‘It’s like brand new’

‘It’s like brand new’

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Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre volunteer Carolyn Lewis with Ava the Kangaroo. Photograph — Aaron Van Rongen.

It was old, there was no roof and it needed a lot of work, but for Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre volunteer Carolyn Lewis, the portable office became a mission that needed to be done to take care of sick and injured animals.

Ms Lewis thought a wildlife clinic would provide much needed services to the centre and for more than five years she has worked hard to have the clinic look as it is today.

Although the wildlife clinic is already in operation there was still some work that needed to be done and Ms Lewis would not stop until the place looked like she had planned.

It took her eight weeks to scrap all the interior of the building and, even though this affected her joints and muscles, she continued and painted it until all the rust and spots were removed.

Recently being bitten by a feral cat gave her blood bacteria poisoning and she was forced to take a rest for some months before getting back into action.

Ms Lewis wants the clinic to become an open door for visitors who want to find out all about the different animals they have at the centre.

“We have a lot of animals and people don’t normally see them but I do,” she said.
“I come out at five o’clock in the morning with the dingoes and we pretend to be hunting so we can find little animals digging in our land.”

She wants people in the community who spot injured animals close to the centre to bring them over to the clinic.

Ms Lewis also said that she wants to find volunteers or veterinary students to help her with the clinic operations in the long run.