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A forty-year dream come true
In the late 1960's, June and Lloyd Butcher bought 1.2 hectares of land at Gooseberry Hill. They called the property ‘Kanyana’, from the Aboriginal meaning ‘gathering place’, because of the 17 perennial springs in the vicinity.
As more and more houses were built, the human impact on the local wildlife increased. June, a child health nurse, began to take in and care for injured animals. Each year the numbers grew until, in 1986 June and Lloyd built a small hospital next to their home, with aviaries attached.
More than 1,600 animals are cared for at Kanyana every year, with more than 60% of them successfully returned to the wild afterwards. Kanyana also undertakes a captive breeding program for rare and threatened species and provides an extensive program of community wildlife education.
People heard about Kanyana and soon a small band of volunteers from the local community came to help and learn how to care for the animals. The steady stream of injured animals grew and by 1993 it became necessary to enlarge the hospital. “We currently only have a bedroom and a bathroom to ourselves – the rest of our house has gradually become an extension of the animal hospital,” said June. “It was becoming increasingly clear that we desperately needed larger premises.”
Lotterywest is supporting the invaluable work that Kanyana does with a grant worth nearly $0.5m which will help relocate Kanyana’s animal enclosures and hospital and establish its operations at a spacious new site in Lesmurdie.
“Over the years, Lotterywest has helped us out with various grants for equipment and wildlife disease research. We felt comfortable speaking with Lotterywest about this proposal. This new site was such an opportunity but we really needed help to move,” said June.“The new site is really a dream come true. We will be able to offer better care to the animals and work in a suitable, rather than make-do, environment,” said June. “It all seems real now as I see the rock-breaking machinery digging channels and knowing that the foundations will be put down in the next few weeks.
The new site which backs onto a national park, is far better suited for a wildlife rehabilitation centre. It will allow for an education centre, a significantly larger hospital, an appropriate captive breeding area, and importantly, has the room to expand, if need be.