Brushtail possums Easter and Bunny were rescued on Easter Sunday by wildlife shelter volunteers.
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Left fighting for life after a chainsaw accident, a brushtail possum named Easter has defied the odds — but now needs the community’s support to continue to thrive.
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Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter is seeking donations and sponsorship for Easter and her baby, since named Bunny, who were rescued over the Easter long weekend.
Shelter owner Kylee Donkers said they were at the Duck Race Festival on Easter Sunday when they received the call.
“Some people had been cutting down trees with a chainsaw the day before, and they’d actually cut through this possum, but she’d taken off,” Kylee said.
“They assumed that they’d killed it, but then they found her the next day.”
Easter was found in a yucca tree and rescuers used ladders and nets to catch her and Bunny.
Easter was found in a yucca tree after being sliced by a chainsaw.
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“They had sliced through her tail, her leg and her foot... she was a real mess,” Kylee said.
“She lost so much blood, even in the time the boys collected her in Mulwala and got her back here to the shelter, the towels were dripping in blood.
“But once we got the bleeding under control and gave her large doses of pain relief... she was settled and calm.”
Easter lost three toes, which has left her with a slight limp, and has also lost most of her tail, leaving only a stump.
“We’ve seen them in the wild without tails before, and they manage quite well,” Kylee said.
“The wounds have almost completely healed up now, she’s got all her bandages off, she’s finished her antibiotics and pain relief so she’s doing really well.”
Brushtail possums, Easter and Bunny, are now in recovery at Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter and are doing well.
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The next step in Easter’s recovery process is lots of physio and learning to climb again, among other things.
“We do physio with her by changing things around and rather than just putting all her food in a little bowl, we hide the food around the enclosure so she has to climb around to find it,” Kylee said.
“It seems to be working, she’s moving better and better every night.
“One of your biggest fears is how they are going to cope in the future being released with an amputated tail and part of her foot missing...
Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter is seeking donations to help Easter and Bunny.
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“But we think they’ve both got a really good prognosis... Easter is absolutely blowing all of our minds as to how well she’s recovering from the whole ordeal.”
The wildlife shelter is seeking donations to help with Easter’s medical and rehabilitation costs.
To make a donation, email Kylee at dutchthunderwildlife@gmail.com
Kylee also issued a warning ahead of winter that the cutting of firewood could disturb or injure animals, urging people to check trees and logs carefully before cutting.
If you find an injured animal, call the 24/7 wildlife service on 0417 560 910.
People are being urged to check trees and logs carefully before cutting.
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