When long-nosed potoroo and EcoSanctuary resident Betty Boop fell seriously ill, EcoSanctuary staff at Tatachilla Lutheran College had to act decisively to help Betty Boop and her joey Ozzy survive.
New mum Betty Boop had been struck down with a serious bacterial infection and needed all her energy to fight her illness. Removing little Ozzy temporarily would support her recovery.
Tatachilla EcoSanctuary Coordinator Tom Hurley said that the decision to remove a joey from a mother’s pouch was never taken lightly, and in Ozzy’s case, was made following expert advice from specialist native animal vets.
“Ozzy’s mum had taken great care of him, so although the three-month old joey was only 96 grams, he was in great shape,” Tom says.
“Our veterinary team assessed Ozzy and recommended hand-rearing him while his mum battled her infection.”
Tragically, Betty Boop succumbed to her illness. The EcoSanctuary wildlife team faced the delicate challenge of hand-rearing Ozzy before releasing him into the wild to join the EcoSanctuary’s thriving population of potoroos.
At first, Ozzy struggled with the loss of his mum and the EcoSanctuary team worried that he may not pull through. Under the expert care of Aldinga Veterinary Services, Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue and our wonderful volunteers Jane, Deb and Peter, Ozzy recovered his strength and was transferred to the EcoSanctuary Rescue Centre.
There, the EcoSanctuary’s native wildlife team helped him acclimatise to the sights, sounds and smells of the native wilderness with carefully managed nightly visits from his potoroo family and friends helping him gradually reintegrate into his colony.
Tatachilla Lutheran College students have played an active role in supporting little Ozzy’s recovery. Several classes have quietly observed feeding sessions, with some students crocheting pouches for Ozzy to sleep in.
“The care and kindness of our students have helped Ozzy recover from his misfortune, and the much-needed substitute pouches they made kept Ozzy feeling safe, secure and warm,” Tom says.
Ozzy continues to go from strength to strength. Staff have discharged him from the Rescue Centre and he is roaming free around the EcoSanctuary, where his health and wellbeing continues to be monitored.
“Ozzy recently weighed in at 1 kilogram which is great progress since we took on his care in January because a mature male long-nosed potoroo usually weighs around 1.2 kilograms,” Tom says.
Ozzy’s natural behaviours are flourishing too, and he can be seen foraging in the EcoSanctuary and joining other potoroos in the evenings.
Long-nosed potoroos like little Ozzy were once commonly found in the forests and coastal areas of south-eastern Australia but today are an endangered species in our state. They rely on thick understory vegetation for habitat and protection, but land clearance, introduced predators and inappropriate fire regimes have decimated their natural habitat.
Known as soil engineers, these small, shy marsupials play a vital role in our natural environment. When foraging for food, long-nosed potoroos disperse fungal spores, aerate the soil and assist in reducing fire fuel loads.
Little Ozzy is far along his road to recovery and already playing his part in caring for his natural habitat and educating Tatachilla Lutheran College students about environmental conservation.
“Successfully hand-raising and reintroducing native animals to their natural environment truly takes a community,” Tom says.
“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supporting little Ozzy’s recovery journey; the kindness and care of our staff and students have been invaluable and humbling.”
