Council crew helps rescue wallaby trapped between rocks at Valentine

newy.com.au – A Lake Macquarie City Council crew rescued a swamp wallaby wedged between rocks in remote bushland off Ruston Road at Valentine on Wednesday 11 February.

The council’s Natural Areas Project Team was working in the area to remove lantana when they spotted the distressed animal, called in Hunter Wildlife Rescue and helped get it to emergency veterinary care before it was placed with a specialist marsupial carer.

Site Supervisor Rezak Boudjema said the team was following a dry creek line to check an unfamiliar patch of bushland when one worker noticed movement and found the wallaby trapped.

“It had clearly been there for quite a long time. It was struggling to get free and so we tried to give it a gentle nudge but there was no reaction,” Mr Boudjema said. “There was this thought: ‘Oh no, it’s got a broken leg or a broken back or something’.”

Mr Boudjema said a Hunter Wildlife Rescue volunteer arrived soon after and worked with the council crew to free the animal, using a cover over its head to reduce stress.

The adult male wallaby was placed into a large plastic carrier and carried out through rough terrain, with Mr Boudjema saying it took about 20 minutes because there were no defined tracks. “I’m really proud of the effort, which showed great teamwork and cooperation,” he said.

The wallaby was taken to the Animal Referral and Emergency Centre at Broadmeadow, where x-rays found no broken bones, before it was handed to a specialist marsupial carer in Lake Macquarie.

Mr Boudjema said the animal had been nicknamed Valentine, “which seemed pretty fitting given where we found him, and the fact it was only a few days out from 14 February”.

Hunter Wildlife Rescue vice president Kerry Walker said Valentine was eating and drinking well. “He’s in excellent care and recovering slowly, with the ultimate goal of being released back in the wild,” she said.

Council Manager City Works Matthew Brogan said the rescue was typical of the Natural Areas Project Team’s work across Lake Macquarie’s bushland and waterways while delivering environmental improvement projects. He said the crew’s work could include searching Slatey Creek at Barnsley by kayak for the invasive Senegal tea plant or trekking saltmarsh at Wyee Point clearing asparagus fern.

“Their work spans rainforests, creek lines, biobanks and coastal dunes, and it plays a crucial role in restoring and protecting our local biodiversity,” Mr Brogan said.