Livingstone Shire trainees give injured wildlife a fighting chance

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Published
8th December 2020

BirdLife Capricornia and Livingstone Shire Council recently banded together to build a new flight cage for valued wildlife volunteer, Trish White.

BirdLife Capricornia Secretary Allan Briggs said this was a grass roots project initiated by a community organisation for the benefit of a volunteer who does a marvellous job for our wildlife.

“Livingstone Shire Council funded the project and their Skilling Queenslanders for Work trainees constructed the purpose built cage.

“Livingstone Shire Council Project Officer John Wyland organised all of the materials and supervised the construction of the cage,” Mr Briggs said.

“The cage needed to be quite large, around three metres long, two metres high, and 1.5 metres wide.

 “The purpose built cage will give birds the opportunity to fly short distances so they can re-build their wing muscles, once they have recovered from their injuries.”

Portfolio holder of Healthy and Inclusive Community, Councillor Pat Eastwood, said the project helped teach the trainees fabrication and community engagement skills.

“The trainees started to construct the cage back in February but Covid-19 put a stop to the works,” Cr Eastwood said.

“Recently another group of trainees finished the job using square section aluminium for the frame, covered in aviary mesh.

“The finished project was light, yet sturdy and ideal for giving the birds the opportunity to get flying again.”

Wildlife carer Trish White said the cage will certainly give the birds a better chance of survival when they are released back into the wild.

“I have more birds than I have cages so I have to put several birds of the same species in the one cage, which isn’t always ideal,” Ms White said.

“I have always been quite nervous about releasing birds in my care without some flight exercise, which I have had to do – until now.

“I am very appreciative of Birdlife Capricornia and Livingstone Shire Council trainees for the fabulous work they have done with the cage.

“It is already being put to good use,” she said. 

For more information about the Skilling Queenslanders for Work programmes, please visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/education/training/subsidies/skilling-queenslanders-for-work