Inspiring People in Conservation

On this 'Inspiring People' page, we would like to share with you some of the many people who have inspired and encouraged us with their contribution to the environment in Western Australia.
There are so many people actively helping the wildlife, flora, soil, waterways and the oceans that we can't possibly tell you about them all. But when we meet some inspiring people or come across an inspiring group or organisation we will share a little about them and what they do on this page.
These people are helping the environment and working to make it a better place for both now and for generations to come. Read their stories and be inspired.

back to Wildlife WA

"When we bought this property we never thought it would end up as a sanctuary for orphaned and injured wildlife, but it did when one little Joey named Sadie came into our lives, and we fell hopelessly in love with her."
"Back then in 1996 it was not really a sanctuary, but a loving home for one little Roo, but then Katie, another Joey, arrived, and then Rosie, and then the twins - Molly and Polly - and Sevvy, and Heidi - and then oh so many others. Sharing our home with so lots of furry hoppers we decided on the name Roo Gully."
"People soon began to bring other animals, and birds, all needing help, and very slowly we discovered we had become a wildlife sanctuary."

"When Sadie came to live with us we read many books, hoping to learn all we could about kangaroos, but we soon discovered the books said different things, then Sadie started doing things the books said kangaroos should, or could, not do. We knew then we had to study our little roo and learn from her, and the others that later joined her.
We have learned that roos are much more intelligent than many think. Some people think if an animal obeys commands from a human, like a dog when you tell it to sit, then it must be intelligent. Because roos don't obey us in this way some say they are less intelligent, but we have discovered they are very clever animals. They have good memories, they remember many things and they can communicate with each other.

The first thing we learned was how easily they would accept human care. A marsupial, because it develops inside a pouch, bonds very closely with its mother. For many months it listens to her heartbeat, feels the pouch tightening when she runs and hops, smells her eucalyptus breath on its body when she pops her nose inside the pouch to clean her baby, and so if she dies the Joey is thrust into a terrifying world of silence. It hears nothing!
When a Joey comes into care we hold it close to our chests, and it hears our heartbeat, it becomes familiar with our smell and soon gets used to the way we move.Finding out the reasons why a Joey accepts a human as its mother was the first of many things we learned.
But please remember we are still learning.Every day we see something new, and by making careful notes and filming what we see, we try to pass on new information. I often speak at schools and I always tell the students that although they might think we know a great deal about kangaroos we do not. We probably only know a very small amount about them, and this is why we encourage all those interested in animals to work hard at school and then maybe they can continue the work we have begun and hopefully learn more and more to pass on to others"

"Because the kangaroos at Roo Gully have grown up here they see Roy and myself as part of their mob, and they treat us as mob members. This allows us to enter their world, and means what we do learn is straight from them.
When we raise a Joey we try and do this just as its natural mother would have done. They live down our shirt, they even sleep with us when they are little. When they are older we take them for little walks on the lawn, teaching them how to go to the toilet, and very slowly, staying close by and never leaving them we introduce them to the outside world and the other kangaroos, which will be their new family. As the Joey's get braver we even teach them how to box and play, but we never tease an animal. This is wrong. Playtime is fun for all.
Yes the thing we like most is knowing that the roos at Roo Gully see us as part of their family, and that is a great privilege."

"We have been very lucky setting up our sanctuary because we have tremendous support from our community, from the wildlife officers with Conservation and Land Management, and are extremely lucky in having a very supportive vet. This has made it easier for us.
Caring for wildlife can be expensive.Joey's have to be fed on special milk formulas, they need pouches, and when they are older and food in the bush gets scarce you have to supplement their diet to keep them healthy. Fencing is very expensive, but we have been helped with all these.
The men who work for the Shire of Boyup Brook, where we live, give us the posts so we can continue building our huge boundary fence. This is a great help and means for every post they give we have more money to spend on the proper wire. Farmers bring us hay, grain and some of the materials needed to build roo shelters in the paddocks. A local trucking company transports wire and food for the roos down from Perth for free. Friends make pouches for the joeys, and we also receive many donations from people who visit Roo Gully.
One of the biggest expenses can be veterinary care, but Uncle Jules, as we call Dr. Jules Vandenbergh from Collie Veterinary Hospital in Collie, treats all the animals in our care for free, and very kindly lets us buy any drugs we need at cost price. Many of the animals at Roo Gully enjoy a good quality of life because of him, and we can never thank him enough.
One difficulty can be getting recognised by CALM. While we do not agree with all CALM policies, and no doubt they do not agree with all our theories, we have built a good rapport with many of their senior officers, and they are very supportive of our work.This has certainly made life easier."

"The most exciting event was when Katie gave birth to Tingle in my office! That was amazing.
But the real reward of working with wildlife is successfully raising one. Every morning we get the same thrill when we open pouches and cuddle the little ones we have fed through the night. When they are young and often sick or injured we just go from day to day, each one being nearer to success.; To see them grow and become adults is overwhelming, and when I sit among the roos in the paddocks I cannot believe how little and sick some were. To see them as healthy and very happy adults is the best reward you can ever receive."

"More than you can ever imagine! We get phone calls and e mails from all over the world asking to help roos and other Australia wildlife in trouble. Often we just act as the middle man and find the veterinary expert needed, but sometimes, especially in life threatening emergencies we have been very much involved.
A few months ago we received a phone call from the USA. A young roo had been accidentally locked in a small barn. Not surprisingly she had panicked and when found was badly hurt and suffering from stress, which can kill a roo. Immediately I asked the man I was in touch with to get on the Internet; then I rang Jules and typed his instructions via e mail to the USA. The man who had rang relayed them via mobile phone to the vet rushing to the scene. It was a very stressful two hours, and sadly the roo died.; Thankfully we do have many successes.
Only recently we helped a young albino wallaby in the UK, that had cataracts.(cataracts are when the eyes are grown over by a film and the eyes can no longer see). Working with Beanie's keeper we found vets in Australia who could tell the English vets how to operate on his eyes. The operation was successful and Beanie can now see."

We personally found the work that this couple do very inspiring. Carol and Roy carry out detailed research into Kangaroo behavior, reproduction, wildlife caring, and they share their knowledge and skills both nationally and internationally. The Kangaroos are permitted to come into the house and showed affection to this incredible caring couple It was obvious that these people have found harmony with their animals and that the animals have found security and peace with these people. You are, inspiring people."
If you know any one who has inspired you with what they are doing in any way with the Australian environment and wildlife let us know . We must be able to contact these people to interview them.