6 days ago
Hope the calf receives lifesaving care in an unlikely place
Backyards in Karratha are no stranger to animals — dogs, cats, fish and chickens are all common pets.
The town's remoteness, 1,630 kilometres north of Perth, means native animals like snakes and lizards are commonplace too.
But recently a different animal has caught the town's attention.
A calf called Hope has spent recent weeks in Kyle Wilson and Kahlia Jezek's backyard recovering from an injury and sickness.
While there she has become a popular member of the household.
Mr Wilson, a gold prospector, was travelling through remote Pilbara country when he spotted the calf.
"I was in the car with Bear, my dog, and he put his head out of the window and had a look, like there was something there," he said.
Mr Wilson, experienced in handling animals, noticed it did not move when he approached which "raised some alarm bells".
He realised "if I leave her here she won't last a day".
So Mr Wilson loaded Hope into the car and told his partner he was bringing home a special delivery.
"I think I dropped everything," Ms Jezek said.
"I wasn't really expecting it, but half expecting it, because I know what Kyle's like.
"Lo and behold here was this calf, so I was on mum duties and have been ever since."
Mr Wilson said he called the nearby Karratha cattle station to see if anyone was missing her, but it was unclear where the calf from.
He asked station manager Dave Rutherford if they could help, and what he should do.
"[Dave] was pretty happy for me to take her home and do the rehabilitation because, as you can imagine, the guys on the station are flat out," Mr Wilson said.
Katy Davis, a local veterinarian with a specialty in large animals, said Hope was around five months old.
She warned that caring for cattle was no easy task.
"There are a lot of complexities when it comes to cattle. We can't just pick up a calf and expect them to be like a dog or cat," Dr Davis said.
She said anyone who cames across injured farm animals should contact the station, wildlife authorities or local government rangers.
It was not an easy homecoming for Hope, with compounding health issues in addition to an injured back leg.
The vet also identified acidosis — a condition where the acid level in the body rises due to dehydration.
As a result the couple were waking up every hour through the night to feed and care for her.
Although it was "touch and go" for a period, Hope managed to get through the complications.
It was this perseverance that gave Hope a bit of online fame — literally earning her name "Hope" via a social media poll.
Mr Wilson and Ms Jezek decided to fundraise to help pay for Hope's compounding vet bills by offering cuddles for a small donation.
"We [still] need to figure out what's going on with her back leg," Mr Wilson said.
Before long, Hope gained her own online popularity.
"I think we had about 40 people around on Sunday, it's been amazing," Ms Jezek said.
"Lots babies coming to meet a cow for the first time.
"But I think the mums come in and say 'it's for the babies' when it's really for the mums."
The couple has raised nearly $3,400 with the money to go towards ongoing care and transport.
It is normally prohibited to keep a large animal like a cow in a residential backyard, but the City of Karratha has granted a temporary compassionate pass for the two carers.
Ultimately, Hope's future includes travel to a vet clinic near Perth so her back leg can properly heal before she moves to "her forever home", a hobby farm near Denmark where she can live out her days.
Ms Jezek knows the move is what is best for Hope, but she was already dreading the goodbye.
She said the experience of caring for Hope had given her a new purpose in life and she now wants to do more in the animal rehabilitation space.
They plan to visit Hope as soon as they can.
