The Wild Days Story
The BeginningWild Days Wildlife Shelter began in 2008, when shelter owner Kay Taranto followed a lifelong passion of caring for animals. Living on the fringe of suburbia for over 20 years, Kay watched the outer suburbs move from small patches of housing that coexisted with Australian fauna, to mass suburbia where 100 year old gum trees were being cleared to build more housing estates. As she saw changes and acceleration of human activities in the area, she saw more and more of our wildlife killed, injured or orphaned and in need of a helping hand.
With passion and love for our native wildlife, Kay commenced as a wildlife rescuer in 2007 with Wildlife Victoria, and soon after obtained her wildlife foster carers permit from DEPI in 2008. Fostering injured and orphaned wildlife confirmed Kay's passion and with the realization that there was a lack of wildlife carers in the area, Kay wanted to make a bigger difference and obtained a Wildlife Shelter/Carer License with the Victorian government, DELWP, allowing her to fulfill her dreams. Wild Days Wildlife Shelter has grown each year for various reasons and now is approached by many sources to assist with animals in need. Kay sees an opportunity not only to help animals in need at the shelter, but to use her contact with the community to educate the public about the wonders of Australian wildlife and to help the community engage and enjoy the wildlife that share our environment with us. |
Kay in the very early days with her first hand raised brushtail possum.
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Our Beliefs |
At Wild Days, we believe that each individual animal has the right to exist peacefully within their natural environment free from harm. Unfortunately, human actions like the introduction of cats and foxes, threats like moving vehicles and ever increasing habitat clearing and destruction, have created a world where our native fauna are subjected to challenges that they would not have to face in the untouched natural Australian landscape.
It may be a young galah or a brushtail possum with a pouch young, who may need medical treatment, hand feeding for months or just need a few days rest, we at Wild Days treat every individual as equal and give each the best care we can give. Just as every human enters a hospital with the right to the best possible treatment, every animal that comes into Wild Days receives the best possible care we can provide. |
Our Vision"CARE, RESPECT, FREEDOM"
Our aim is to provide care to those animals who need our help, to have respect for their habitat and to give them freedom to return to their home in the wild. Whenever Wild Days releases an animal that we have had in care, it provides even more motivation to continue our work and care for the next animal who may need a hand. As part of the human race responsible for most of the damage inflicted on our wildlife, we feel an obligation to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Giving an animal a second chance when its first has been taken away is incredibly rewarding and inspires the Wild Days team to continue to care for all animals in need. Here at Wild Days, we believe that every creature deserves the right to live their life in peace and freedom, free from harm. "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." |
About Kay TarantoKay Taranto is the type of person that inspires everyone she meets.
Kay completed a Certificate in Rehabilitation of Native Wildlife at Victoria University and a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, with majors in Zoology and Ecology & Conservation, minors in Botany and Marine Biology. You can find Kay's professional profile on her Linkedin page here. |