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	Dear Readers, The majority of rescues have involved possums and kangaroos over the past few months. The roos have weighed from 900 grams to 1.5 kgs. They have come from Elliston, Pimba, Kangaroo Island, and Belair (where a roo was killed by a train and a hiker found the tiny pinkie still alive in the pouch.)
	I recently received a call from a rescue group to ask if I would assist a person at Coromandel Valley. I agreed and received the call about a wedge tail eagle that had flown above a person from a great height, and had dropped a ringtail possum into his yard. The possum was dead from the impact and the talon damage to its chest, but had a joey still alive in its pouch. When I examined the pouch, there were two male joeys weighing 45 grams each inside. They were quite unharmed from the impact and recovered to feed well within the hour!
	It never ceases to amaze me the resilience of orphaned marsupials and birds. I also received two sleepy lizards from Warooka. Being mating time for lizards, a bonded pair were sunbaking on the bitumen when a person drove over the top of them. In a panic she stopped and picked them up and drove on to Adelaide. The pair were unharmed and she decided that she didn't want them and rang us. We happened to meet a gentleman visiting our Belair State Flora display, who had a son living at Warooka, and kindly offered to return the lizards to their territory again. It is so important to return wildlife to their own area due to their gene pool, adaptation to that environments' habitat and food source, and disease transfer between colonies.
	A young wedge tailed eagle, weighing three kilos, was brought to us from the bushfires at Parndana KI. His wing was hanging on one side end was unable to fly. He consumed a wallaby the day before we received him, and ate a rabbit upon arrival, so his appetite was unimpaired! He was seen by the Avenue Road Vet at Stirling who X-Rayed the wing several times, to discover that the wing bones were outside of the shoulder joint and beginning to knit in that position. We gave him a course of antibiotics for a few days in preparation for an operation to see if we could remedy the situation. We operated on the eagle under a gas mask and found good healthy tissue under the old wound. Antibiotic injections were continued every second day and the wound redressed in four days again. We are hopeful that he will recover well and have a good quality of life in a new 30' x 20' enclosure that the volunteers have begun to construct for him.
	A person that I assisted over the phone to help a sick deer was so grateful for the help that she gave us a week old emu chick as a thank you. 'lgor' has been a delight from the beginning, giving us all a great deal of joy and amusement. When you touch her, she cuddles into your legs, thrusts her head under your arm and closes her eyes in ecstasy! The only drawback is that you feel so guilty standing up to leave her, even though your feet have gone pins and needles! She entertains visitors to the bird area by running like the road runner for about 10 circuits of the bird enclosure with the occasional dance in between. It is impossible not to laugh as she flashes past showing off as much as she can, after which she collapses in a heap gasping for air. Dear little Pigley, the miniature pig, has grown to about half size now and is at home sleeping alongside the other pigs like a big boy. He likes to help the volunteers to collect the horse manure ( I won't elaborate on how he does that!), and then plays Babe by rounding up the sheep and herding them down the paddock. After completing his work, he gallops up the hill and pushes the gate to let himself into the pig yard again for a long, well-deserved soak in his wallow to cool down - they really are intelligent creatures.
	The warmer weather has meant increased activity at night for wildlife arid for cats on the prowl Within two hours on Saturday 24th November, we had received four ringtail possums from surrounding suburbs with cat attack symptoms. They ranged in size from 100 grams to adult size. Most show little evidence of why they are so debilitated and there is dirt throughout their fur. You get to recognize the tufts of fur sticking up where the teeth and claws have hung onto them, and the stiff fur mailed together with the cats' saliva. All need injectable antibiotic treatment within hours to combat toxoplasmosis. Most baby birds die within three days even after treatment. If cats let the bird or possum escape, then they die a horrendous death starving from paralysis. Please seek treatment immediately if your cat brings in a creature - they will not be alright and out of sight, out of mind is not good enough. Preferably keep your cat in an enclosure for its' own safety and that of our diminishing wildlife.
	We have received an increasing amount of email rescue work due to our website: www.communitywebs.org/MintonFarmAnimalRescueCentre. This 26 page site offers a depth of advice on raising injured and orphaned wildlife. Through the site we have been able to assist people in Perth, New Zealand, Melbourne, Bedourie, Townsville, NSW, Swanhill, Stanthorpe Old, Wanganui N.Z, Wandong Victoria, Picton NSW, and Gundagai to name a few. They have needed assistance with kangaroos, ringtail and brushtail possums, kestrels, koels, and a wattlebird. Having rescued over 5,400 creatures in our hospital to date, it is fantastic to be able to assist even more creatures in need, through the use of technology - sometimes it does make life easier!! Our email address is mintonfarm@adam.com.au if ever you need advice about wildlife rescue.
	Our volunteers are attending twice a week and we are managing to complete all the tasks required with such a dedicated team of workers - and still enjoy a coffee together! I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year and ask you to keep an eye out for wildlife on our roads that are trying to survive these dry conditions by scavenging road kill that were in turn trying to find grass on the road verges. It is a help to remove bodies from the road to prevent further fatalities, and not to remove live wildlife from one area and place them in another territory where they will probably die due to disorientation, predation, and territorial disputes. The Sponsorship program is our major source of funding for the rescue work. Annual sponsorship is only $30 and is renewable each January. This entitles you to membership, a personalised certificate, your name publicly displayed, and periodic newsletter updates to keep you informed and amused! New sponsors can complete the form on the Sponsorship page.
All the best, Bev. Langley & furred and feathered friends!

Mission Statement

Minton Farm

Minton Farm is non-profit, voluntary rescue center for around 300 orphaned and injured animals and birds. It is owned and managed by Mrs. Bev Langley.

Bev Langley

Thousands of injured and orphaned creatures are referred to her by RSPCA, Warrawong, Bird Care and Conservation Society, Native Animal Network, and many Vets. The aim of the Center is to rehabilitate the rescue and return them to their homes as quickly as possible, if they are 100% fit; otherwise they are taken into permanent care. Over 4,000 animals and birds have been rescued over 10 years, with more than 200 volunteers trained to assist in the work.

Animals rescued include kangaroos, possums, echidnas, koalas, bats, and lizards. Birds rescued include kookaburras, magpies, owls, hawks, eagles, and parrots. Farm animals rescued include sheep, pigs, ponies, and poultry. Educational tours and talks are provided to increase community awareness of the effects of habitat destruction upon Australia's wildlife, and how to help them to survive.

With no funding, the Refuge has been built entirely with donated equipment and volunteer help. Food donations and community goodwill are directly responsible for its operation. Over 200 volunteers have been trained at the centre, ranging from 8 years to 73 years, helping out on a weekly roster to feed and maintain the creatures, and to build enclosures and cat-proof fencing.

Donations are gratefully accepted to assist with feed and veterinary costs. Animals can be sponsored at $30 a year to allow funds allocated for their food to be used for facility improvement.

Bev Langley received the City of Onkaparinga Civic Achievement Award for Community Service in 1999, and the Citizen 2000 Australia Day Award for her work.

In 2003, Bev received the IFAW National Animal Rescue award.  In the same year, the Southern Vales - Noarlunga Zonta Club awarded Bev with a Woman of Achievement Award. 

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Background

This refuge has emerged from a community need for animal and bird rescue and rehabilitation. The project funding relies entirely on volunteers and donations to operate. Your kind support will help to improve the quality of life for 100's of native animals and birds for future generations to enjoy, not just as extinct exhibits in museum.


TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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Feedback

If you have any comments about the site or know of any other sites that may be useful for us, or even just to contact us, why not send us an email and let us know.  We wecome your suggestions and corrections.