The History of Wildlife Rehabilitation

Our main project was raising and caring for Walleroos and Wallabies and to release them into the wild when they were ready - One of the advantages of Roy’s Retreat was that the native animals like the joeys we raised were much closer to “home”. When they were strong and healthy, ready for release, they were already in their right environment. We only had to open the enclosure door, and they were free to go.

Barbara was particularly interested in the survival of the Antilopine walleroo, a kangaroo that is under threat as it is very sensitive to fire, a problem in many areas of northern Australia. Our last project was collecting tissue samples from the ears of Antilopine walleroos for the Australian museum. The samples were used to complete a study of the Antilopine wallaroo's population genetics across its entire distribution, which will lead to improved taxonomy, conservation and management of the species.

Today, Roy’s Retreat Inc primarily cares for birds, which we receive from KANE (Kimberley Animal Nature and Education). Our focus is solely on birds that can be safely released back into the wild. We stopped rehabilitating joeys, mainly due to the devastating 2019 fire, which destroyed millions of hectares. Many animals perished in the fire, and we were forced to purchase large amounts of feed to support both animals and birds through the most challenging period until vegetation grew back. It took several years for wildlife to return but many species are still absent. The fires who occur every year in the Kimberley have a detrimental effect on the environment, which effects every living thing.