Barn Owl
Western Pygmy Possum
Baby Long-necked Turtle
Emergency First Aid
To print a copy
Native Animal First Aid
Do not handle:
- Snakes (contact Eagles Heritage)
- Sea Snakes or Octopus
- Bats - Only immunised carers can handle them
- Adult kangaroos – They cannot be rehabilitated and must be euthanased by a qualified officer
If you see an injured or sick native animal and decide to check it:
Pull off the road and park in a safe place. Use car hazard lights if necessary.
If the animal is on the road, check for traffic. Ask others to help with traffic.
Approach the animal slowly. When you check the animal, protect your eyes, hands and any other exposed body parts.
Before picking up the animal, secure and cover its head and body with a towel, jumper etc. Then gently wrap it and pick it up. Ensure that it can breathe freely.
Be aware that the animal will be in or will go into shock. Shock can kill an animal quickly and you may not be able to save it. When in shock, the animal will not be calm even though it may appear so.
Be aware that the animal may be unconscious or concussed. It may suddenly become active when it regains consciousness.
If you decide to transport the animal to a carer or a Vet, keep it quiet, covered and warm. It is essential to handle it as little as possible. For car travel, it is important to place the animal in a covered cardboard box. Loosen the cloth around it to allow it to breathe. Record the location of the pick-up for the carer.
If there is a delay in reaching the carer, treat for dehydration. Offer water or water with a little glucose/honey. Never force the animal to take water or food. Continue to keep the animal in a dark, comfortable, ventilated and warm cardboard box until it recovers from shock, which may be 8-10 hours. If you think it has life threatening injuries or you are unsure how sick it is, take it to a Vet or carer as soon as possible.
Mammals
- When handling, hold the tail and at least one hind leg as well as holding the head firmly at the back of the neck. Do not grab a bandicoot by the tail, as it is very fragile.
- Provide warmth and quiet and darkness.
- The animal will be stressed and may try to defend itself by hissing, biting, struggling, scratching, urinating or curling up in a ball. Gently covering the head and body will reduce shock.
- Babies may benefit from being put in a pouch in your jacket, next to your chest.
- If there is bleeding, apply pressure to the wound to reduce blood flow.
- Treatment for dehydration is likely to be needed. Do not feed cows’ milk. Use water mixed with a little glucose/honey trickled into the mouth using an eye dropper or off clean fingers.
- Check the pouch of any dead marsupials for live babies. Also check the surrounding area for wandering young joeys/possums. If removing a joey from a pouch, gently take it out and avoid pulling the tail or legs as these may break.
Ocean Mammals
- Ring DEC, the Dolphin Discovery Centre (Bunbury), FAWNA or Quindalup Fauna Park.
- With whales and dolphins, beware of their flapping tails. Keep stranded animals cool, wet and in particular cover tail and flippers to prevent sunburn. Keep the blowhole free of water and any other obstructions. Do not breathe in air from the blowhole.
- With seals and sea lions, do not get close to the animals as they can inflict serious injury or transmit disease.
- Keep other people and dogs away from any stranded animal.
- Do not put them back into the sea, as they may be ill, resting or moulting (eg. moulting penguins will drown).
Birds
- Cover the body, in particular the beak and face. Cockatoos and parrots must be held behind the head to avoid their powerful beaks. With swans and other waterbirds, extra care needs to be taken when picking them up to avoid eye and face injury to yourself from beaks.
- With all birds, minimise damage to their feathers, wings and neck.
- Swans: gently pin to the ground, grasp the body with hands over the wings, wrap your arms around the body, place under your arm with head facing backwards and grasp the legs with the same hand, facing them forwards. In the car, get someone to nurse, prevent flapping and hold the neck. Swans that can’t fly and are on the ocean need to be rescued. Get the assistance of a boat owner to shepherd them to the shore or catch them Keep them away from the water and then they can be easily caught.
- Baby ducks: They can be contained in an open-weave shirt or pillowcase, as they are likely to jump and escape. Listen for cheeping as some of the clutch may be hiding. Check if the parents are nearby and if so try to reunite the family, rather than taking the babies away.
- Nestlings: If found on the ground and uninjured, try to return them to the nest. If the nest has fallen down, try to fix it back in place in the tree. Stand well away and watch to check that the parents have returned to the nest and are caring for the nestlings.
- Do not handle birds further unless a Vet or carer asks you for information over the phone such as to feel for broken wings or legs.
- Do not feed until you have received advice.
- If there is bleeding, apply pressure to the wound to reduce blood flow.
- Transport to a Vet or carer as soon as possible.
Reptiles
- Do not handle snakes. Call a professional to handle.
- Beware of teeth and claws.
- Do not hold the tail of skinks or smaller lizards as they may drop their tail. Bobtails and larger lizards can be held behind the head whilst supporting the rest of the body from above, not just at the neck.
- Place reptile in a box or cloth bag, eg. pillow case and keep warm. (Do not try to restrain the animal by tying legs or wrapping firmly).
- An injured Freshwater Turtle should be placed in a box and kept in a warm place. Take to a vet. The vet should know that a cracked shell should not be repaired with resin or glue but with breathable gauze (like used on burns).
Turtles then should be dry docked and only placed back into water briefly to feed and drink (water temp between 20-25 degrees).
DO NOT put Saltwater Turtles in freshwater. Treat as for Freshwater Turtles but always use sea water.
Saltwater Turtles have flippers. Freshwater Turtles have webbed feet with claws.