Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre - Newsletters
Minton Farm Newsletter: August 2012
Our aim is to assist the conservation of the natural diversity of life on Earth.
Download this Newsletter as a pdf click here
Our aim is to assist the conservation of the natural diversity of life on Earth.
Download this Newsletter as a pdf click here
Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre...
... is a not for profit, native animal rescue centre in Cherry Gardens, South Australia. The Aim of the centre is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned native animals and birds, as a free community service. It is operated by the involvement of volunteers who assist with the maintenance of the Centre and Animal Rescue Hospital, and with caring for the animals. There is no formal funding for the work, which has rescued over 8,600 creatures in the on-site Intensive Care Unit, with equally as many off-site through rescue advice throughout Australasia and beyond via our website, email and phone.
There are 300 animals housed within 6 acres of fox and cat proofed fencing, in species specific enclosures. Species assisted include kangaroos, possums, wombats, koalas, emu, eagles, kookaburras, tawny frogmouths, wombats and a myriad of parrots and lorikeets. In addition to this, there are the farm animals ranging from ducks, geese and peacocks through to donkey, ponies, pigs and deer.
There are 300 animals housed within 6 acres of fox and cat proofed fencing, in species specific enclosures. Species assisted include kangaroos, possums, wombats, koalas, emu, eagles, kookaburras, tawny frogmouths, wombats and a myriad of parrots and lorikeets. In addition to this, there are the farm animals ranging from ducks, geese and peacocks through to donkey, ponies, pigs and deer.
See Minton Farm on Totally Wild
Tuesday 18th September 2012 at 4:00pm on Network Ten
We're excited to let you know that Minto Farm is featured in a Totally Wild story about "Animal Non Release". It will be going to air on Tuesday 18th September 2012 at 4:00pm on Network Ten, Australia.
Koala NewsWe have been fortunate to secure a Grant from SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund US, for our Koala rescue, rehabilitation and release program. The funds will be used to purchase equipment, medical supplies, housing facilities and revegetation work at the Centre. We are very grateful and humbled to be honoured with their support, amongst world-wide conservation programs from sea turtle rehab to gorilla protection.
We have now obtained our koala rescue permit, and had our koala release management plan approved by DENR. We have also completed our outdoor enclosure and our large outdoor holding facility. We receive many tiny koalas as small as 270 grams, and need to build a “koala nursery” room, where the babies will be close to us 24/7 and will be kept at optimum room temperature. The City of Onkaparinga have recently approved a grant to establish and maintain indigenous eucalypt species from local providence for local wildlife populations as a food source, to improve urban biodiversity as a community led project, to increase community participation and improve local knowledge of koala habitat. We are constantly planting suitable eucalypt species as future food sources for koalas with the help of Coromandel Native Nursery and Growing Bush providing koala fodder species. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to you. Little Shamus koala has grown from 380 grams to 2000 grams, but is suffering with kidney failure. He is receiving two medications daily and is once again thriving, weighing in at just over 2 kgs now, we are giving him the best quality of life for as long as he can survive. Shamus is still in our dining room and constantly pulls books down from my shelves each night when he becomes very active. Being so very cold over the past few months we have been unable to force him into the outdoor enclosure, even though we installed a wall heater and café blinds within it for him!! We concreted the floor of our verandah so it doesn’t flood, and Glenn has been enclosing the walls. We need insulation, windows, doors ceiling yet, but we are getting there! Donate today and help Shamus and Miru!
Click on the Donate button to donate via PayPal |
Wedge Tailed Eagle EscapesMiru our wedge tail eagle escaped once again!!! The $4,500 spent on netting from Advanced Nets and Ropes has been a dismal failure, as Miru chewed through the
netting immediately. We lined the complete enclosure with 6’ high shadecloth which kept her in until a windy day lifted the sides and off she went! I was lying on the ground on my back “connecting to Country” and photographing the two wild eagles overhead when I saw a flash of a massive brown wingspan rise up into our pine trees. My heart sank as I thought “That looks like Miru!” And sure enough, there was a dead duck and hen with its bones picked clean by my own eagle! She landed in our bottom paddock and was throwing balls of donkey poo into the air and playing with sticks and chatting away, looking up very nervously at the two wild eagles menacing her. I walked down the paddock, talking to her and she came ‘running’ up to me.
