2 baby kangaroos injured during wildfires, found and comforted each other
2 years ago, when massive wildfires broke out in Australia, The Oolandra Wildlife Sanctuary found itself very busy with all the animals they were trying to help. The blaze that terrorized an area called Carwoola has left much of the area’s wildlife injured – particularly the kangaroos. They found out that the effects of that particular fire were much worse compared to the previous two.
At that time the sanctuary was already taking care of 38 animals, but they agreed to take in more to help the Carwoola survivors. Usually, fire-related injuries on kangaroos can take a lot of time to heal completely. The Kangaroo might need to stay at the sanctuary for several months. For young joeys, the process can take even longer.
“The main injuries are burns to the bottom of their 2 feet, their hands, and the tail where it rests on the ground,” Helen Stevens, the manager of the sanctuary said. “Also smoke inhalations. Sometimes they even have burns on top of their 2 ears.” The staff treats them with antibiotics, pain relievers, plenty of fluids, and nutritional supplements. They wrap the burnt areas with colorful bandages and give the animals plenty of space to rest and recover.
One of the residents at the sanctuary was a little Joey with the name Flash. He used to be a very skittish and nervous baby with burns on both of his feet. Poor Flash did not seem to relax even for a while during his stay at the sanctuary until he met Flicker. The female kangaroo who was also recovering from burns, seemed to return the affection immediately.
She even let him drink milk from her pouch, thinking of him as one of her babies. “No matter how much we try, we can never provide the bond a mother shares with her child” Helen added. “We are very happy that the two of them found comfort in each other, helping one another heal.”
