“He had been in the position where we found him for four days,” said Salina, adding that the house was located across the road from where new housing was being constructed. “We initially thought he was stuck but he’d actually dug himself in.”

They were able to gently move the echidna and take him to a vet where he was found to have a scratched beak and injured leg.

Affectionately known as Fatty, the echidna was a very large example of his species, although it wasn’t possible to tell whether it was in fact male or female.

“He was massive, he would fill the bottom of a plastic garbage bin,” said Bec.

“He loved his food but because of his sore beak, he had to be encouraged to go foraging for food."

This was achieved by first using a bowl with sections that the echidna had to lick around and then using an enrichment feeder that Bec has made for captive echidnas.
The same is true for possums and gliders. They must be released as close to their rescue location as possible.

Would you like to give a Christmas present to an echidna? Watch our short video  to find out how… it might not be as easy as you first think!

Another one of our wildlife heroes is Sydney Arborist Kai. This year alone, he has helped trained WIRES volunteers to release around 20 possums where they can continue their lives in the wild.
He said it’s very satisfying to be able to put these rehabilitated animals back into nature where they belong.

You can help us to answer more calls to help possums and echidnas this summer. It’s easy to make a secure donation to our current appeal