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Wildlife carer Shai is begging the public to practise extreme caution when conducting hazard reduction burns, after she almost lost 30 kangaroo joeys in a crushing blaze.
An Australian wildlife rehabilitator has warned the public about how quickly hazard reduction burns can spiral out of control in hot, dry weather, after she came close to losing two dozen rescued kangaroos in a devastating blaze.
Queensland woman Shai Ager, founder of The Agile Project, based in the state's north, said she has some 26 kangaroo joeys in her care at the sanctuary — the vast majority of which she rescued after their mothers were killed in car accidents.
Ager told Yahoo News Australia how hot, dry weather saw a nearby controlled burn quickly spread and tear through the area last week. She said hazard reduction burns "have to be done" and play an important role in keeping both wildlife and communities safe from catastrophic fires.
But, she argued, if they're not conducted by experienced individuals with a permit, they can quickly turn deadly. "With control burns, we're all for them, it definitely benefits the natural environment in some ways, but it has to be done by the people that know what they're doing," Ager told Yahoo.
"It needs to be highlighted, the fact that you can just go online and apply for a permit in Queensland."
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Ager explained she was forced to release the joeys due to having no way to protect them from the thick, sweeping fires. They ran off into a nearby creek, which enabled them to stay safe.
In an incredibly lucky twist of fate, all the rescued joeys under the sanctuary's care eventually returned to the property on their own accord, unharmed.
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"I really now just want to make sure that this never happens again," she said.
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Ager said the experience has helped illustrate the importance of a "pre-release" — where animals are set free on large properties or sanctuaries that mimic natural conditions, but where they can still be monitored — when it comes to caring for injured wildlife.
"Because they've been raised in human care, they're always going to be compromised for the rest of their lives. This is why I really believe in a soft and a pre-release because if they do need help out there, they do know to come back [for help]," she said.
"Most macropod species are so socially in tune and they lack the ability to figure things out themselves if they don't have a mob and they don't have a slow transition into the wild. So that's why it's so important. We only have a few of them up here in far north Queensland."
Ager implored the public who come across injured or sick wildlife to immediately contact a professional, even if they look "cute and cuddly", because "babying" them might mean they don't survive in the wild long term.
She said ahead of what's projected to be a warmer-than-average summer, responsible hazard reduction is paramount and people should think twice before embarking on controlled burns without proper experience.
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