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Wildlife Russell Island

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Wildlife Russell Island

As a Wildlife Carer based on Russell Island I have created this page for updates photos and videos for any wildlife related topics on Russell Island

08/06/2026

PLEASE if you hit a wallaby 🛑STOP🛑 and check to see if the wallaby is a mother carrying a joey in her pouch.

PLEASE always consider our wildlife when driving... We live on an island full of wetlands and protected wildlife areas, surrounded by a marine national park.

Last week, within just 3 days, 3 wallabies were left dead and a cold joey was later found dead, because the driver didnt stop to check.

Please contact Michele on 0411267612 if you do hit a wallaby or find one left still alive... THANK YOU!!

25/05/2026

Hey everyone 😊

We've just ended up with this sweet youngster in care and swans need greens like duckweed in their diet while they're in captivity. Does anyone have access to duckweed in ponds, fish tanks, etc that they might be able to share with us for this sweetie to eat?

Thank you all in advance!

Bella Curlew

23/05/2026

As one healthy juvenile bandicoot was being released, this little 29gm guy arrived.

Once he is approx 10 times his current weight, his soft-release enclosure beside council land 🌳 will be opened and he will be able to come and go until he finds his own stable shelter and food sources.

Little guys like this one are why protected bushland is important on the islands; they make burrows and nests with fallen leaves, twigs, and dry grass. 🍃🌾🪾

22/05/2026

It takes an island 🏝 to save a juvenile bandicoot! 💞 Starting with the wonderful islanders who cared enough to rescue the little boy from a house footing hole 🕳 and contacted Russell Island Wildlife, who then contacted an island bandicoot carer. The carer was then lent a humidicrib by our island's bird carer, and throughout it all, everyone stayed connected to ensure the little guy had what he needed. Plus, a health check by Vet Nurse Tracy before release. Now, the little guy is free to live his best life on council-protected land. 🌳

28/04/2026

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Russell Island Wildlife Carers wish to notify the public that we have had many unwell and deceased magpies at Jackson Rd Park this week.

We don't know the cause at this stage, but it is under investigation. We have notified RCC, local police and biosecurity. Biosecurity will investigate possible viral infections, environmental effects, and toxins/baiting.

We sent the body of a magpie that passed shortly after we picked it up to biosecurity last week. The on duty pathologist called me today to inform me that the viral tests came back as negative, so it's unlikely the magpies are dying from disease.

We are currently getting together some funds to pay for the magpie's samples to be transferred to the chemical residues lab at biosecurity for toxicology tests to be run. This should let us know if the birds are dying from something along the lines of environmental toxins or baits.

We can't say at this stage what has caused this tragedy, but we are taking it seriously and doing all we can to help our lovely magpies. Please be aware of what your children and pets may put in their mouths while at the park. We will update you when we have further confirmed information.

Please call me (Bella Curlew),
Carolyn Cassidy, or Michele McCarthy if you find an unwell or deceased bird at Jackson rd park as we are keeping detailed records for any possible investigation. We will come up to the park to document and collect any birds.

Thank you for keeping an eye out for our wildlife!

Contact numbers:

Bella - 0401948899
Carolyn - 0432710025
Michele - 0411267612

22/04/2026

Good afternoon and great news everyone!

We have a wonderful update on our pelican friend to share with you!
Michael, the pelican who was found in the water off caniapa with 2 bullets lodged in his chest and leg, was safely released back onto Russell Island a few days ago 😁

After his rescue, Michael was transferred to the Pelican and Seabird Rescue at Thorneside for supportive care that night. The following morning PaSR transported him down to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for assessment and treatment.

It was at CWH that vets found the two bullets on an xray of the peli. He was very unwell when they hospitalised him, but staff worked hard over the next couple of weeks to help Michael bounce back. I called the wildlife hospital every other day to keep updated on his progress and prepare for the logistics needed to transport him if/when he became well enough. We were over the moon when we received the call from CWH informing us that Michael's condition had improved to the point that he was ready to come home!

Last week he travelled across on the ferry and was returned to where he was originally rescued. With the support of Nat from PaSR and Michele from Russell Island Wildlife, I gave Michael his last meal in care of 5 mullet and then released him from his crate towards the water. After his busy day travelling to Russell Island, Michael spent around 10 minutes getting his bearings before taking flight, looking healthy and very happy to be home.

