Colleen Wood, Manager of Southern Wildlife Shelter (SAWS), with three of the koala’s rescued during the fires of Feb 2009.
Image: Megan Capildeo
Source: Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter
Colleen’s Story – Caring for Wildlife
Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter (SAWS) was started in 1994 by Colleen Wood at her home in Rawson, Gippsland.
Colleen’s passion for koalas and wildlife started early in her life:
“Our family holidays were spent at our holiday house on Phillip Island, where, when I was five, I had my first encounter with an adult koala, who had decided to perch himself on one of our fence posts. I was enchanted by its teddy bear appearance, beauty and uniqueness – too awestruck to reach out and feel its grey, soft fur.
“My whole family was and still is animal orientated. My childhood was spent aiding strays, running the school farm and reading all I could about animals.
“I did veterinary work and studied zoology. Eventually life’s course led me to move to the country, marry, and become a mum. A serious motor vehicle accident made me question my life’s direction. Injured wildlife began to venture across my path and the local DSE, aware of my background and interest in wildlife care and rehabilitation, soon began bringing me injured animals – ringtail possums, Leadbeater’s Possums, wombats, birds and koalas. I was then taken on as foster carer under a wise, honest, common-sense, shelter operator. Around this time my husband and I separated and all my time was then thrown into the wildlife.
“Due to the diversity and uniqueness of fauna in the region my experience soon began to expand beyond that of those around me. Wildlife carers in the Gippsland region were very sparse then. I networked and questioned all who could answer. The closest wildlife shelter to me was lady called Ellen Anders. Her specialist field being koalas and when she decided to retire she taught me the basics and handed me the koalas she had in care. I was awestruck! From that day forward my life incorporated these amazing creatures – every minute of each day spent observing, caring for, reading/studying all I could and working in unison with the same vets who had worked with Ellen.
“I began administration work for the DSE and remarried a DSE employee – who is now a Fire Management Officer. Our children, three girls, have literally been raised alongside orphan koala joeys.
“The summers became hotter and longer and DSE crews would bring back to the shelter burnt wildlife – each year the number of those fire affected increased. With Dr Anne Fowler we finally worked out a basic but good burns treatment protocol in which to follow. Each day I continue to learn and educate – with my ultimate goal of one day being able to establish a Burns/Koala Hospital in the Gippsland region, where wildlife can be successfully rehabilitated for release, and information and scientific research shared.”1
Koalas - a specialised field
Colleen’s shelter is one of only a few shelters in Victoria that have the expertise and capacity to treat and rehabilitate koalas.
Koalas are not easy to rehabilitate. They are a complex animal, requiring specialised understanding, treatment and care. In addition to the original symptoms that they bring with them to a shelter, there are often other hidden medical issues that need to be identified and managed.
Their healing is slow. The koalas with open wounds remain in the shelter on average for three months. Joeys stay at the shelter until they reach a safe age for release, which is 15 months for males and 18 months for females.
Koalas are a high maintenance animal. The care regime is very time consuming, requires considerable resources to support, and is very physically demanding with feeding regimes and the twice-daily collection of eucalyptus.
Colleen has established a substantial reputation for her expertise and understanding of koalas and their particular needs. The success of the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter is a measure of Colleen’s extraordinary dedication, capacity for hard work, her expertise to interpret and manage the challenges of each animal, and her talent to inspire and maintain a strong support team of family and volunteers.
Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter
Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter (SAWS) was started in 1994 by Colleen Wood at her home in Rawson, Gippsland.
The role of SAWS is to care for and rehabilitate injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife, specialising in koalas, and enable their successful release back to suitable habitats. Most of the work of SAWS is based on the needs of the Gippsland region, but they are one of only a few shelters that specialises in burns injuries and accepts difficult koalas and fire victims from across Victoria.
SAWS is typical of the voluntary, unpaid wildlife shelters across Victoria. It operates as a not-for-profit, volunteer organisation. Colleen manages SAWS in an unpaid capacity. While the shelter receives no funding and is eligible to receive donations, this does not cover the total costs of operation. In addition to the significant contribution of their time and home, Colleen and John Wood also pay for any outstanding costs from their own private resources; sometimes this represents thousands of dollars a year.
Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter Incorporated in April 2009 and the SAWS Inc. Public Fund is overseen by a Committee of Management. SAWS Inc. is listed on the Register of Environmental Organisations and all donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.
Notes
1. Based on the biography prepared by Colleen Wood for the Koala Conference in Lismore, May 2009.