A wildlife organization in Australia called the International Fund for Animal Welfare put out a call this week for homemade mittens for koalas whose paws were burned by the bushfires in South Australia and Victoria.
Koalas urgently need your help. We may see more koalas coming into the care of wildlife groups for treatment of burns. We urgently need mittens made from 100% cotton sheets or tea towels to protect injured paws. Please cut out our pattern and get your friends to get sewing too. Send your mittens to IFAW at 6 Belmore Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 and we will distribute them where they are most needed – to vets, vet nurses and wildlife carers.
The pattern is very simple and quick to make because all the mittens really need to do is cover the koalas’ bandaged paws. The mittens do need to be made from clean 100% cotton fabric, so they suggest using old sheets, tea towels or cotton t-shirts.
UPDATE: International Fund for Animal Welfare have just posted on their Facebook page that they’ve already received enough “high-koality home-sewn mittens.” Good job everyone!
[via Daily Mail]
0 thoughts on “Call for Koala Mittens”
These are NOT needed as my Charity group have checked on it here in Australia and the animals are bandaged and don’t need these
Now, I am really confused. I can see that they are useful to protect the bandages. When my dog had to have a toe amputated, I put children’s slipper socks over the bandage and it worked great.
Sorry here are two lots of info from different place so it will be up you if you do them as postage will be expensive..
1..This is a tweet from the rescue rep…….”AMWRRO Aaron Machado: “When we
rebandage these paws & claws we have to make sure they have the
ability to use them” mitten appeal is useless”
2…Casey told me they have about 100 pairs at the moment, but by next week should know more of what is going to arrive.
She said they (IFWA) are still appealing for mittens because even if they
get too many it won’t matter as they will store them for future use as
the bush fire season is not over
IFWA will be sending mittens to places that need them all over Australia.
(not just SA) The mittens are a disposable item, so each Koala needs
more than one pair. I don’t know how often burns bandages are changed
but I imagine it would be on a regular basis and the outer mitten would
get dirty very quickly. Not a good thing for burn injuries.
As for climbing with mittens on.. I don’t know… My thoughts would be
that the Koala would not be inclined to be too active considering how
unwell it would be feeling.
Casey said that cotton tape for the tie is good, or anything that is easy for
the maker. Just so the mitten can be “tied” on and not come off.
I will be making some mittens, based on the information that I have received from the organisation sending out the appeal.
What others decide to do is a matter of personal choice.
This is from a Lady on my charity knit group here in Australia
I have received many calls and enquiries about the koala mittens and
have done a bit of follow up. At this stage, they have enough mittens
to supply every koala in the State with a new pair of mittens every day
for years, and 2 pairs on a Sunday. Lol. So, as many appeals for
mittens give a NSW address to post them to, save your postage ladies.
thanks very much for the thought and your care and compassion.
AdelaidePam