During January I set out on the road seeking adventure and escape. At some point along the way we were lucky enough to save a koala and the highlight of the trip – hold a baby wombat. Read on to hear the full story and learn what the amazing people at Our Haven Wildlife Shelter are doing for orphaned Australian animals.

On our way to Victoria I took over the wheel and after a couple of hours driving (typical) I began to get drowsy, so we pulled over to swap. As we came to a stop we noticed a koala sitting under some trees to the side of the highway quite awake but just sitting, it was clear after closer inspection though that he wasn’t well so we called WIRES and stood by for help to come.

WIRES were doing all they could to get help but we appeared quite far from any of their volunteer rescuers so with their direction we approached the house nearby who may be aware of a ranger in the area who could collect the koala and take it to a nearby vet. That’s where we met Eileen (who is basically a professional dog patter - aka animal massage therapist). It turned out she knew of a lady called Theresa just 5 minutes up the road who has a wildlife shelter. She was in the middle of ‘feeding’ and not able to drive to us so following her instructions of caution (adult koalas have huge claws and a nasty bite and are wild animals so will act defensively if feeling threatened) we threw a thick blanket over Bruce (the koala) and lifted him carefully into a tub and into Eileen’s boot.

When we got to Theresa’s and Tony, her husband, transferred Bruce into a proper cage (which they could then take him to a vet safely for examination and treatment). She invited us in to see some of the injured/recovering and orphaned animals. This is where we met GI Jane the baby wombat whose mum had been hit by a car and a number of joeys, roos and swamp wallabies with similar stories.

Theresa and Tony run @ourhavenwildlifeshelter a not-for-profit that help bring these animals back to health or to a suitable age for release. They truly are angels and give so much of their time and energy to help make a difference. Working second jobs (Theresa in palliative care) to help keep their shelter going they rely a lot on donations to cover costs from formulas and food, to emergency and vet bills which all fall on them. If you want to make a tax deductible donation to help the animals in their care please head to their website http://ourhavenwildlifeshelter.org.au/

Bruce was taken into the vet and examined, finding fractures to his spine. He’s still in recovery 6 weeks on but is doing well and will heal in time. Our Haven Wildlife Shelter assured me that all animals in care that need pain medication are always given pain relief.