About Us

Back To Nature Wildlife Shelter is the joint passion of Berny Paprota and Phill Crotty.

Set on 23 hectares with sweeping views of forest and valleys in Country Victoria, the property has been a dream come true for the couple who share a passion for Australian native wildlife and their welfare.

Berny and Phill share their life with horses, sheep and a menagerie of wildlife including birds, possums and kangaroos. Occasionally a lizard, turtle, koala or echidna are thrown into the mix.

 

Our Mission Statement

To rescue, raise, rehabilitate, and release back into the wild Australian native wildlife and positively influence their lives. Lives negatively impacted by humanities presence – one animal at a time.

Our inspiration

This inspirational story influenced our mission statement.

The Boy and the Starfish

A man was walking along a quiet beach at sunset. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance. Drawing ever nearer he saw the boy bend down, pick something up and throw it into the sea. Time and again he repeated his actions.

As the man approached, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time throwing them back into the water.

The man asked the boy what he was doing. The boy replied, “I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, before they die.” Startled the man said, "You can't possibly save them all; there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. How can you possibly make a difference?"

The boy frowned and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it back into the sea. Looking up at the man he responded with a delighted smile, "I made a huge difference to that one!"

Q and A

1
What kind of bird is that?

How can I identify what bird I have just seen?

2
What on earth does that mean?

There are many strange words that you come across when dealing with wildlife.

3
Useful links and resources.

Help us create links and resources across the web that relate to Australian Wildlife and Wildlife rescue.  

Testimonials

I can but admire the sheer dedication required to work with injured wildlife and know the joy of seeing these rehabilitated animals returned back to the wild.

Mr. Peter Eerden
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