We discussed what the best thing to do was, and I decided that she wouldn’t survive too long on the ground. I held her by her shoulders then pulled my jacket over her head to stop her being able to bite me, and grasped her talons before they grabbed me! She wrapped her massive 3’ wing around my body as I carried her up the hill, saying ‘Thank you God, Thank you God” all the way!!! It was another miracle to save her again from certain death. We are now rebuilding her enclosure with panels of iron and wire mesh!
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Help Save an Injured Animal Today
Injured Animals need your help to survive! Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre is a not for profit animal welfare organisation that relies on donations, sponsorship and volunteers to provide rescued and injured animals with food, medical treatment and shelter. Without help from caring and kind people like you, it's extremely difficult to provide the level fo care and support that many of these injured animals need to survive.
You can help save an injured animal today by donating generously or sponsoring a native animal here.
Click and help save an injured native animal today!
You can help save an injured animal today by donating generously or sponsoring a native animal here.
Click and help save an injured native animal today!
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Koala eats 30 entire mature gum trees in a year !Our tree plantations are quite mature, we planted them about 25 years ago, for the wild
koalas. Now that we have been approved to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned koalas, we need lots and lots fresh gum tips every day to feed koalas. We have begun to coppice the mature trees to encourage them to produce new growth. In addition to this we are ripping rows for more trees in a paddock with a ripper attachment I bought for our little tractor. It is marvellous, and has enabled volunteers and students to plant more efficiently. We are planning a working bee with 30 students from Scotch College to get a mass planting for koala fodder completed shortly. If you have access to fresh gum leaf tips (the end 60cm of branches) please collect them and place them immediately into a bucket of fresh water. You can deliver them to Minton Farm 24/7, there is a bin of water placed in front of our letter box for you to place them in. Your assistance makes such a positive difference to the health and vitality of our rescued koalas. There is no substitute food for them, they rely soley on fresh leaf twice a day to survive. We can’t possibly source enough from our property to keep them going without your help. Will you help feed Koalas? Please click the Donate button below to make a difference today!
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Animal Rescue FairLast month we attended the Aberfoyle Park Animal Rescue Fair where we did some face painting and made lots of kids happy with the lucky dips, games and prizes, raising a bit of money for Minton Farm Native Animal Rescue.
We have been fund raising at Fairs, displays, public speaking, and Bunnings BBQ’s to continue our free service to the community Behind the ScenesWe obtained a burning permit from council to burn up the branches left from animal browse, housing, & fire prevention clearing carried out throughout the year. Every day the koala, possum, and roo chewed branches are removed and replaced with fresh ones, leaving a large amount of clearing up to do.
I have purchased an electric mulcher and use it every morning to turn these left over branches into lovely fresh mulch, which I place around the gum seedlings planted throughout the property for koala browse, thereby completing the full circle without producing any pollution and fostering new plant growth! There has been an increase in rabbit numbers again this year similar to 20 years ago. I have been forced to use tree guards and stakes around all new gum seedlings to protect them from rabbits. This has caused another increase in costs to ensure a food source for rescued koalas. If you have any contacts to obtain tree guards and stakes, or wish to donate some, new or used, we would be happy to hear from you please! |
Wilma WombatWilma wombat has amazed us with her
engineering skills around her enclosure. She has moved tons of soil to build a ‘moat’ around her nest box in a shelter shed. It was flooded out when the heavy rains followed her excavations into the area. Ollie the euro has benefited from her warm nest box, sleeping next to her in the entrance to her box, enjoying the eat she radiates from underneath her doona! Helping Kangroos Hop HomeThis is one of the little kangroos that came into Minton Farm after being rescued from the pouch of it's mother after being hit by a car.
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Volunteer ProgramWe have had a myriad of students attending to volunteer and learn about wildlife rescue
procedures as part of their education programs from Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels. Many of our volunteers have gone around Australia and overseas at this time of year, and we have had several fresh new faces in the mob that always keeps it interesting and fun! Our program runs Tuesdays or Thursdays 10am or 2pm. If you are interested in joining in, give me a call 0422 938439 Cheeky FoxesOur Mareema dogs have been keeping foxes out of our poultry enclosures. I found one of the eggs laid by Ernie emu, that had been carried into a paddock several paddocks away from the emu enclosure, probably by a cheeky fox. The fox had tried to eat it, but the shell was too thick and the teeth could only scratched the surface!
