Seconded By: Silke Hullmann
In 2020, millions of people around the globe were horrified to see the suffering of Australian wildlife during the bushfires. Two years on, and many of the rescued kangaroos have now been slaughtered by commercial kangaroo shooters. Australian wildlife also continues to suffer and die due to car accidents, fencing, introduced diseases and animals.
The resulting destruction is left for the overwhelmed and despaired wildlife carers. While there is much joy in helping traumatised animals, for every success story there is more death and heartache.
For three months, I volunteered and photographed at a wildlife sanctuary, where every animal is given another chance at life. By sharing the stories of these animals, I hope to evoke concern and motivation to live in compassion with our fellow species.
Volunteer feeding an orphaned joey
Joeys who are brought into the sanctuary as orphans or who have injured mothers are fed with milk several times a day
Female kangaroo with cataracts
Kangaroos with cataracts have trouble finding food getting around and are left behind by the mob This kangaroo with cataracts is safe at the sanctuary and is a permanent resident
Dead joey of a kangaroo killed in a car crash
Each year millions of animals are killed on the roads in Australia This joey was dead when found and would have been too small to hand raise even if alive
Volunteer bathing a kangaroo with skin issues
For a long time this sanctuary battled a skin issue which affected many animals in care To cure the problem animals were bathed regularly under sedation and given medicine
Burnt ears of a bushfire survivor
This female animal was one of the few survivors of the catastrophic fires She suffered awful burns all over her body but has now made full recovery
Amputated forearm
This amputated forearm belongs to an animal who had an open forearm fracture After the successful amputation the kangaroo was released into the wild where he became the leader animal
Volunteer doing physiotherapy with an injured animal
This female fell down a hill and as a result her joey died inside her pouch and the animal suffered mobility issues After much effort she made a full recovery
Young animal caught up in a fence
Fencing is a deadly problem for wildlife in Australia as many animals end up getting entangled This kangaroo only lost her toe and was successfully released about 2 months later
Volunteer spending time outside with an orphaned wombat
This orphaned wombat was separated from his mother during torrential rain He had been attacked by another wombat and subsequently found alone at a shed
Freely roaming animals at the sanctuary
Besides in care animals the sanctuary has a freely roaming population on its property This population is fed pellets to ensure the animals stay in the safety of the sanctuary
