VOLUNTEER of the WEEK
Mish, 38, doesn’t just rescue injured native animals, she’s also trying to secure their future
Working full-time in a high-stress government job, I was thinking of ways to help me switch off during my downtime.
I’ve always loved animals, I thought, remembering how my dad John would bring home injured birds, and nurse them back to health when I was a kid.
In 2013 I completed a Certi cate III in Animal Science and restructured my work week so I could spend one day a fortnight volunteering for the RSPCA.
While I loved it, my real passion was native animals. So in 2016 I volunteered for a wildlife rescue.
There were few koala carers south of Adelaide, so in August 2018, my husband Wade, then 35, and I started Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue (SKER).
With koalas more active in spring and summer, and echidnas in winter, it meant we wouldn’t be overwhelmed caring for large numbers of both at the same time, as we still had full-time jobs.
Setting up a backyard enclosure, I taught Wade how to care for some of our most at-risk animals.
In the 2019 Black Summer bush res, one of the koalas we rescued, Claire, had an infected neck wound. To keep her safe from ies, we used our spare bathroom as a makeshift hospital.
But we quickly realised we needed a bigger facility with space for sick animals.
The stars aligned, and an affordable property came up for sale nearby. So in 2020 we bought it and moved in.
We’ve since built a rehabilitation centre and vet clinic to care for 20 koalas and seven echidnas. The animals can be treated on site, avoiding the stress of transportation. Claire was released after two months, which was bittersweet.
Since then we’ve been called on to assist 1300 animals, and now have seven koalas in care.
They typically need help due car strikes, dog attacks, or diseases such as oxalate nephrosis that results in kidney failure.
Little is known about koala diseases so we help with research being done in universities around the country.
Last year we took in an injured echidna, Knuckles, who had a beak fracture, an injury commonly thought to require euthanasia. But our vet formed a splint for Knuckles, and his beak healed beautifully before being released.
SKER also runs a
24-hour rescue hotline and we have 35 volunteers, 10 of whom are rescuers.
We need donations and sponsorship to keep SKER running, but we also need people to report if they ever hit or nd an injured animal. Even if they run off, they could still be hurt and suffering. The sooner they’re found the better their chance of survival.
We all have to work together to keep our native animals safe. ●
As told to Samantha Ireland
Visit sker.org.au
My real passion is for native animals