Red-Legged Pademelon and floods

Red-Legged Pademelon survive floods

April 2011

In January 2011 Northern NSW was hit by floods which can be devastating for wildlife, many animals are displaced due to the rising water. This little Red-Legged Pademelon joey was found in her dead mothers pouch by two young boys out looking at the floods, mum possibly trying to find higher ground had been killed by a car during the early hours of the morning.

When our little joey was brought in to care she was in good condition, no visible injuries, very stressed by her ordeal, but fortunately her rescuers and their mother had known what to do, called straight away for advise, as it would be a couple of days before anyone would be able to get through to them to pick up the joey due to the floods.

As luck would have it, they had a suitable formula to feed the joey and as she was fully furred she would not require temperature controlled heat, just a quiet environment, a substitute pouch and formula at regular times. Our rescuers were happy to comply.

Five days later we were able to pick her up and she joined another slightly older Pademelon and a Red-Necked wallaby already in care, within a few days yet another joey came in to care this one a Red-Necked Pademelon.

Joey's do so much better in care when they have other joey's to interact with, considering that they spend their first 12-14 months with their mother it is easy to understand the need for company, security, and bonding with others. They could easily bond with their human carer however this would be disastrous for the joey, come time for release it would certainly not survive long term. It would look for human company, it would not seek out others of it's own kind.

A hand reared animal must by the time it is released know how to interact, how to fit in with their own kind, just as humans must fit in to society, so must wild animals have this skill in order to survive in the wild. We can not teach them that only their own kind can do that. This is why we try as much as possible to have joey's in care of different ages and stages of development. Older joey's teach the younger ones what is acceptable in their world.

It is not always possible to have the same species in care, that however does not seem to make a huge difference as long as they are all Macropod's it works.

This little Red-Legged Pademelon is in care with 2 Red-Necked Pademelon's and 1 Red-Necked wallaby, and all interact with ease.

The Red-Legged Pademelon is listed as a threathened species.

17 January, 2010