Asking for help is hard
We hate asking for money!
To think Scruff and I raised our human children and worked hard to retire earlier than the average person. We had brought a beach shack in Golden Beach and planned to travel the world, together. Then the universe and one tiny joey changed the course of our lives forever.
We had saved wisely, but we quickly went through those saved funds in the first few years of rehabilitating animals. I had to return to work as a palliative care nurse just to pay for the joey’s milk formulas.
The same way your heart chooses who you love and must spend the rest of your life with is how our hearts became so utterly committed to saving kangaroos and other native wildlife.
Once we experienced the love of our first joey and became aware of the massive losses of our local wildlife, we couldn't turn a blind eye and ignore what was happening around us. How could we?
Then we became known and there was no shutting the door on helpless animals in need. Scruff and I just aren't that way inclined.
Some rumour mongers have said that we chose to become wildlife carers to sponge off people's fortune. What a cruel and awful thing to say and how very naive to not realize how costly wildlife care is. Ours has been a revolving door of expenses for these precious lives since 2009. Since that day we have successfully nurtured and released on average 35-50 every year; back into the wild.
If we could do this work, and save these many souls without fund-raising we would. Asking for money is a terrible feeling.
Unfortunately, since Scruff was forced to retire after two major surgeries we've had to do it even that little bit more. The costs of running a shelter are enormous and so are the personal sacrifices both Scruff and I make.
We know how important it is for our donors to see where their money is going.
Since we do not hold the specific registration and permits required by the government, we can’t open our doors to the public. To do so would be a breach of DEECA conservation legislation as a voluntary registered wildlife shelter.
We do our best to keep our donors up to date with the many animals we have in care through our social media platforms. We allow a peek into our daily lives, while at the same time keeping the really hard and intimate things we go through private.
We love showing where donations have been spent when new infrastructure and projects have been achieved, like new enclosures with undercover areas and shade cloth protection, joey nursery, aviary, wildlife sick room, and volunteer lunch room with toilet facilities.
But our daily operating costs are vast and include: Utilities, Water, Insurance (public liability) Volunteers, Species Specific Hard feeds, Species Specific Milk formulas, Colostrum, Fruit and vegetables, Medications (prevention & treatment), Veterinary clinical consultations, X-rays, blood test, fecal floats, IV fluids, Wound care, Bottles, Teats, Pouches Tools, equipment, Fuel for animal rescues and vet visits, Cleaning products and the list goes on.
Scruff and I were made for each other, I don't know any other couple that could have exposed and shared so much of their lives, home and space with volunteers, social media, and film crews, and be so tired, overworked, stressed, in debt up to their necks while nursing elderly parents and still be going so strong.
We share our stories and the stories of these animals because we want people to love them as much as we do and know that there are things they can do to help, small changes to make big differences.
The ultimate goal for everyone should be not to have our native wildlife end up in care at all, for them to live wild and free with their natural families and environment. As that is just wishful thinking we will keep ourselves dedicated to saving as many as we can.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and the donations that make Our Haven possible.
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!
