On January 2, 2015, a feral fire scorched nearly 30,000 acres of bushland in Southern Australia. Dozens of homes were turned to ash and countless animals were killed or displaced.
When images of koalas injured in the Adelaide Hills bushfire surfaced, many kindhearted individuals with sharp knitting skills sent organizations like the International Fund for Animal Welfare tons of mittens for the marsupials’ burnt little paws.
“It’s mitten central here,” IFAW’s Jilea Carney told The Guardian. “We’ve got enough now for at least next year as well.”
That’s the kind of news that would make anyone jump for joy — unless you’re a poor baby kangaroo or a wallaby that was also injured in the bushfire’s inferno of destruction.
Now the IFAW and the Adelaide Zoo, where many injured animals are now residing, are asking the public to knit pouch liners for needy baby kangaroos (or "joeys") and wallabies…
Injured wallabies and joeys require more intensive treatment than the koalas injured in the bushfire.
“The cases we’re dealing with require around-the-clock care treating sores and blisters, removing dead skin, and cleaning and dressing burns to feet, tails, claws and ears to avoid infection,” Adelaide Zoo Vet David McLelland told The Guardian.
Though the joeys at the zoo are doing well and should be able to return to the wild, they are still orphaned and need makeshift pouches to fully recover.
So get sewing! They need a ton! “A carer can go through around six pouch [liners] a day,” Carney said. “After every feed they need to be changed and washed.”
The liners should be made from cotton, but for more specific directions, a pattern is available on the group’s website.
For more info and directions on how to make these liners, go to IFAW's site. Please SHARE this important information with everyone you know, so we can help these poor animals recover!
