re not conducted by experienced individuals with a permit, they can quickly turn deadly. In this instance, Ager said her neighbour did have a permit but she argued they are too easily obtainable.
“With control burns, like we’re all for them, it definitely benefits the natural environment in some ways, but it has to be done by the people that know what they’re doing,” Ager told Yahoo.
“It needs to be highlighted, the fact that you can just go online and apply for a permit in Queensland — you don’t have to prove that you know what you’re doing. You simply just get the permit. It was the most stupid time for him to do it too, the day was so windy.”
In a lucky twist, all the orphaned joeys under care returned to the property after the fires. Though a number of adults didn’t make it. Source: The Agile Project
Wildlife care’s close-call highlights major issue in Aussie outback
Ager explained she was forced to release the joeys due to having no way to protect them from the thick, sweeping fires. They ran off into a nearby creek, which enabled them to stay safe.
In an incredibly lucky twist of fate, all of her rescued joeys eventually returned to the property on their own accord, unharmed. But she said a number of adult kangaroos, which she believed might have been animals she’d formerly rescued and later released, did perish in the blaze.
Due to the scale of the fire, all that was left of those animals were charred bones, meaning Ager was unable to identify them. “They were burnt to a crisp,” she said. “And there’s still thousands of acres I haven’t walked through yet. I really now just want to make sure that this never happens again.”
Ager cares for over two dozen kangaroo joeys at her sanctuary, which she founded, most of which were orphaned after their mothers were struck by cars. Source: The Agile Project
Soft releases ‘so important’ when caring for sick wild animals
Ager said in recent months she’d treated a number of roos for burns that returned to her property that she’d previously released. She said this fact illustrates the importance of a “pre-release” — where animals are set free on large properties or sanctuaries that mimic natural conditions, but where they can still be monitored — when it comes to caring for injured wildlife.
“Because they’ve been raised in human care, they’re always going to be compromised for the rest of their lives. This is why I really believe in a soft and a pre-release because if they do need help out there, they do know to come back,” she said.
Ager said the recent fires burnt thousands of acres of land. Source: The Agile Project
“Most macropod species are so socially in tune and they lack the ability to figure things out themselves if they don’t have a mob and they don’t have a slow transition into the wild. So that’s why it’s so important. We only have a few of them up here in far north Queensland.”
Ager implored the public who come across injured or sick wildlife to immediately contact a professional, even if they look “cute and cuddly”, because “babying” them might mean they don’t survive in the wild long term.
She said ahead of what’s projected to be a warmer-than-average summer, responsible hazard reduction is paramount and people should think twice before embarking on controlled burns without proper experience.
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