Meet Michael Franklin, RAMC Road Maintenance Supervisor for Ventia in Brisbane and Advanced Wildlife Rescuer. 

Michael works with Wild Care Australia to rescue animals such as lizards, possums, ducks, birds to more high-risk animals such as koalas, adult macropods like wallabies & kangaroos. 

Michael's journey into wildlife rescue began when he connected with a member of the Wild Care management committee and an advanced rescue/trauma carer. Inspired by their work, Michael began volunteering on a few rescues and soon found it to be a deeply rewarding experience.

^{Michael specifically works with koalas to catch and release them back into wild.}

He subsequently completed the Advanced Wildlife Rescue Training program, which enables him to undertake high-risk rescues involving koalas and adult macropods.

"I've always had a deep respect for our environment and wild life. I initially participated in a few rescues and found it extremely rewarding," explains Michael. 

It's a special experience to be up close with them, not many people get to see them up so close and really helps with my role at Ventia.

Michael specifically works with koalas to catch and release them back into wild. These are wild koalas that are treated and released quickly as possible to minimise the amount of time they are in human care and away from their habitat. 

^{Sick koalas are difficult to catch due to their tree-dwelling nature, and Michael and his team employ advanced techniques to coax them down.}

Andrew Spence, Project Director on Ventia's Queensland South Coast contracts said of Michael: 'It's been a real privilege to support Michael in his work with Wild Care. Our team are all local and have a vested interest in protecting its biodiversity.'

As a dedicated rescuer, Michael is on call outside of his work hours and has tackled many challenging rescues. While koalas are his favourite to work with, they are also one of the most difficult to catch due to their tree-dwelling nature when sick. Michael and his team employ advanced techniques such as flagging and pressure plate traps to coax the koalas down from trees.

"Koalas are notoriously difficult to catch, particularly when they are sick due to them being up in a tree most of the time. We use techniques like flagging - which is using telescopic poles with something bright attached to the end to attempt to encourage the koala down out of the tree," explains Michael. 

Once the koala is treated, we release them within five kilometres of the rescue location.

As a seasoned wildlife rescuer, Michael encourages members of the public to help protect Australia's wildlife by checking for injured animals on the road and pulling over safely to investigate. 

If you find a baby animal, it is important to call the Wild Care hotline for advice or report it to 1300ANIMAL.

^{If you find a baby animal, it is important to call the Wild Care hotline for advice or report it to 1300ANIMAL.}