Watching Kangaroos bound across his property in Yarrambat is a common sight for Brent Harvey and his family, but finding injured ones is also becoming a regular occurrence. Recently, the North veteran discovered a large adult female wounded on his front lawn and was forced to call the local ranger to put it out of its misery.
"It must have been hit by a car and then limped its way into my yard," Harvey explained.
"It's sad to see but unfortunately it's happening a lot with more and more houses going up on land which these animals inhabit."
The incident, along with other unpleasant experiences with injured fauna, has prompted the 36-year-old to join Wildlife Victoria as an ambassador to help raise awareness about the organisation's work and the Kangaroos' plight.
"I encourage people to support Wildlife Victoria and to take more care when they're in rural and semi-rural areas where there's a lot of wildlife. We've taken over their habitats in a lot of cases and need to be mindful of them."
Wildlife Victoria has been operating for more than 25 years and receives no government assistance. Last year alone it received more than 5,500 calls for emergency assistance for Kangaroos that were displaced, injured by fencing or hit by cars.
“As an ambassador for Wildlife Victoria I can assist in a practical way to support a vital community emergency service which desperately needs more funding to continue its great work,” Harvey added.
Wildlife Victoria is a not for profit registered charity that relies on the generosity of the public for donations and the time, resources and commitment of more than 1500 volunteers. These dedicated people assess, rescue, treat, transport, care and release Kangaroos and thousands of other animals back into the wild.
Many animals are saved from certain death are given a new start in life. Last year the organisation received more than 75,000 calls for assistance and managed to help a remarkable 40,123 animals.
“It is fabulous to have someone of Brent’s calibre to represent our cause through the AFL and general community. Brent’s legendary status in our great home grown game of AFL football will help to strengthen the awareness of the work we do every day in emergency response to our sick injured and orphaned wildlife,” CEO of Wildlife Victoria Karen Masson said.
“Kangaroos dominate our calls for assistance daily as we penetrate further into their habitat, diminishing their food sources and obstructing their ancient pathways. They are amazing creatures that are adored across the world and with Boomers help we can educate more Victorians on how to live successfully and admire our kangaroos.”
To find out more about Wildlife Victoria or to make a donation, click here
