11-Month-Old Joey Survives Bush Fire, Melts Hearts
A recent brush fire in Yarlopp has left hundreds of domestic pets and native animals with injuries and in need of medical attention. The same can be said for 11-month-old joey kangaroo found by Waroona Veterinary Clinic staff members with week old burns that desperately needed to be attended to. Waroona is the only animal clinic in the fire zone and staff members insisted on keeping the clinic running to help those animals who were affected by the brush fires.
Staff members of the clinic were quick to help the young joey and dressed his wounds with Manuka honey and bandages. With his wounds addressed, the little kangaroo’s biggest problem will be a heart condition that could potentially develop due to stressful situations. “He was brought in on Wednesday, and was carrying week-old burns,” Frosina Duckin, head nurse at the clinic, said in an interview with News.com.au. “He was with his mum at first, but she passed away which was a very sad situation. But it takes the mother to die for the joeys to be caught by us.”
In terms of the potential heart condition, the staff is working to keep the joey as happy as possible. “Hopefully we can keep him as stress-free as possible so he can make a full recovery. It’s the damage to their heart that’s induced by stress that can actually kill them,” Duckin explained. A photo of the little joey was shared on the Waroona Vererinary Clinic’s social media page with many people praising the clinic for their efforts with the kangaroo and all of the other animals they have helped.
As for the “little man’s” recover, the road will be a long one. “His burns are quite bad, especially on his hands,” Duckin said. “Everything that contacts the ground gets burnt with these joeys, so his paws, feet and tail all received injuries. Because he has been by himself, and the injuries weren’t treated when they happened, we are a bit worried about infection.” The recent brush fires have taken the lives of two local residents and destroyed over 160 buildings, leaving the clinic overwhelmed with animals in need.
“The second night was the worst as there were fires on all sides except the north. We were lucky with the wind that it didn’t take the clinic. A 10-degree wind shift and it would’ve been a different story,” Duckin explained. “We have never seen anything like it. I’ve never had this many joeys in my life.”
