About US
THE FOUNDERS
Theresa & Tony “Scruff” Matthews
Our Haven Wildlife Shelter Inc. is the reason we get out of bed every morning and not just because we often have upwards of 30 little mouths needing bottles at dawn.
Our love for these precious creatures is without limits. We look around our home and property knowing that none of these beautiful animals would be alive today if they hadn’t been rescued (most often from hit-and-run drivers) and entrusted into our care.
We have not had a holiday since we started this venture in 2010, but we don’t mind going without as we love and care about our wildlife and believe they are worth it.
At our property now, we can ‘soft release’ our orphans and rehabilitated wildlife safely and naturally; where they can go off and live their wild lives but return when they want to say hello or if they ever need help.
We are authorised by the state of Victoria to care for our wildlife.
THe cost
Being a wildlife carer is a calling. While it feels deeply rewarding, the emotional and financial costs are draining.
Every morning we get up before sunrise to make upwards of 100 bottles and feed the mob we have in care before we even think of breakfast for ourselves. Joeys are fed specialised kangaroo milk formula until they are eighteen months of age. On average, we go through 20 kgs of wombaroo milk every 18 days. That’s roughly $1,000 just in milk formula alone each month!
Depending on what age they are when they arrive it takes $1,000 - $3,000 to raise a single joey, and that’s only if they don’t require any medical support. We even sacrifice using water for ourselves wherever possible to make sure we have enough for our fur family, not only to drink but so that there is some green grass for them to eat.
Eastern Grey kangaroos are the most challenging animals in the world to hand-raise, they can easily die of stress. Stress not only from fear but also heartbreak. Many carers won’t take them due to the crushing emotional pain we experience when they don’t make it. Even fewer carers have the property to soft-release them properly, making our mission that much more important to the roos.
Our mission
Just twenty years ago we couldn’t imagine that koalas would ever be on the endangered species list by 2023, as they seemed to be everywhere. We don’t want to risk that ever being the case for our national icon, our beloved kangaroo.
Our mission is to rescue as many kangaroos and wallabies as we possibly can while helping other wildlife along the way. Our goal has always been to raise them properly so that they can return to the wild, live their best lives and procreate.
So far we have had a high success rate due to our dedicated and uncompromising 24/7 care.
Unfortunately, our mission isn’t possible without your help.
what we do matters
Of the original 60 plus species of kangaroos, (unique only to Australia) 29 are now threatened and 11 are EXTINCT
Think about that for a moment: we will NEVER see 11 types of kangaroos ever again!
Please do your part, don’t purchase anything made of kangaroos, help us stop the slaughtering of these beautiful gentle creatures.
Sadly, more than 550 of Australia’s native animals are at risk of being lost forever.
You too can save a life
Slow down 10 - 15km under the speed limit from dusk until an hour after dawn.
Chances are much higher you won’t hit the wildlife foraging for something green at the side of the road. Remember, a toot from your horn will move them away faster than your lights.
If you see any wildlife that has experienced a hit & run, please, please call one of the local wildlife organizations. Google the number now and save it to your phone.
Local Awareness
We do the very best we can to raise local awareness:
giving talks at local clubs and events
providing early learning opportunities speaking at schools & libraries
A documentary film crew filmed our lives for a few weeks to produce Episode 5, season 2 of Animal Planet’s - Dodo Heros in 2019 (now streaming on Apple TV and Foxtel).
if you have an idea of how we can boost awareness and save more lives, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
You can be a wildlife hero
The cost of raising a kangaroo joey ranges from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on how young it is when it comes into our care, and that’s if it doesn’t need any medical support.
Your donations are used for specialised Wombaroo lactose-free kangaroo-specific milk formulas created for the different stages of their development until they are 18 months old, immune-strengthening colostrum, bottles, teats, pouches, hay, pellets and snacks for enrichment.
Donations over $2 are tax deductible.