Injured wildlife

WIRES emergency advice

If you find a sick, injured or orphaned native animal, call the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) on the emergency hotline 1300 596 457 or wildliferescue.net.au. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When reporting rescues to WIRES and vets, please try to confirm the exact location you found the animal.

This is because many native animals are very territorial, so it's critical that, when they are ready for release, they are returned "home" to ensure their best chance of survival. In addition, if WIRES know the exact location the animal was found, many young animals have a better chance of being reunited with their parents.

If you find one of these animals, please don't approach them but call WIRES straight away as they must be rescued by a trained wildlife rescuer:

• snakes
• monitors
• lizards and goannas
• bats (flying foxes or microbats)
• kangaroos or wallabies
• eagles, falcons or hawks

What to do while you wait

After calling a wildlife rescue organisation please follow these guidelines:

• Remove any threat to the animal - this includes keeping all people and pets away from the native animal, to minimise stress to the animal for vet transport or until a rescuer arrives.
• If it is safe to do so, contain the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place. For example, gently wrap the animal in a towel and place it in a ventilated box with a lid, cover the box or container with a towel, and transport it carefully to the nearest vet or wait for the rescuer to arrive. Handle the animal as little as possible to minimise stress.
• Do not give the animal any food or water, unless instructed to by a vet or WIRES.

Find out more: www.wires.org.au

WIRES has developed a free online community course called An Introduction to Australian Wildlife. This course has been designed for people of all ages as an easy introduction to Australian wildlife for individuals and families who are unfamiliar with Australian native animals.