KAREN Pohlner can\u2019t remember her life without animal activism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been an animal lover, even as a child. I would always be bringing home the injured bird, or the little duckling, or the stray cat. I\u2019ve always rescued and looked after animals as a volunteer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Taking in an array of injured or vulnerable wildlife as a foster carer, around 20 years ago she spotted a niche in the market.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack when I started there weren\u2019t any major organisations and it was all word of mouth. As time went on and more people were calling, and I was getting more animals in, it became apparent it was going to be very difficult to keep up the vet costs, feed costs and all the rest of it on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
People began offering small donations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t feel comfortable taking the money, so a friend of mine who\u2019s an accountant helped me through the process of becoming a registered not-for-profit and helped me get DGR status, so I can accept tax deductible donations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Knowing there were grants available that she could be eligible for, Ms Pohlner became incorporated and her animal sanctuary strengthened organically.<\/p>\n
Named Wala, which means \u2018life\u2019 in an African dialect, the charity has its own board of directors, but most of the work is done by Ms Pohlner with the help of volunteers. She said some days are fulfilling but caring for animals is a difficult vocation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s emotionally taxing, and I find that the more I do it, you never ever get immune to the feeling. There\u2019s more tragedy than the good.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t tell you how many kangaroos, over 23 or something years, that I\u2019ve looked after that we\u2019ve had to euthanise. Every day it\u2019s like the first time. It just breaks your heart,\u201d Ms Pohlner said.<\/p>\n
The beloved pets of families fleeing violence, or the homeless, and the companions of terminally ill people sometimes find refuge at Wala too, but the breadth of Ms Pohlner\u2019s challenges stretches further.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there are cruelty cases,\u201d she said. \u201cThe heartlessness of people, that affects me. The countless phone calls from people who ring me in distress, and I can\u2019t be distressed, I have to be the strong person and tell them that I will fix the problem, then I go home and fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a sole volunteer, Ms Pohlner doesn\u2019t receive as much emotional support as she really needs, but she said special moments do come which help her through the fog of sadness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you can release an animal back to the wild, that\u2019s a pretty magical experience. It\u2019s a privilege,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cI can have a joey for up to three years. It changes daily, and you have an animal that is so reliant and dependent on you, and the final goal is that they no longer need to be dependent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a transition, and if you do that right and they go off into the wild and can survive on their own, you know your job\u2019s done. So that\u2019s satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n