1 May 2009
PIPELINE SAVINGS BENEFIT YEA WILDLIFE HAVEN
From the Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance
Wildlife displaced by the recent bushfires or injured by highway traffic will be given a helping hand by the Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance.
The Alliance has today donated $10,000 to a local charity, known as The Haven wildlife sanctuary in Yea, and Alliance construction workers are on hand to help build a new wombat enclosure.
The donation to WISE Trust (Wildlife In a Secure Environment) is the first payment made from discounts received for fuel expenditure on the project. A further donation will be made to the Haven toward the end of the project and this is expected to contribute toward a new on-site animal hospital.
Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance Spokesperson Denise Hurley said The Haven had been selected because of the significant role it plays in caring for wildlife that has been injured by highway traffic or displaced by the recent bushfires.
"We thought it was appropriate to contribute to the local wildlife haven because of the work it does, which is in keeping with the Alliance's own commitment to protect and care for native animals," she said.
"We have an environmental management plan to ensure native animals along the pipeline passage are cared for and released back into the environment. Our workers are trained in understanding the best procedures to provide emergency treatment for injured wildlife, and already they have helped rescue possums, echidnas, wombats and kangaroos.
"The Alliance has often called on The Haven for assistance in caring for injured wildlife and rehabilitating them until they can be released back into the wild," Ms Hurley said.
Among the animals currently being cared for by The Haven wildlife sanctuary are Patrick, the Eastern Pygmy Possum, who was rescued by pipeline workers amidst the smouldering bushfires, and Frankie, a baby wombat, found by the Haven in her dead mother's pouch along the Melba Highway.
Alliance Plant Manager Chris Maddox will present the $10,000 cheque to The Haven Manager Andrew Vos at 10 am.
Despite recent heavy rains, the Sugarloaf Pipeline project remains ahead of schedule and within budget.
Sugarloaf Pipeline Alliance Plant Manager Chris Maddox and Frankie the baby wombat. Chris helped secure the funding to enable a $10,000 donation to The Haven wildlife sanctuary in Yea.
Media Contact: Denise Hurley on 9727 8405 or 0437 359 400