Woman's heartbreaking find in storm drain: 'Hell of a night'
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: While most of us were relaxing on Sunday evening, wildlife volunteers were having a “hell of a night” rescuing a trapped wallaby and possum from an open drain.
It was the second time in four days rescuer Teena Hanslow and a small team of helpers had been called to the stormwater system at Glebe Hill, over the Derwent River from Hobart.
On Thursday Ms Hanslow fished out two frightened wallabies after they became stuck, in what she says is a common occurrence in Tasmania.
“I get called out to drains probably at least twice a week,” Ms Hanslow told Yahoo News Australia.
“They put the drains up into the bush, and the animals have got no water because they're surrounded by houses and roads.”
The search for water is the primary reason Ms Hanslow believes wallabies are entering the pipes, as they have lost their available sources after being displaced by development.
Largely horizontal, the drains have a slight incline to guide water downwards, into the lower stormwater system.
“Once they get in, they can't back out,” Ms Hanslow said.
“They then fall into the manhole and often break their legs.
“Then they panic trying to get through another pipe, but they get themselves stuck and they're in such a crunch situation for so long they just basically perish."
Feud erupts over access to drain after wallaby trapped
Access to the drains remains contentious and for an adult human, and entry can only be gained via a nearby locked manhole.
Council say there are many risks involved and staff must comply with a detailed list of safety protocols before entering such confined spaces.
Advice from the City of Clarence, where the incident occurred on Sunday, was that the wallaby was in too deep and that the risk to both their workers and the broader community was significant.
Despite being an independent volunteer, Ms Hanslow was told she could not enter the space, and she drove away from the scene feeling “broken and angry".
Having found rotten carcasses of wildlife in the drains on other occasions, she was concerned the wallaby would suffer the same dreadful fate.
Taking to social media, she accused the council of “animal cruelty” and later returned to the site without them.
Using a homemade tool to access the drain, she hauled the wallaby to the surface, but sadly due to a significant leg injury it was euthanised.
A possum found alongside it was “viable” and quickly released.
Council investigating covering drain after wallaby death
Mayor Doug Chipman said council was on the scene as “quickly as possible to try to assist”, but noted there was significant danger involved and that “things can go very wrong very quickly”.
“We understand that members of our community are passionate advocates for the safety and wellbeing of wildlife but that does not give them the right to put themselves and / or our staff in danger during rescue efforts,” he said in a statement.
“We would ask members of the public to respect this position and allow the appropriate authorities to do their jobs.”
Mayor Chipman said council records indicate stormwater incidents involving animals are “not a common occurrence” within the city.
He described the loss of any loss of wildlife as “saddening”, and added that the drains do not pose a falling risk to humans walking past because they are horizontal.
“Grates across pipes such as the one in question can cause significant flooding risks and can also become a significant danger of trapping, if something happens to enter the pipes inadvertently,” he said.
Following questions from Yahoo News Australia, council confirmed they were seeking approval to install a grate at the Glebe Hill site, which would be maintained during the current dry weather period.
While Ms Hanslow welcomed the move, she said she's concerned about thousands of open drains throughout the region, not one in particular.
"It's got to the stage when I'm passing a drain, I just don't want to look in there, because I know I'm going to see little eyes staring back at me," she said.
"Then I'm going to be forced to do a rescue, because I can't turn away from them."
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