Rascally RabbitsThere has been an increase in rabbit numbers again this year similar to 20 years ago. I have been forced to use tree guards and stakes around all new gum seedlings to protect them from rabbits. This has caused another increase in costs to ensure a food source for rescued koalas. If you have any contacts to obtain tree guards and stakes, or wish to donate some, new or used, we would
be happy to hear from you please! Did you see us on Channel 10 news?Channel 10 did a live broadcast from Minton Farm on 1st August for the news, as we were a part of the People’s Choice Community lottery to raise funds for our animal rescue centre.
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Wildlife Rehabilitation ConferenceI attended the Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation conference in Townsville in July, where all sorts of up to the
minute information, displays, research, projects, and knowledge was shared from around Australia. I spent a day at the James Cook University to attend a Parasitology Course, to learn about microscopes, bacteria, parasites, etc, etc. I purchased some CSIRO books about wildlife and pathology, these will go a long way to helping koalas with kidney failure, disease, and parasites once we obtain a microscope.
We are very grateful to one of our neighbours who generously donated a centrifuge to assist with urine analysis. We are now looking for a microscope. Do you know anyone who may be able assist us, please let me know on 0422 938439, thanks Feed an Animal at Minton FarmIf you would like to support our rescue work you can help feed the animals at Minton Farm by donating food for the animals.
Foods we gratefully accept include: - nectar mix (Wombaroo, Harvest etc), - dry dog food, - muesli, - budgie seed, - sunflower seed, - breakfast cereals, inc. weetbix & rolled oats, - apples, - carrots, - celery, - corn, - grapes, - meal worms. These items are essential for our rescued birds, bettongs, kangaroos, possums, gliders, parrots, lorikeets, honey eaters and wombats and can be dropped off at Minton Farm during daylight hours. Thanks in advance! |
A Bear in Need is a Bear in Deed !
Desperately Needed Daily:
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Teddy Bears Needed for Koala Bears!We also need large teddies/bunnies for the koala joeys to cling to, in various sizes from approx. 20cms up to approx. 50cms.
Koala joeys are kept in cane baskets with a handle over the top so that it can be hung in a tree with their teddy for security, whilst they learn to navigate branches and munch on leaves. Thank you to those who have donated teddies, blankets, & baby sleeping bags to use with koala rehab. They have come from as far away as Pt Pirie and have been very useful. We look forward to receiving donations from you, as they are extremely useful and really help us keep running costs down. If you have any thing that you would like to donate for koala rehabilitation, we would be deeply grateful. |
Bedding for BearsCotton bunny rugs and baby sleeping bags are excellent for koala joeys to sleep in. If you don’t need yours any more, donate to us, they will be put to good use!
Shamus Goes to SchoolDear little Shamus the orphaned koala is at his happiest when nestled onto my shoulder. But he has been bravely attending School educational talks much to the delight of the students. Shamus gratefully devours gum tips the children tempt him with!
He has been a regular in the volunteer shed here at minton Farm at lunchtimes for the past 6 months, and I think this has given him confidence with groups of people, causing him no stress as long as “Mum” has him! Thanks for Helping!We have a new webmaster, Mick Shaw, who is building our updated website. Thanks Mick
Thanks so much to Simone Linehan for compiling this newsletter and Joanne Lemmer for printing it. You are invaluable to Minton Farm and very much appreciated. |
Donations and Sponsorship Gratefully Accepted
Donations of a energy efficient freezer, animal foods, gum tree branchs, teddy bears, large stuffed toys, cane baskets, and bedding materials
are gratefully accepted at:
Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre,
455 Cherry Gardens Road,
Cherry Gardens SA 5157
If the front gate is closed when you deliver them, you can put your donations into the cages on the road in front of Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre.
If you don't have any gum trees, teddy bears, bedding or baskets, but still want to donate, you can make a cash donations or sponsor an animal. Click here to find out how you can help today!
Sponsor an animal for as little as $35 annually!
Thank you so very much for your assistance to improve the chances of survival for the 8,200 creatures rescued at the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre.
Cheers, Bev. XX
are gratefully accepted at:
Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre,
455 Cherry Gardens Road,
Cherry Gardens SA 5157
If the front gate is closed when you deliver them, you can put your donations into the cages on the road in front of Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre.
If you don't have any gum trees, teddy bears, bedding or baskets, but still want to donate, you can make a cash donations or sponsor an animal. Click here to find out how you can help today!
Sponsor an animal for as little as $35 annually!
Thank you so very much for your assistance to improve the chances of survival for the 8,200 creatures rescued at the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre.
Cheers, Bev. XX