A beginning in South India

Wendy was born and brought up on tea and coffee estates in the Western Ghats of South India.  These estates were surrounded by dense jungle – a wildlife paradise.

There were many incredible wild animals such as elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, bison, pangolins, porcupines, the Malabar Giant Squirrel, as well as birds such as the Great Indian Hornbill – the magnificent King Cobra amongst them.

A lasting impact…

These jungles had a lasting impact on her – a passion for wildlife and its habitat.

Wendy was educated in India and England. She worked in London for a number of years before returning to her beloved India.  There she worked for the Indian World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at the Guindy Snake Park in Chennai (then called Madras) in Tamil Nadu.

After working in Hong Kong, Wendy went to Australia to meet up with a friend, John, who was also born and brought up in India and educated in England.  Eighteen months later, Wendy married John in a wonderful 12th century church in West Sussex, England, then returned to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, to live.

National Parks and Wildlife

This was where Wendy became a volunteer raptor (bird of prey) rehabilitator for the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife in the area.  Six years later she was one of the founding members of the Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers in 1992 (a not-for-profit organisation licensed to rescue and rehabilitate sick, injured or orphaned wildlife for release back into the wild).

Wendy actively rescued and rehabilitated raptors for 35 years.  During this time, she rehabilitated hundreds of sick and injured raptors on her two hectare property.  She also raised and released many nestlings and orphans. She had 18 of the 24 species of Australian raptors and three of the nine owl species – many, many Boobooks and Barn owls but just one, very special, female Greater Sooty owl.

Care for Wildlife

Wendy had three aviaries of varying sizes on her 2 hectare property and a large flight recovery centre measuring 24m x 12m x 5m.  Here raptors that had been in care for over three weeks could regain their fitness, strength and agility prior to release. This aviary was built with enormous help from the Northern Rivers National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers, Australian Geographic and many other organisations after falconry based free-flight rehabilitation was no longer permitted.