RV FEATURE
WILDLIFE CARE SUMMING UP
RVing green must surely include looking
after Australia’s unique wildlife. A sickening
number of native species are killed on the
roads every day. Reducing your carbon footprint can be done
every day with every choice you make.
To minimise your chances of hitting a
marsupial, do not drive between dusk and
dawn. By arriving at your destination in the
afternoon, and not leaving until the sun is well
and truly up, you can avoid killing or injuring
kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats and
so on.
As you drive during the day, watch out for
wildlife and for reptiles that often choose
the warm tarmac to sun themselves (we
have rescued numerous bearded dragons
and thorny devils engaging in this alarming
behaviour).
If you do hit an animal, or find one that is
injured or orphaned, contact WIRES for
nearby rescue help and/or vets (who treat
native animals for free and transfer them to
a wildlife carer). Phone 1300 094 737 and/or
download the WIRES app.
Be on the lookout for reptiles and marsupials
such as bearded dragons and nothern
bettongs (right).
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The best way to mitigate that footprint is to
plant trees. Australia has about 58 million
hectares of land available for reforestation (a
result of deforestation).
The RVing lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to
planting trees, though you can join an
organisation like Conservation Volunteers
Australia for short-term projects in many areas
you might visit. You can also contribute to a
carbon neutral fund; for example, the Carbon
Neutral Charitable Fund has planted about 5.4
million trees to restore degraded ecosystems.
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