Doug Gimesy’s Journey: Transforming a Hazardous Boundary to Wildlife Sanctuary
Doug Gimesy’s move to his new home in rural Victoria took an unexpected turn when he encountered a disturbing sight. On his very first day, he spotted an eastern grey kangaroo entangled in the top barbed wire lines of his fence. This encounter sparked a ten-month mission to make his property safer for wildlife.
The Moment That Changed Everything
The day Doug moved into his new home in Wongarra, Victoria, was both exciting and heartbreaking. Spotted was a kangaroo caught upside down on the barbed wire fence. “We moved down here in May, and the first day at our new home, we saw an eastern grey kangaroo stuck in the top two barbed wire lines of our fence,” Doug recounted to Yahoo News Australia.
Acting swiftly, Doug freed the kangaroo and made a solemn vow: “Of course, we cut the fence so it could escape, but I also decided, ‘Not on my watch.'” The next day, armed with bolt cutters, he began the challenging task of lowering his fence to prevent future incidents.
The Labor of Compassion
Over the following months, Doug meticulously handcut 17 kilometers of barbed wire, rolling it up for recycling. “I’d spend two to three hours a day cutting the wire and hand roll it for recycling… I cut each line from each post and after about 100 meters, I would hand roll it and then start again… I literally walked all the fence lines of my property twice after realizing I had to remove both of the top wires, not only the one,” Doug said.
The Harsh Reality of Barbed Wire
Doug, a conservation and animal welfare photojournalist, saw the task of fence removal as essential due to the cruel nature of barbed wire. “I’m really aware of how brutal barbed wire is,” Doug explained. He highlighted that 80 species have been recorded as victims, with many enduring hours of pain or death before being discovered.
Barbed Wire: The Silent Killer
Barbed wire has been dubbed the “silent killer” of wildlife, a hazard that inflicts painful and fatal injuries. Doug’s awareness comes from his extensive work in documenting these incidents. Armadillos, kangaroos, birds, and even bats are among the species that have suffered horrific injuries, often left to die a slow, painful death.
Kangaroos have been found with necrotic limbs, birds with wings torn, and bats with their penises impaled by barbs. These examples highlight the shocking reality of how barbed wire affects various wildlife species.