Jerry the Lace Monitor is back from the brink

Wildlife news from Jennifer Berry, Wildlife Volunteers Assoc. Inc (WILVOS) 54416200 www.wilvos.org.au

A member of the public (MOP) called the WILVOS hotline on 07 5441 6200 in January, very concerned for her local resident Lace Monitor after she discovered him lying unmoving on the lawn.

When volunteer WILVOS rescuer and experienced reptile handler Shanna arrived, the Lace Monitor – named Jerry by the MOP’s daughter – had managed to drag himself up onto a rock in a nearby garden bed. 

Jerry’s eyes were swollen and he was weak and lethargic. Shanna was easily able to pick him up and put him in a crate for transport to the vet – a sure sign that something was very wrong, as adult Lace Monitors usually put up a hell of a fight!

Jerry was assessed by the vet team at RSPCA Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Eumundi, who found he had head trauma with vision loss, and three broken ribs. He had possibly fallen from a height, or something had fallen on him. 

Large reptiles can take a long time to heal, but it’s hoped that Jerry’s vision will eventually return. He was admitted to hospital, where he began showing signs of improvement, and after a month he went into care with Shanna and her husband Nathan to continue his recovery in a spacious aviary with an outdoor area. 

Currently, he is active but still slow, and he remains blind in one eye. He was reluctant to eat when he first came into care, but with a lot of gentle encouragement he has started enjoying kangaroo steaks dusted in calcium powder. 

Jerry will remain in care over winter, and until such time as his vision improves and he regains the survival skills he needs for life in the wild, such as tree climbing and foraging unassisted for his natural food. It may be a long haul, but he’s worth it!

Jerry has started enjoying kangaroo steaks dusted in calcium powder.