Carer's possum labour of love

Michelle Aquilina’s love of animals and desire to meet new people prompted her to become a Wildlife Rescue Queensland volunteer four years ago.

The Redcliffe resident has been involved in wildlife rescue, care and release during that time, particularly possums. We shine a light on her efforts in the lead-up to World Wildlife Day on March 3.

“I’ve had the ringtail creches. It starts with four-hourly feeds, so you’re feeding during the night and you become their ‘parent.’ Some of them are a bit more needy than others and they’ll cling to you. They will want to cling on your arm. It’s really sweet,” Michelle says.

“They all huddle together and I usually have about seven in a little pouch.”

Michelle says they transition to a basket and eat leaves and flowers as they grow, before shifting to a small and then larger aviary.

“Every day I go out collecting leaves and flowers, every afternoon after work. You get to know all the trees and the places to go,” she says.

Michelle says volunteers can choose from a range of roles including hotline operators who answer calls and mobilise volunteers, animal rescue, animal transport, wildlife ambulance drivers, animal release, and preparing release sites by building averies and boxes and more.

Volunteers receive full training and can specialise in a particular species of animal if they wish.

“On the Peninsula, there’s not many (Wildlife Rescue Queensland) carers, that I know of, so we definitely need more,” Michelle says.

“It’s not a lot of time (required) and you give as much as you can. It really does add value to your life and you’re adding value to the environment.”

As a teacher at Hercules Road State School, she has longer holidays than most people and will often take animals into care when she is on leave.

“By the time I’m back at work, their feeding schedule is long enough for me to fit it around work. Work has been generous sometimes in letting me take them in, so I can feed them maybe in the middle of the day,” she explains.

Michelle has also had injured birds in care for short periods during their rehabilitation.

“It’s so nice when you get an animal that’s been in care or been to the zoo and you take it back and release it,” she says.

“I remember my very first release … this little old lady had a blue-tongue (lizard) in her house and it got injured. She had a name for him and everything … I took him back to her house and he happily lived there.

“That’s the rewarding part of it … seeing a possum that’s been injured going back up a tree.”

“The release is hard though. My first lot (of possums), letting those seven babies go and you’re entrusting them to nature, with all those lovely pythons. You feel they would be better with you, but it is about letting them go.

“Also, when you have an injured one and you’re releasing it to its home site … you can tell because they look around and they’re home. That’s nice to see.”

Find out more about being a Wildlife Rescue Queensland volunteer, visit wrq.org.au.

To report sick or injured wildlife, phone 0478 901 801.