YACKANDANDAH wildlife shelter Kangaloola has again hit hard times, six months after a shortage of cash almost forced its closure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The not-for-profit shelter has enough money for now, but desperately needs more – along with volunteer help – to keep its vital work going.
A lack of native grasses in bushland across the area has resulted in a steady growth in the number of animals having to be cared for by Glenda and Ron Elliott and their helpers.
“We’ve got so many babies at the moment,” Mrs Elliott said on Friday.
“We’re rescuing full-grown wombats in the town of Wodonga that are coming from God knows where, they’re just crossing the highway.”
Mrs Elliott said there were a lot of places in bushland that were just bare dirt.
“It used to be grass. We’ve had a lot of rain in the past few weeks, and that’s been really good, but we still need a lot more,” she said.
“It doesn’t rain like it use to. And the trees are in such bad condition with no canopy, so therefore the frost gets in on the native grasses.”
The shelter received an outpouring of financial and other support after it was revealed last December that it was facing closure.
It needed at least $3000 to keep operating beyond January, though that was enough for only six months.
Mrs Elliott said “things are OK” now, “but we always need extra support because it is an ongoing thing”.
“People have been fantastic with help, including financially, but there’s just more and more animals needing help.”
It costs the Elliott’s $970 a month for milk, plus another $400 to $500 for specialised milks. At least $160 a week is needed for hay, blood tests cost $200 to $300 and X-rays $150.
“It’s just on and on and on just for the basics,” Mrs Elliott said.
Anyone wanting to offer ongoing support is welcome to provide regular pledges.
The Elliotts would also like to hear from anyone who can provide strategic help, as they received from one supporter at Baranduda.
““Apparently there’s a lot of government grants around, but we don’t have time to do that and we don’t know how to do it or where to go,” Mrs Elliott said.
“It’s a big shelter, probably one of the biggest in Victoria and the cost is just amazing.”
Volunteers who were willing to help regardless of the weather are also wanted.
“A lot of people say they’ll come out and help but they don’t, they say it’s too cold or too wet,” she said.
Anyone wanting to help or report injured wildlife could do so via the website at kangaloolawildlifeshelter.org.au and by phoning (02) 6027 0814 or 0407 412 750.
![Tawny frogmouth. Picture by MARK JESSER Tawny frogmouth. Picture by MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/acf0ea69-b2f8-4f07-8dd9-1531bf8534bd.jpg/r0_0_2936_3988_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/1e53d573-a530-491b-b97a-c63ae9a53fdf.jpg/r0_265_5184_3191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/0ad64aa5-10db-4dfb-ab8a-36bb6a6d570f.jpg/r0_265_5184_3191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/5943aab2-f990-42bd-aaa7-573f1a9b451a.jpg/r0_335_4856_3065_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![An emu at Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER An emu at Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/c2886a7f-5cb4-4ebf-a536-a42976a69e72.jpg/r0_0_3280_4926_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Womats at the wildlife shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER Womats at the wildlife shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/fcfe3da6-15f9-459a-9cd9-e725724154c0.jpg/r0_0_2928_4329_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![A two-month old joey. Picture: MARK JESSER A two-month old joey. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/aba3a81d-ea98-4a6a-ba59-0f0bc45cd5cb.jpg/r0_127_4389_2595_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Kangaroos at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER Kangaroos at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/825cfb05-3ba7-4b8c-bf13-865daae0ea3d.jpg/r0_252_4928_3023_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![A two-month old joey at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER A two-month old joey at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/b4cfe04b-6b4a-4e7b-8b97-723ee5505430.jpg/r0_14_3048_1728_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![A two-month old joey at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER A two-month old joey at the shelter. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/edd5ec8c-bd73-4203-bd86-d353917c6614.jpg/r0_0_3280_4926_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter's Sarah Smith with some young Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/e8uBJxuTc2fGAziDArmhm5/9fa5fe96-1e56-4e58-8bbc-8bbad65960d5.jpg/r0_265_5184_3191_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)