Latest news with #ManfredZabinskas
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sad find in dam sparks warning about daily problem in Aussie bush
Scratched, tired and frustrated, after an hour chasing an animal with a busted leg through the bush, Manfred Zabinskas believes something needs to change. Like clockwork, he'll get a call every day that roaming pet dogs have attacked a kangaroo, inflicting serious wounds that need to be treated. When the veteran wildlife rescuer spoke with Yahoo News on Wednesday, he had an orphaned joey in his hands that he was trying to keep warm as cool evening air set in. 'The dog ripped the joey out of her pouch. He leg was hanging off by a thread of skin. And I lost her in an ocean of blackberries and lamandra,' he said. 'I just had to give up and leave her to the foxes. It's sh**.' Just yesterday, he took in a juvenile kangaroo that had been chased into a dam by two dogs. 'They were from a neighbouring property and were allowed to roam by their irresponsible owners,' he wrote on social media last night. Related: Sad but 'truly incredible' detail in kangaroo photos shows hidden bonds among mob The youngster was brought into their care after it was pulled from the mud. 'The little kangaroo joey was exhausted, cold, caked in mud, and terrified. His eyes bulged with fear, but he was too weak to fight or to resist yet another plunge into water,' Zabinskas wrote. 'But this time, the water was warm and soothing, and there was no barking from predators. As we washed the little boy, filthy water flowed from his body, and the fear gradually flowed from his eyes.' Related: Today show slammed for joking about kangaroo attacked by dog Speaking later with Yahoo, Zabinskas confessed that 'things are tough'. If the joey he was holding survives, it'll need regular feeding for a year, something that's hard for most busy people to commit to. While many pet owners do the right thing. Sadly there are many who think it's natural for their dogs to roam in the Australian bush, where they attack and chase marsupials that evolved without the skills to avoid these introduced predators. He's issued a plea for dog owners who visit or live in the bush to do the right thing and keep their pets under supervision. 🐟 Hunt for rare Aussie fish not seen since 1990s 📸 Rare Aussie creatures photographed coming to surface for 'super cool' battle 🌸 Bid to end centuries of 'confusion' around plants at centre of $5 billion industry With his Five Freedoms Animal Rescue shelter already full, he's unsure how he's going to find the time to care for his latest arrivals. Everyone else who volunteers their time to care for the animals around Trentham, northwest of Melbourne is in the same situation. 'We've run out of homes for the joeys,' Zabinskas said. 'I don't know what we're going to do. But it is what it is.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Grisly discovery at bottom of ancient well near Aussie outback town
A bushwalker has made a grisly discovery at the bottom of an ancient well in a tiny Australian gold mining town. Among the broken bricks and twisted metal were dozens of bones believed to have come from the bodies of kangaroos that had fallen into the uncovered "deathtrap". Like a scene from the Indiana Jones movies, what's believed to be a deep, abandoned well was also teeming with live reptiles, including venomous snakes. And that's why veteran wildlife rescuer Manfred Zabinskas was called on for help. 'The person who found the well indicated there were two eastern brown snakes, shingleback lizards and a goanna in there,' the Five Freedoms Animal Rescue founder told Yahoo News. Getting to the edge of the well earlier this month was the easy part. It was a short 30-metre walk across a dry paddock off the main road into Bet Bet, 180km northwest of Melbourne. But getting inside was difficult and required Zabinskas' specialised equipment and skill-set. 'The well wasn't ridiculously deep, but the top access was very dangerous. The ladder was long enough but the rim was very steep and the grass around it was slippery. You could see why animals would just slide in and get trapped,' he said. Determined not to fall, Zabinskas put on his harness and then abseiled down the ladder. But he was not prepared for what confronted him inside. 'There were two bodies still in the process of decay. It was pretty horrible, it stunk. I checked under the rotting carcasses to check nothing was hiding under them, so that was a bit yuck' he said. 'There was also an assortment of dried-out bones spread across the floor, enough to make up a third body.' For the next two hours, Zabinskas worked to lift heavy debris in search of the reptiles that had been spotted in the hole. 'I realised it was going to be a big job and I was going to have to do a lot of digging. There was a big steel stillage that almost broke my back, emptying it to tip it over,' he said. Underneath, Zabinskas discovered two trapped legless lizards, and nearby he found a shingleback lizard. Then hiding between two bricks he spotted the scales of one eastern brown snake. After securing the four reptiles inside bags, he was faced with grabbing an emaciated and frustrated sand goanna that was in urgent need of care. 