Thank you everyone who was invested in Michael and sent him words of encouragement while he was fighting for his life. He was very lucky to recover from his injuries and it was our absolute pleasure to watch him take off back on his island home.

Welcome back Michael! 🖤🤍🪽

30/03/2026

Friday was a sad day for Russell Island wildlife. We received call outs for 2 of our beautiful native birds, injured and in pain.

The first call out was to a curlew who was struggling to walk. A kind woman noticed the curlew was in distress and kept him safe until carers arrived. Once he was assessed by Bella, it became apparent he had a broken foot. Curley was given painkillers before being transferred to the mainland and transported down to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for further investigation. An x-ray confirmed he had a severely broken foot, with no hope of healing and damage to his wing. The vets suspect this was likely due to a vehicle impact. The curlew sadly required euthanasia to end his suffering, with no hope of improving or being able to return to the wild.

Later in the day, we were called out by a very attentive islander who noticed a pelican looking a little down, floating in the bay by her home. Michele and Carolyn attended the address to attempt a rescue, Michele initially heading out in a kayak to get close to the bird. Meanwhile, another member of the public joined the rescue with his boat to try and corral the peli to shore. As he came closer, Carolyn collected him and took him to Bella for assessment.
Bella (stuck on the couch post-surgery) gave the peli a look over and arranged for him to be on the next ferry to the mainland so he could be transported to a specialised pelican and seabird carer. This carer gave him supportive care overnight and then took him to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for us the next day. CWH has confirmed today that peli had been shot, with an x-ray showing a bullet lodged in his side. All his symptoms were due to this. He is now receiving pain killers and antibiotics while in their care. We are hopeful that he was caught in time to recover and will hopefully come home when he finishes treatment.

Both of these local birds' pain and suffering was avoidable and unnecessary. We are so incredibly lucky to live on these beautiful islands. It is our responsibility as SMBI residents to be mindful of the native wildlife we share our home with that make these islands so special.

Thank you so much to the locals who sought help for these birds and everyone else who has contacted the island carers to help our wildlife in the past

18/02/2026

Hi everyone, we have a sub-adult channel billed cuckoo in care that will be ready to be released soon. He needs to go where there are others of his kind. Do you know any spots on the island where channel billed cuckoos like to hang out/are seen frequently? Thank you! 😊

05/02/2026

I’d like to say a huge thank you to the team at Running Wild- Youth Conservation Culture for this amazing free-standing perch built by their mentors and trainees.

This stand was donated to us by a lovely member of the public and installed in the wildlife pre-release enclosure by Running Wild.

The Running Wild team are taking commissions to build amazing custom towers like this for your pet birds, cats, etc to play and explore on. The funds they get from commissions to make projects like this go back into the amazing work they do, so please support them and spoil your furry, feathered or scaled family members!

I would also like to extend our thanks again for the awesome work they did building the large pre-release enclosure for our island wildlife. Since the enclosure’s completion late last year, we have had many groups of local wayward native birds call it their home in their transition to the wild.

Crunching some numbers off the top of my head, the enclosure built by Running Wild has been utilised so far by approximately

30+ Curlews
20+ native ducks
15+ plovers
And 1 Friarbird

in multiple small groups moving through rehabilitation and being released. The enclosure has been a huge asset in helping these birds gain confidence and join the local wild population.

(These are only the groups of birds that have used the large Running Wild pre-release enclosure. There have also been many others that went through our other two enclosures)

30/01/2026

Russell Island Wildlife Rescuers need your help!!!

Russell Island Wildlife Rescue are a group of 3 local volunteers who work day and night at their own cost to rescue, rehabilitate and release where possible, injured wildlife on the islands. LiveLife Pharmacy on Russell Island has chosen to include us in their community support program this quarter.
You can help support our work by voting for us each time you make a purchase at the pharmacy over the next 3 months. Please place your token in the box labelled Wildlife. This will help Michele (macropod, possums, turtles), Trish (reptiles and amphibians) and Bella (birds) to continue their very important work and support the local wildlife.

Thank you LiveLife Pharmacy very much for this opportunity!

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Russell Island, QLD
4184

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