When training for our wildlife volunteer role and what to do during wildlife rescue callouts, we understandably concentrate on how to navigate the rescue of the wildlife in need.  There is another part of the rescue situation which can also take time and energy for the wildlife volunteer - interaction with the members of the public at the scene.  In this episode, Hayley stimulates our thinking on how we are preparing ourselves as wildlife volunteers to effectively navigate the people side of wildlife rescues considering our reactions and responses at three stages of a rescue callout; preparation, rescue and post-rescue.  The conversation shares ideas to help us plan ahead for the spectrum of public interactions encountered, through these wildlife rescue callouts, in order to remain sustainable and strong in our efforts to support wildlife in need.

This episode is the first of many, where we have a conversation with a wildlife volunteer about their journey in this role, wherever those threads take us. In this episode, I’m joined by Denise Morgan, a wildlife volunteer on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Denise shares a window into her life with us – from the moments that introduced her to wildlife volunteering, her fascination with flying foxes which led her to visit Zambia, to the joy she experiences being in her aviary at home, with rehabilitating microbats.

In this episode, I was joined by the inspirational Petrea King – bestselling author, keynote speaker, facilitator and the founder of Quest for Life Foundation. This timely conversation marks the anniversary of the bushfire season, as we dive into the neuroscience behind trauma and its triggers, and how understanding our biological reactions can help us better prepare and care for ourselves during trying times.

In this episode I have a great conversation on the topic of self-care, with an amazing woman – someone I have been in touch with for several years, and who I greatly admire and respect. She is a person in the animal care world like us, and her name is Jessica Dolce. Our conversation dives into messages around a topic I’ve been struggling to understand and draw out. Jessica helps lay these messages bare, to stimulate and challenge us, enabling consideration of self sustainment for the sake of the wildlife.