19. Dangerous Situation
Manfred and Helen Zabinskas dedicate their lives to help save wild animals that get in trouble. Their schedule is pretty filled every day, as they never back down when they get calls from concerned people.
This time, the two would need a lot more help than usual…
The two are the co-founders of Five Freedoms Animal Rescue and are experienced with rescuing, caring for and rehabilitating wild animals. But this time, the situation appeared to be a lot more challenging than the others. They took the equipment and went to check out the problem.
18. Wildlife Rescue
Five Freedoms not only rescues animals, but they also catch snakes that happen to swim in people’s pools, they provide shelter for those that need caring, and then they release them back into the wild, in a safe place. As you can see, they’re not afraid of anything! This time, they had some trouble with the mission…
17. Something Strange
It was the beginning of November when Helen received a call from a stranger telling her that they heard something strange in an old mineshaft. It sounded like an animal cry, so Helen and Manfred went to check out the grounds.
16. Dangerous Situation
The problem was that the mission was a little too dangerous for the two, so they had to call emergency services. Right away, six firefighters arrived, and Helen and Manfred immediately took their gear and headed to the mineshaft.
15. A Deep Hole
The mineshaft was about 16 feet deep, and Manfred knew he didn’t have the equipment to safely get down and scoop up the injured animal. It was time to let the firemen help them out this time. Suddenly, the creature cried out and moved!
14. He Was Relieved
Thankful for their help, Zabinskas wrote on the rescue’s Facebook page that the “personnel from Creswick and Ballarat took charge of the incident and conducted the rescue of the animal with military precision.”
Wait until you see them take out the adorable animal.
13. Bad Luck
This poor animal had some bad luck when it fell in that mineshaft, but also lucky to have been heard and rescued. “The rescue was a complete success,” Zabinskas wrote on social media. But then Helen opens the blanket and looks at the animal…
12. An Adorable Wallaby
This little fella is a wallaby, and here Helen is checking out his teeth, ears, paws, and fur. After the quick checkup, her heart sank and knew that the animal would have to be rushed to the vet.
It was like nothing she had ever seen!
11. The Good and the Bad News
She had some good news for the entire rescue team: the wallaby wasn’t severely injured. So, he would live the ordeal. But the bad news was that his coat was covered in maggots! You won’t believe how shocked the vet is when he does a thorough check…
10. A Tense Ride
After covering the poor creature in a blanket and thanking the firefighters, Helen and Manfred rushed him to the vet. They tried their best to give him first aid care, but his situation called for a medic. So the couple took him into the van and drove to Hepburn Vet Clinic.
9. The First Day
After such a difficult rescue mission, Helen and Manfred hoped that the wallaby would make it through this first day. The Five Freedoms team arrived at the clinic, and the vet agreed that the animal was in rough shape. His ears, eyes, mouth and entire skin were filled with maggots!
This is what happened next…
8. Treatments and Food
In an interview with The Dodo, Manfred said that the wallaby had “initially received IV fluids and various treatments and he is now eating and drinking well.” Thankfully, after being cleaned and treated, the wallaby went to the rescue center with his rescuers!
7. Caring for Animals
Manfred and Helen named this poor guy Louie and took him to the center where they gave him shelter to get time to recuperate. Lucky for Louie, his rescuers were very experienced with wallabies and kangaroos, so he was going to get the best care. Check him out in the next photo!
6. Take Your Time
Hellen and Manfred would take care of Louie until he gets better. The first days he got a bottle of milk and some cuddles on the couch. He was happy to oblige and immediately fell asleep after drinking his bottle!
You won’t believe what happens after a few days…
5. Louie Was Getting Better
After his antibiotics and a lot of food and care, Louie seemed to like this life. He began healing, and he loved the bottles of milk and solid food. Louie started to eat more grass, veggies, and foliage, which meant he got stronger.
And then, he took a decision!
4. A Larger Place
Louie got stronger and restless, so got moved into a larger enclosure. But he was feeling trapped, so he began bouncing off the walls, wrote the rescue on their Facebook page:
“His improvement accelerated further, and Louie too decided that it was time to go home.”
3. Saying Goodbye
It was definitely a sign that Louie was ready to say goodbye to the humans that took care of him all those days. Of course, both Helen and Manfred were sad to let him go, but his home was back into the wild.
2. A Helping Hand
As he was set free about 100 meters from where he was found, Louie looked back at Helen and Manfred for one last time. Surely he won’t forget that he got some help from them, so to thank his rescuers, he stayed for a while, looking back at them…
1. More Wildlife to Rescue
Louie is now back in his natural habitat, and Helen and Manfred will continue to save the next wallaby or wild animal that needs help. They will always have a spot at the Five Freedoms rescue for them. Just another regular day for the two awesome rescuers!