Training workshops

Since 1992, ASR team members have conducted training workshops with several wildlife groups along the east coast of Australia from Shoalhaven Heads (south of Sydney) to Noosa in Queensland.

ASR at Ballina has achieved a 92.7 per cent rehabilitation success rate with Pelicans. Workshops can be tailored to suit most wildlife carers' time commitments. The most popular course consists of two days of instruction. Theory of rescue and rehabilitation is covered on Day 1. A practical 'hands-on' day of rescues and estuary reconnaissance is conducted on Day 2.

A nominal fee for the course includes supply of the handbook 'Rescuing the Australian Pelican' and other associated notes.

The theory session includes:

• Assessment of estuaries, bird census techniques and estuarine bird behaviours.
• Capture techniques.
• Transport and handling.
• Assessment of injuries Rehabilitation techniques - (All species) - medications, treatment, feeding,
• Construction of enclosures.
• Release procedures.
• Basic first aid for beach-washed marine turtles.An overview of injury prevention strategies.
• How to approach the media.
• School student education techniques.

The theory day is fairly intense. Seabirds and Pelicans suffer from many diseases and injuries. Each situation requires a good working knowledge of the bird, the injury, and how to address the problem.

Knowing a particular species physiology, nature and behaviour pattern is of paramount importance in all aspects of rescue and rehabilitation.

The practical session includes:

• Boating excursions at the local estuary - bird identification - roosting and feeding sites - assessment of high-risk injury areas.
• Capture techniques from a vessel and/or shore.
• 'Reading the river' - understanding currents, tides and weather - knowledge of sand bars, rock walls, and other boating hazards - reading Maritime Markers.

The practical day is, in short, a whole lot of fun. It may be that only one or two birds are captured or it may be that none are captured at all. However, it provides rescuers with a good working knowledge of their local estuary. When the call for a rescue comes, time is of the essence. Knowing where the bird is likely to be (or travel to) can save many hours of fruitless searching.

For example, in one three month period, the Ballina ASR team rescued 12 pelicans - the average time from phone-call to rescue was 45 minutes. Being in the right place at the right time enabled rescuers to complete one of the captures and release in 7 minutes flat. It should be noted that although all 12 birds were entangled and hooked in fishing tackle, all were able to fly!