Driver warning from police.........

The police in Bendigo have warned drivers to take care when driving on country roads, especially at night here:

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-issue-kangaroo-warning-20101230-19b5b.html

It's a timely warning that should be out in the public domain all the time. When drivers leave the city they should be able to see signs warning them of all the native animals they may encounter as they move into the rural and country areas.

The destruction of all wildlife species on the roads of all states of Australia is enormous. That a driver can not avoid a slow moving echidna or turtle that has ventured onto the road beggars belief and the drivers who kill these animals need to do some real serious self examination. They Are not drivers, but killers, because if they cannot drive round these creatures then how will they have good enough reflexes to avoid killing any child that may run out onto the road in the towns and cities. There are few road conditions where an animal on the road cannot be seen, though there are times, that wombats will run out in front of a car. If drivers who use country roads familiarise themselves with the habits of animals and birds, fewer would be killed.

Any animal on the road is unpredictable. It can get a fright any of a number of sources other than the approaching car. The driver is unable to determine if the animal is road smart or just there for the first time, and doesn't have any idea what it may expect.

Wildlife carers get sick of seeing the animals that are Australia's heritage being killed in large numbers all over the country. The orphaned and injured animals keep too many wildlife carers awake and weeping as they go about the business of trying to save animals that are victims of car collisions, one way or another.

So drive carefully, not only in holidays and on long trips, but all the time.

This is a perennial warning that should be heeded.

Starting Somewhere:

There will probably be many cute and interesting photographs of Australian wildlife in this blog. Wildlife caring may appear to be idyllic and because we enjoy it we may make it appear so. It involves a great deal of time, work, a huge commitment and a steep never ending learning curve. These obstacles need to be negotiated in this voluntary field.

To make a wildlife shelter work, do its job responsibly and most importantly save and succour these who share their environment with us. Whom we hurt with just about everything we do as western civilization human beings in need of justification for our existence, one needs to have patience in abundance, and dedication. That's also probably why wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is left to volunteers and not to a business and paid personnel. There are no set hours, their is no set time, and one must sometimes fight to the bitter end for a small living being and when all is finally lost to remember the others in care as well. Move on.

Human beings have a terrible burden taught by society. That being, to think they must do something, must fashion something out of the world they have found themselves born into and dwell within for a short time. This driving force is indoctrinated into the species and is heightened in those who find greed a large portion of their make up. Those who have large egos and those who need to feel the fabric of power are even more zealous in pursuit of trying to justify their existence.

There are all manner of volumes and gradients of these traits, and that's why wildlife carers are required. Because those who have the above mentioned flaws, fail to take into consideration other beings of their kind, or other species. Therein lies the problem that impacts upon all life and this planet upon which it resides.

Evolution is a dirty word to many people, because it suggests slow progress, when immediate gains are demanded and receive the accolades. Yet evolution is on going and it can only be hoped that the humans and the animals wildlife carers help, will be able to evolve quickly enough to survive the increasing greed and power that is sought by so many.

Habitat Loss

Habitat loss is one of the main pressures on not only Australian wildlife, but wildlife world wide, and it doesn't need to be like that. But that's for another time.

However with so much habitat being lost, it's impossible for wildlife carers and shelter operators to remain out of the political arena, demanding that no more is lost till there is an audit of what's still surviving. A detailed study about how the habitat can be retained, reintroduced to urban areas and how people can live within that habitat of our native wildlife and enjoy it no less than they do their “landscaped” gardens.

The clever species of this planet should not need to bulldoze everything flat and start building from scratch, that is the brute force imbecile species that works in this way. The clever species studies, explores and finds ways to move into an environment to complement their lifestyle and have very little impact on what is already there. Leave that which has evolved over millennia, stood the test of time and has an existing ambiance and energy which can be utilised for best experience and practice of human species.

This is the new frontier of course, to be able to design living areas and wellbeing for all people of the planet within the confines of existing environments. Forests, deserts, mountains, plains and every kind and mix in between. There is infinite choice, and living in these environments without bulldozing everything, without using materials that create pollution, without any but the most minimal disturbance. This is where the pioneers of our race will venture and become expert. Or so it can only be hoped.