When seabirds are in trouble, Kristen Vickery flies to the rescue. The South Coast resident is one of the dedicated volunteers at Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue (ASTR) responsible for saving about 300 seabirds, shorebirds, sea turtles and sea snakes every year in NSW.
“It’s something that I’m really passionate about, so I decided to join to learn more about the species that we deal with and save those that are injured or being impacted by human-related reasons,” Kristen said.
Kristen is a marine and environmental science graduate from South Cross University.
“I’ve got that background, and this is just giving me an avenue to really broaden my skills within the marine environment.”
Kristen started volunteering by helping penguins in Coffs Harbour. She joined ASTR after moving to the South Coast and has been part of the team for more than two years.
ASTR’s South Coast chapter covers the area from South Sydney to Eden, giving Kristen more than 400km of coastline to cover and loads of opportunities to learn. Call-outs can range from helping injured seagulls on the spot to long drives to rescue tangled pelicans.
“We deal with species that are pelagic, so open ocean birds, and then we deal with things as simple as seagulls,” Kristen said.
“One really awesome one I’ve had recently was a pelican who needed rescuing in Merimbula, and I was told it could not fly and it was wrapped in this orange line.
“When I got to the site, the bird definitely could fly, so I wasn’t equipped as well as I should have been but managed to get the bird in arm’s reach and I was able to grab hold of him.”
ASTR began in Ballina in 1992 to help pelicans entangled in fishing lines. Once rescuers realised this was a common problem, the organisation expanded along the NSW North and South Coast. Today, volunteers care for animals and educate the public. They could always do with more helpers.
“It’s just us being out in the environment and looking for them,” Kristen said.
“If we have more people doing that, more eyes in the environment, then that just makes our life so much easier as we have birds we care for at home, running around and doing everything else.
“So having more and more people to do that is a really, really great thing and it helps us out in so many ways.”
A background in marine science is helpful but not essential. ASTR welcomes people who are passionate about making a difference in animals’ lives.
“There’s no specific qualifications necessary but they tend to look for like-minded people who have that passion and who have that interest within the work we do,” Kristen said.
Training is provided.
“We have both online and practical qualifications and exercises that they give us for each species we deal with.
“This way we’re equipped, and we know exactly what we’ve got to do when we have to rescue one of these animals.”
For those who would like to help, it could be as simple as notifying ASTR about potentially injured animals, cleaning our beaches or joining the organisation.
“If they want to join, it's as simple as contacting our hotline number or Facebook page,” Kristen said.
If you’re out and about, picking up fishing line littered around boat ramps or beaches can make a big difference, Kristen said.
“That’s a massive impact because a lot of birds we catch are entangled in line that have just been discarded on the ground."
For more information on how you can help Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue, visit their website. If you spot a bird or sea animal that you think might be injured and in need of help, please contact their hotline on 0428 862 852.