Augustus escapes out of Lisa Palma’s hands, scurries over her shoulder, and nestles under her black hoodie, staring out with sparkly eyes and a twitchy pink nose.

“Unfortunately, he thinks I’m his mother, and he takes every opportunity to get on my back, usually the middle, where I can’t get him off,” the Wildlife Victoria chief executive laughed.

The possum’s mother was hit and killed by a car, making Augustus the first orphaned animal to come into Mrs Palma’s care for spring.

“We’ve seen the busiest spring we have ever seen in the organisation’s 35-year history. It has been absolutely alarming,” she said. 

“In September we have had a 52 per cent increase in incoming calls from the public seeking help for animals [compared to September last year]. It is extraordinary.”

Extreme weather contributes to increase

The return of El Niño and a warmer-than-usual start to spring means animals are moving and mating earlier than other years.

“Springtime is always busier. Springtime is baby time,” wildlife vet Emily Graham said.

That’s because the weather hasn’t just been warm. The season began with bushfires, which were followed by floods and wild winds.

The weather events have burnt up and flooded habitats, pushing animals into built-up areas — including Melbourne’s suburbs.

Wild winds have also simply blown baby animals off mothers’ backs, out of trees and out of nests.

That’s the case with most of the animals in Mrs Palma’s home, which doubles as an animal shelter.

In her care are baby brushtail and ringtail possums, ducks and one very loud, but very fluffy, magpie blown out of a nest near the MCG.

“It was found on the ground, just before the AFL grand final,” Mrs Palma said.

“Magpies nest very, very high. There were two nestlings and one had blown to ground and it was completely defenceless there.

Ms Graham said car accidents were likely the most common incidents involving a wild animal — and one of the most dangerous.

“The most urgent for public safety, and the animal’s safety, are kangaroos,” she said. 

“There are things we, as a team, are used to, but for the general public it is distressing.”

About 75 per cent of calls to Wildlife Victoria come from metropolitan Melbourne, and just 25 per cent from regional Victoria.

“We’re encroaching on wildlife habitat more and more,” Ms Graham said.

“Everywhere there is wildlife.”

Helping an injured animal

Ms Graham said the first thing to do in an accident, or if finding an animal in distress, was to ensure human safety.

“We don’t want you running around in traffic and getting hit by a car,” she said. 

Once safe, she advised people keep their distance from the animal and call Wildlife Victoria.

The organisation provides advice on what to do, including potentially dispatching people like Ms Graham to help.

Mrs Palma said her phone operators may also provide advice on how to handle the animal, and may ask people to take it to a vet for treatment, if it is safe.

“If you, for example, find a blue-tongue lizard with severe wounds in your backyard, we’ll tell you how to pick it up, and how to transport it, and where the closest vet is,” she said. 

“And we can do things, talk you through how to check pouches, because at this time of year the chances of a finding a live joey is very high.

“You will save a life.”

And she said plenty could be done to help Australian wildlife before they became hurt.

“Leave water out. Plant native vegetation, even on your city balcony. Native vegetation is food for our wildlife,” Mrs Palma said. 

The baby animals in Mrs Palma’s shelter will all be released back into the wild.

Augustus still needs several months of care before that happens.

But the magpie will be released back to the area around the MCG once it can fly.

“I’m sure it can stay away from dogs and foxes,” Mrs Palma said.

“But perhaps Collingwood could adopt it as an official mascot.”