Wildlife carer Carolyn Seeger with six-month-old swamp wallabies Lucy and Dezi.
By Tania Martin
WILDLIFE warrior Carolyn Seeger has welcomed a move to help local carers with the cost of milk supplies.
She said helping hills wildlife carers was now as easy as shopping at IGA in Emerald.
Ms Seeger recently nominated herself and several other carers for the IGA community benefits card program.
“I didn’t think they would let me nominate myself, but when I explained what I do and how hard it is for some carers, they accepted us,” she said.
The community benefit scheme allows for one per cent of money spent by customers at IGA supermarkets to be donated to a nominated charity or community group.
Ms Seeger said the benefit card program would be a great help for many local carers.
“There are three carers I work with who really need the help with buying supplies,” she said.
“It would really help to take the financial pressure off them.”
Ms Seeger said she spent at least $100 a week on milk powder without any extra costs such as heat packs and kangaroo pouches.
“If we (carers) can just save $50 a week on supplies it would be a great help,” she said.
Hills people are now being urged to support the carers by donating funds to the Emerald-Monbulk Wildlife Shelter through the benefit card scheme.
Ms Seeger is also calling for motorists to watch out for wildlife.
“Every day animals are hit by cars – wombats and wallabies are hit all the time because people just don’t slow down,” she said.
Ms Seeger said there was one case recently where two ducks and 15 ducklings were hit by a motorist.
“Everyone just expects wildlife will move out of the way, but how do you expect a family of ducks to be able to move out of the way in time?”
Ms Seeger is currently caring for eight kangaroos, three wombats, two wallabies, four cockatoos, and some lorikeets.
“We won’t have any wildlife left in the hills soon if people don’t slow down,” she said.
