For many they would be considered as part of the local wildlife, but Moss Vale man Mike Jupp considers the birds a way of confirming that what he does is valuable work.

Mr Jupp is a WIRES volunteer in the Southern Highlands and Kangaroo Valley, and the female member of the wedge-tailed eagle pair is a bird he once cared for after it had been rescued by a friend.

He said the fact that the bird had been successfully released back into the wild and had gone on to find a partner was a result WIRES volunteers constantly strived to achieve.

Mr Jupp, who was born in England, said he had always liked animals, and was especially fascinated with Australian native wildlife.

He said that fascination was the driving force behind his decision to become a WIRES volunteer about six years ago.

Mr Jupp said he had since rescued more than 1000 animals consisting of more than 85 different native species in the local area.

He said the aim of WIRES was to rescue injured, misplaced or orphaned native wildlife and nurture them back to health so that they could be released into their natural environment.

“Our aim is not just to release animals but to release animals that can survive on their own in the wild,’’ he said.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Friday, May 16