'I love rescuing all animals, but I'm very fond of reptiles and I was driven to be able to save them,' Zabinskas said. Despite describing the well as an 'animal deathtrap', Zabinskas doesn't want it filled in because of its historical importance. 'It's ancient, and it was made beautifully. We'd be losing heritage and cultural history,' he said. 'It needs to be made safe, and there are ways of doing that. Rather than filling it in, I'd rather see it fenced and a protective cover put over it.' Australia blasted for 'sniper shooting' hundreds of koalas Council backflips on 'blunderous' tree decision that shocked city shoppers Incredible photos capture rare annual phenomenon in coastal forests As of Wednesday, all the reptiles recovered from the well were reportedly recovering well in the care of Reptiles Victoria. Rescue group Wildlife Victoria is understood to be investigating how the hole can be made safe. In the meantime, members of the public are urged to stay away from the well. Zabinskas was only able to locate one of the two eastern brown snakes, and there have been sightings of the other one since. With winter approaching, the heat-dependent reptile will soon go into brumation, a state of dormancy similar to hibernation. Rescue crews are debating whether to pull the animal out of the hole, or leave it be until springtime when it will need to feed again. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Grisly discovery at bottom of abandoned well near outback town: 'Deathtrap'
A bushwalker has made a grisly discovery at the bottom of an ancient well in a tiny Australian gold mining town. Among the broken bricks and twisted metal were dozens of bones believed to have come from the bodies of kangaroos that had fallen into the uncovered "deathtrap". Like a scene from the Indiana Jones movies, what's believed to be a deep, abandoned well was also teeming with live reptiles, including venomous snakes. And that's why veteran wildlife rescuer Manfred Zabinskas was called on for help. 'The person who found the well indicated there were two eastern brown snakes, shingleback lizards and a goanna in there,' the Five Freedoms Animal Rescue founder told Yahoo News. Getting to the edge of the well earlier this month was the easy part. It was a short 30-metre walk across a dry paddock off the main road into Bet Bet, 180km northwest of Melbourne. But getting inside was difficult and required Zabinskas' specialised equipment and skill-set. 'The well wasn't ridiculously deep, but the top access was very dangerous. The ladder was long enough but the rim was very steep and the grass around it was slippery. You could see why animals would just slide in and get trapped,' he said. Determined not to fall, Zabinskas put on his harness and then abseiled down the ladder. But he was not prepared for what confronted him inside. 'There were two bodies still in the process of decay. It was pretty horrible, it stunk. I checked under the rotting carcasses to check nothing was hiding under them, so that was a bit yuck' he said. 'There was also an assortment of dried-out bones spread across the floor, enough to make up a third body.' For the next two hours, Zabinskas worked to lift heavy debris in search of the reptiles that had been spotted in the hole. 'I realised it was going to be a big job and I was going to have to do a lot of digging. There was a big steel stillage that almost broke my back, emptying it to tip it over,' he said. Underneath, Zabinskas discovered two trapped legless lizards, and nearby he found a shingleback lizard. Then hiding between two bricks he spotted the scales of one eastern brown snake. After securing the four reptiles inside bags, he was faced with grabbing an emaciated and frustrated sand goanna that was in urgent need of care. 'I love rescuing all animals, but I'm very fond of reptiles and I was driven to be able to save them,' Zabinskas said. Despite describing the well as an 'animal deathtrap', Zabinskas doesn't want it filled in because of its historical importance. 'It's ancient, and it was made beautifully. We'd be losing heritage and cultural history,' he said. 'It needs to be made safe, and there are ways of doing that. Rather than filling it in, I'd rather see it fenced and a protective cover put over it.' Australia blasted for 'sniper shooting' hundreds of koalas Council backflips on 'blunderous' tree decision that shocked city shoppers Incredible photos capture rare annual phenomenon in coastal forests As of Wednesday, all the reptiles recovered from the well were reportedly recovering well in the care of Reptiles Victoria. Rescue group Wildlife Victoria is understood to be investigating how the hole can be made safe. In the meantime, members of the public are urged to stay away from the well. Zabinskas was only able to locate one of the two eastern brown snakes, and there have been sightings of the other one since. With winter approaching, the heat-dependent reptile will soon go into brumation, a state of dormancy similar to hibernation. Rescue crews are debating whether to pull the animal out of the hole, or leave it be until springtime when it will need to feed again. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
