The story behind Our Haven
How did Our Haven come to be?
In 2010 after moving into our new home in Golden Beach my husband Scruff was in our front garden when a car pulled up and called him over. The people in the car handed him an unfurred eastern grey joey and drove off with no explanation.
Scruff came to me shocked, and we wondered what we were to do with this little bub.
After warming the tiny pink fella up I started ringing around to find a home for him with a registered carer believing there would be abundance of carers in Gippsland as I knew there were in the Mornington Peninsula. Countless calls with no response I began to worry. I knew this little one needed milk, but I had no idea what type of milk or teats were needed or where to get them. So off to Google I went with my questions.
After gathering my information I sent my husband off armed with a list of what we needed to help this little bub, now named Bobby survive the night.
Day 2 finally someone returned my call only to tell me there were very few carers in our area - all of which were full to capacity and unable to care for this beautiful little boy. I was told he would have to be euthanized.
My heart broke looking into this healthy little boys eyes. There was no way I could let that happen. So that was the day that changed my life forever. That was the day that I decided to become a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitation shelter.
Next, I had to find an existing shelter to take me on to train me as a carer. Happily, I found a beautiful lady willing to give me a chance.
I had no concept of how hard it is to bring up an Eastern Grey Kangaroo. It is said they are one of the most challenging animals in the world to hand raise, as they stress very easily and stress can quickly compromise them to the point of death.
They are by far the most labour-intensive of all of the macropods to rear. For this reason, not many carers will take them on. Between their need for 24/7 care and their many sensitivities that can easily kill them, the heartbreak can be crushing. To know them is to love them, with your whole heart.
So far I have had a high success rate. While we have not had a holiday since we started this venture it has given us a purpose in life like any other. Almost every day we are forced to make some sort of sacrifice, but we don’t mind going without, as we love and care about our wildlife from the depths of our souls. We know they are worth it.
Theresa Matthews
At Our Haven Wildlife Shelter, we do our best to physically look after as many kangaroos as we possibly can, it’s exhausting and financially overwhelming - but this is our calling.
Thank you for your love and support!
