Hello again

Today I am the hospital nurse which means I am responsible for looking after all the animals in hospital and quarantine.

In hospital we have 3 Black Breasted Button Quails (otherwise known as BBBQ!) who have been in quarantine and are leaving the zoo tomorrow. We also have 4 male budgies that have recently arrived from Cleland also in quarantine, and one very cheeky echidna. This echidna, we suspect, was hit by a car - a member of the public took it to their local vet clinic who then brought it to us. After anaesthetising it we discovered that it has 2 fractured ribs and a minor fracture of its beak, which means that it will require some intensive nursing before we can hopefully release it back to where it was found. So far so good, echidnas are very good escape artists, and this echidna even with a fractured beak and ribs is a challenge to look after.

Later during the day a wild juvenile female koala was brought in - this koala we also suspect may have been hit by a car. She was unable to climb back into a tree to perch and was found by a member of the public. Luckily she does not have any fractures only soft tissue damage, so she will stay in the health centre for the next week, resting before we release her.

Paula