ZooNooz Article - September 2006

A lot of TLC

The aviaries, ponds, nests and hot boxes in Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Clinic contain animals from near and far - all with unique stories and all needing individual, specialised veterinary and rehabilitation care.

DARILL CLEMENTS spent a day with Wildlife Clinic Manager, Libby Hall, and discovered Taronga's special brand of TLC.

Photographs Jo Nevin

Recovering Ringtail Possum

A large Diamond Python is warming in a hot box. Found at Helensburg by National Park Rangers, it was returned to the bush but appeared again and was taken to a local vet before being transferred to Taronga. It looked very sluggish and an X-ray showed the python was completely egg-bound with about 30 eggs that would have been there since last breeding season. Taronga's Senior Veterinarian, Larry Vogelnest, gently squeezed out two eggs then hoped that once the snake had been warmed up in a hot box, given plenty of fluids and antibiotics, she would be able to pass the eggs and wouldn't require surgery.

In a small bird cage, a Rainbow Lorikeet hops from perch to perch, looking quite perky. This bird was found on a footpath in North Sydney, stumbling and disorientated. It may have flown into a window and become concussed but after some quiet time, observation and warmth, it should be able to return to the wild.

In a much larger bird room along the corridor, a beautiful Black Swan stands awkwardly, leaning to one side as it favours its injured right foot. It was found on a patio at Pymble and brought to the zoo where it has been treated with a range of antibiotics and painkillers. Larry wants its injured foot to heal as soon as possible so the swan can get back into water. If these birds are out of water for too long they can develop a condition known as "bumble foot", which can be more difficult to cure than the injury.

Pandora

An outdoor aviary behind the Veterinary Quarantine Centre, houses seven Ringtail Possums of varying ages - all recovering from the usual urban perils. Most have been orphaned by cat or dog attacks, while others have been found on the streets of nearby suburbs in the pouches of road accident victims. These orphans were painstakingly hand-raised by veterinary staff and now share an outdoor nest while learning to be real possums prior to release.

Opposite the possums' aviary, Veterinary Nurse Gemma Watkinson sits on the edge of a large pond, feeding small fish to three Little Penguins. Gemma likes to give patients names and currently the Clinic is caring for Brenda from Bondi, Perry from La Perouse and Pandora from Port Hacking.

Perry

Sick or injured Little Penguins are regularly brought to Taronga for treatment and are subsequently released off Sydney beaches so they can return to their colonies in Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. These three penguins have numerous difficulties to overcome first. Pandora has a buoyancy problem, a sore foot and an injured pelvis. Perry has a cut to a flipper and is moulting, while Brenda is emaciated from a kidney infection. All three are on antibiotics, antifungals and vitamin-laced fish and are making some progress, so they have been transferred from the hospital to the outdoor rehabilitation pool.

Near the Little Penguin pool is a large, shaded aviary containing a handsome Powerful Owl, the largest of Australia's owl species. Libby Hall is concerned that since January, five Powerful Owls have found their way to Taronga, all with different injuries requiring intensive veterinary treatment. This bird, an adult female, was found at Duffy's Forest, north of Sydney, in May. The owl was thin and lethargic, with blood around her eye and an infected lump on the side of her face. Vets have removed the lump, stitched her up and treated her with antibiotics. Libby is keen to release the rehabilitated owl and would dearly love to follow her progress, and that of other rehabilitated Powerful Owls in the future, but it would need $3,000 for satellite tracking equipment. This would provide data on the survival rate of rehabilitated Powerful Owls and could shed some light on why they are getting into trouble in the first instance.

Powerful Owl

At Darling Harbour Aquarium, Taronga's veterinary staff has another patient to care for. In May, a 94 kg Green Turtle was brought to Taronga from Port Stephens. The turtle had a deep cut across the middle of its shell - an injury like this is caused by a boat propeller and is, unfortunately, quite common. After emergency treatment at Taronga, the turtle is now in a large, heated pool at the Aquarium and Zoo Veterinarian, Frances Hulst, visits once each week to check on her huge patient. Green Turtles are classified as a threatened species, so with intensive care it will hopefully survive and return to warmer waters north of Sydney.

All these animals have faced misfortune in some way, but they are lucky people care enough about them to bring them to Taronga's experts for TLC and a new start in life.

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