Love is NOT enough
At Amaris Wildlife Sanctuary, we are deeply grateful that more and more drivers are becoming aware of the importance of checking pouches when they come across a kangaroo that has been hit on the road. This simple act has saved countless lives — and for that, we thank you.
But with this growing awareness comes a new challenge: members of the public rescuing a joey and deciding to raise it themselves.
We often hear:
“But I love her.”
And while love is a beautiful thing, love is not enough.
She won’t drink?
Do you have a selection of teats? One size does not fit all. A joey’s mouth shape and sucking reflex change as they grow — the wrong teat can cause aspiration, injury, or refusal to feed. Love is not enough.
She’s not drinking?
Do you have the correct milk formula? Joeys need different milk compositions for different stages of their development — the wrong formula can cause malnutrition, digestive issues, or even death. Love is not enough.
She’s not drinking enough?
How do you know? Have you weighed her? Do you know exactly how much she should be drinking for her weight and age? Without accurate monitoring, dehydration and starvation can happen quickly. Love is not enough.
She has diarrhoea?
Do you know if she’s dehydrated? Do you have the skills to treat it before it becomes life-threatening? Love is not enough.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Do you know how to keep her warm without overheating her?
Do you know how to transition her from pouch to pen without causing stress?
Do you know how to prepare her for release so she can survive in the wild?
Do you know how to protect her from imprinting on humans, which can doom her future?
Love is not enough.
If you truly love her, you will hand her over to a registered, experienced wildlife carer.
The carer will love her too — and they will also have the training, equipment, and knowledge to give her the best possible chance at survival and release.
If you keep her without the skills to care for her properly, the outcome will be the same as if you had left her in her mother’s pouch after the accident.
Love is not enough. Do the right thing.
At Amaris, we believe love is the starting point — but it must be paired with knowledge, skill, and experience to truly save a life.
Love Wasn’t Enough
T
his tiny pinky was found severely dehydrated — skin and bone — after being kept by someone who thought love alone could save her. She arrived at a registered carer’s door at death’s edge, and now every feed, every gram gained, is a fight to undo the damage.
If you truly love them, hand them to an experienced wildlife carer.
Love is the start — knowledge saves lives.