The winter blues don’t just affect humans – WIRES spokeswoman Sandy Collins said animals feel the seasonal change keenly.
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“Winter is generally a depressing time of year for wildlife carers,” she said.
“Many of the animals that are rescued are in real trouble, whether it’s birds, wombats or kangaroos.
“With the dry weather there is less lush graze to pick so the fresh green grass next to the roads are drawing kangaroos and wallabies into harms way by the bucket load. And with the extra traffic on the roads during school holidays, it is a recipe for disaster.”
She said the local branch was being called to 2-4 injured kangaroos a day – most of which had to be put down. They weren’t the only animals falling foul of cars.
“With dusk falling earlier, many evening and night avian hunters such as kookaburras and owls are coming into care due,” she said.
“WIRES has its second masked owl, nicknames Ollie, in care in two months. These are a vulnerable species ... there aren’t very many left in the wild.”
The other focus of volunteers efforts has been mange-affected wombats.
“Once the mange gets particularly bad, the wombats are seen foraging during the day as they are often blind and deaf as the skin around the eyes and ears thickens,” Mrs Collins said.
“This makes them especially vulnerable to wandering onto roads.”
Mrs Collins encouraged people to report injured and orphaned wildlife to WIRES on 1300 094 737.