Keeping wildlife rescue on the road

A LOCAL wildlife rescuer has been awarded $1,000 in fuel vouchers from the Rotary Club of Torquay as part of their annual disbursements.

Jason Cichocki from Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue received the vouchers in acknowledgement of his work in the area.

Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue is run by volunteers and is a dedicated rescue service for animals in the Surf Coast and surrounds.

Rotary Club of Torquay environment director Gerard Hogan said Mr Cichocki was chosen for the excellence and humanitarian in his organisation.

“The sustainability of what he does basically helps preserve the natural environment and for his prolonged and active work in that area.”

Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue has about 100 rescuers providing services across the region, with fuel one of their biggest expenses.

Mr Cichocki will split the vouchers between his most active rescuers, and said it was great to receive the help.

“We’ve got a couple of rescuers who are based in Lorne and they drive all the way from Lorne to Torquay to drop animals off to us.

“Those individuals that are living in Lorne and doing that, are using a lot more fuel than a lot of us, so to be able to hand them the fuel vouchers is fantastic.”

The vouchers will help rescuers stay on top of their workload and keep on the road.

Mr Cichocki encouraged community members to help in whatever way they can when it comes to wildlife.

“You don’t necessarily have to be the rescuer to be involved in the rescue and actually help facilitate the recue,” he said.

“The first port of call for any rescue is the members of the public that are our eyes and ears out there and they’re the ones that we need to identify the animals needing help.

“From there, we can all work together as a team to effectively help the animal.”

If you spot injured wildlife or are involved in a collision, phone Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue on 0422 048 557.