About us

Mel & the Menagerie, Native & Domestic Animal Rescue Incorporated is an Vet nurse owned & operated, small scale not for profit rescue /sanctuary based in the Strzelecki ranges, Devon North, near Yarram in the Wellington Shire region of Gippsland.

Melinda Darer is President of this NFP and is also the owner and operator. The incorporated association also has a committee  & role bearers, Linda Miriam- Treasurer, Joseph Mackenzie -Secretary & committee members which all help keep the Menagerie on track.

Mel is a qualified Vet Nurse with more than 20 years of experience, where she has worked across a number of vet clinics, animal emergency hospitals  and with Wildlife organisations across Victoria and New South Wales.

Mel & the Menagerie is now registered NFP, registered charity & has tax deductible status, this gives us governance & assists access funding, resources and volunteers to better assist the local community with a greater capacity and more options for animals to be rescued, nursed back to health.

My story starts as a 2yr old, this is when I met my first best friend- Stripey. Stripey was a baby blue tongue lizard who took a shine to me & me to him, we were inseparable. Stripey lived in our garden & would sneak into our house to sneak the warmth of sleeping with me, much to my mums shock when she would wake me up!

My affinity with animals began there & has infiltrated every facet of my life from then on.

My dad gave me the nickname “Melly, patron saint of lost puppies, hurt pigeons & wildlife’.

My first dog, Sarah, whom we got as a 3rd birthday present from our local pound ( she was the runt & fit under the gate so she chose me really )I considered my sister. She saved me from trying to make friends with a red belly black snake as a child & would be my constant companion until I was 13.

I was the child that demanded we stop to check every animal on the side of the road, if we found they where injured or had pouch young I would demand we take it to the “animal lady”. She was our local wildlife carer & an amazing inspiration for me. I would ride my pony, he would “mow” her lawn,  the few blocks to her home to help her every weekend & she was so generous with her time & knowledge.

• 2000 at 16yrs old I undertook a basic native animal rescue & rehabilitation course started as rescuer for the Native Animal Trust fund in the Hunter Valley Nsw. I continued this for 6yrs before moving to Victoria.
• 2001/2002 I studied animal sciences along side my HSC.
• 2004 I began working in Vet clinics, in the capacity of animal attendant & working up to Vet nursing, around Newcastle & Sydney (including Bondi Vet, but sadly before Dr Chris Brown started there.)
  During these years I continued with NATF & undertook further training in native animal care so I could become a registered wildlife carer.I was also involved in post mortem, neonate care & acute trauma workshops with internationally recognised Wildlife vet Dr Howard Ralph.
• 2007 I relocated to Victoria to pursue my professional career of Vet nursing. I began pursuing emergency & critical care nursing positions. During this period I worked at Lort Smith vet centre, Advanced Vet Care, Pet Emergency & specialist centre, All animal eye Services, Animal Accident & Emergency centre Highett etc & I was wildlife coordinator at many of these hospitals.I also started volunteering with wildlife Victoria & caring for wildlife, particularly the very high care cases as I had such good access to emergency facilities & 24/7 Vet care.
• 2009, during the bushfires, I also volunteered with Healesville wildlife hospital as a surgical nurse & wildlife carer.After these unprecedented natural disasters I began furthering my education in how to be of most use during these times. I undertook specialised bandaging workshops(for fractures, first aid, injuries wirh foreign objects etc), burns treatment workshops, intensive care & shock treatment in compromised patients classes, reptile workshops & avian care workshops.
• 2012 I relocated to regional Vic & have continued with rescue care & vet nursing during this period. I also became involved in environmental groups. This was to save the habitat the animals I care for need to return to the wild.
• 2020 I collected donations, medical supplies & organised volunteers for treating animals & humans affected by the 2019/2020 summer bushfires.
• 2021 after the 2019/2021 summer bushfires & volunteering through the decimation they caused, I formed a committee & register as a not for profit animal rescue. I am now preparing a mobile natural disaster unit so I can be of more direct assistance in future.I have facilitated numerous Basic wildlife first aid workshops, field naturalist seminars & the annual Strzelecki koala festival.
• 2021 I began managing a wildlife hospital in Morwell, this hospital runs alongside a Green Cross Vet clinic so we can give local wildlife carers access to pathology, radiographs, cytology, emergency stabilisation, IV fluids, surgery etc without the carers needing to transport to Melbourne (2.5-5hrs away)
• 2022 Mel & the menagerie has begun a connection to totem program with Wulgunngo Ngala learning centre. This program utilises facilities set up by Healsville sanctuary & it allows for knowledge to be shared between traditional owners & Mel & the Menagerie.

I like to think im driven,friendly, caring, dedicated & task-oriented person who is passionate about animal welfare & the interaction between community & animals