Cyclone-affected wildlife to be given helping hand

Native animals caught in the devastation of a tropical cyclone will receive much-needed care as a mobile wildlife hospital heads into the disaster area.

Hundreds of turtle hatchlings, dolphins, seabirds, sea snakes and reptiles washed up on Western Australian shores after tropical Cyclone Narelle slammed into the state’s northwest in late March.

The storm reached category four with winds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour and heavy rain near the coastal town of Exmouth, about 900 kilometers north of Perth.

It ravaged the nearby World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, killing most of its inhabitants and leaving the survivors injured, malnourished and homeless.

But on Monday, a 24-tonne mobile veterinary hospital operated by Wildlife Recovery Australia will arrive in Exmouth to care for those left behind.

The veterinary team will work with WA Wildlife, Balu Blue Foundation, International Animal Welfare Fund and local volunteers to care for kangaroos, dingoes, wallabies, seabirds, turtles and even an emu with a broken toe.

“This is wildlife habitat, their homes are being completely destroyed and completely displaced, often with catastrophic consequences,” Wildlife Recovery Australia CEO Stephen Van Mil told AAP.

As climate change makes disasters such as floods, fires and hurricanes more common, Dr. Van Mil called on governments to take action at all levels.

“Governments need to take responsibility, but it’s up to volunteers and nonprofits like us to sort out this mess,” he said.

“Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate of any country in the world… We have a terrible record and we cannot let this continue.

“We must prioritize our wildlife.”

Tropical Hurricane Narelle stopped a year’s worth of rain in coastal areas in one day, knocking out power to hundreds of homes, flooding roads and destroying crops.

Residents were warned that cleanup could take weeks.