Regulations in this country fail our native animals on many levels
This is only one example of what our native wildlife constantly face.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a country like ours and you meet with severe trauma from a car accident or a life threatening onslaught you’d be taken to hospital. You’d be given an opiate such as morphine or a pain killer to get you through the shock so you survive the pain and the fear. These drugs tell the brain that it’s going to be okay. The paramedics, the ambulance the hospital are part of a wonderful system in place to help you through your worst moments.
However, if you’re a Wombat ( like copious amounts of other native animals ) and you get hit by a car and sustain serious injuries. You’re lucky if a volunteer wildlife carer can get to your side. Most likely no vet would be there for you in the middle of the night.
Regulations do not permit wildllife carers to administer effective pain management or sedation.
IMAGE 1.
This wombat Desperately needs antibiotics to be put on a drip to have pain and stress management. Many people would euthanise but they can be turned around with the right Treatment. But too many regulations make this impossible.
The system expects the animals to be attended to without any pain management or stress management. So most of them just simply die from trauma. And if they get through the initial trauma, then they die from exhaustion trying to get home. The system also often expects vets to work on Australian animals for free. How can they attend the Wombat with his serious injuries when they have a lineup of operations for domestic animals. Also, how can they when they’re not trained with these animals. There is no facility in Australia for Vets to train officially with wildlife.
In other countries, governments pay wildlife vets and they attend to elephant or the tiger.
Our wombat (the second oldest mammal on earth). The echidna and the platypus, being the oldest mamals, have no structured support at all if dragged through a horrendous accident or illness.
These cruel rules have to change. Wild life carers should be able to administer pain relief and sedation to their animals. They should be able to get a certificate in such matters. It is very easy to learn what drugs to use and dose rates, it is easy to give an injection, it’s easy to trust a person who is trustworthy and competent.
Image 1 (above) is of Wombat in severe pain who had to wait hours to be euthanised to end his severe suffering.
Image 2 (below) is a picture of a Wombat with severe scabies (brought in by early settlers) You can see the marks on her face where she’s tried to get home using her last ounce of energy because she wasn’t able to be given correct sedation and stress management instead of being the recipient of a complete treatment regime.
Drugs like Zoletil, diazepam and anti-anxiolytics must be available to capable Wildlife carers who put their hands up for this hard work. They are expected to be paramedics nurses doctors on the side of the road without the support that humans and pets get in this country.
It’s just not fair we lose too many animals because we’re working for a system that fails them.
IMAGE 2.
You can see the wounds on her face trying to get home now dying from exhaustion. Because she was unable to access the medication she needs because of imposed regulations
Below video shows a wombat in severe pain and highly stressed trying to manage by running off but is unable