Former Wellander saving koalas in fire-ravaged Australia
When Eileena Muraca was crowned Welland Rose Queen in 1991, she was familiar with community service.
But for the past several weeks, she has been donating her time to a crisis on the other side of the world — massive bushfires that are destroying Australia and its wildlife.
She lives in Port Noarlunga in south Australia, a suburb of Onkaparinga, about 30 kilometres from Adelaide, the nearest major city.
Juggling her time by completing a law degree at University of South Australia and working two jobs, she finds time to volunteer with Adelaide Koala Rescue.
Muraca helps at a small area set up near Adelaide, tending to about 60 koalas that have been pulled out of harm’s way.
She works closely with veterinarians brought in by the local rescue group, as well as Red Cross, to make sure they are getting the care they need to survive after escaping the fires.
She helps schedule pain medication and antibiotics, observes each animal’s medical chart and makes sure a healthy supply of eucalyptus is available for them to snack on.
Checking that bandages over burns are changed when needed and that the animals are hydrated are also among her responsibilities. She works with others to gather blankets for the animals in their pens.
“They’ll just sit there and eat the (eucalyptus) leaves — or if you give them a blanket — they’ll just hold onto it,” she said.
Most koalas are tame and not dangerous to be around, she said.
“They’re just sweet little animals.”
A video surfaced online in recent weeks of some teenagers who rescued about a dozen koalas by putting them in a car and transporting them to a safe place.
“People are doing that everywhere. That’s just one story that hit the media,” said Muraca, who moved to Australia in late 2000 and spent time between then and now studying and working in Asia.
She’s lived in Australia full time for the past 10 years. She said fires in the Adelaide area, the hottest and driest part of the country, are a regular occurrence during summer months of January and February. Bushfires are common throughout Australia. They’re more likely when the weather is very hot and dry.
“We have fires every year, all the time and some of them will burn for months,” said Muraca, who lives about a 30-minute drive from a blaze on Kangaroo Island.
“Nobody expected these fires to be as catastrophic as they have been. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The number of groups that have teamed up to provide a second chance for animals is wonderful, she said.
“That’s the thing that comes out of disasters — these amazing collaborations.”
The rescue effort isn’t just limited to koalas and kangaroos — the main focus of the operation she has volunteered with, she said.
“Every little animal you can think of — people have pretty much rescued.” Muraca attended Welland High School and Notre Dame College School.