Support Australian wildlife rescue to release

Thank you so much for supporting our urgent work for wildlife.   

As Australia's native animals become ever more vulnerable to extreme weather, busy roads and the loss of their habitat, your support is helping provide the vital lifeline they urgently need.  

On behalf of the many thousands of native animals you’re helping us rescue, protect and release, thank you.  

Maya the Roo – safe thanks to you!  

In May, our volunteer Amara received a call from her local vet clinic in Wagga, Central New South Wales. They’d received a tiny kangaroo joey who'd been rescued from the side of the road after her mother was struck and killed by a car.  

Originally, the person who'd found her had taken her home and fed her cow's milk. This resulted in the joey having very bad stomach issues; and so they’d taken her into their local vets. The vet explained that orphaned kangaroos require specialist formula and care from a trained wildlife carer, and had called WIRES. 

Thankfully, she is now thriving in the care of WIRES carer Maya, and has now overcome her stomach issues and initial weight loss.  

Urgent rescue for quoll trapped in oil

Moving on to Tasmania, our Emergency Responder Ned was recently called when an Eastern quoll was discovered trapped in a container of aromatic oil in a factory.  

Quolls are very inquisitive and have an exceptional sense of smell – it is likely he made his way in through a small opening at the top of the container and was then unable to get free.  

On arrival, Ned found the quoll was actually in a good physical condition and had no signs of trauma. Quolls are incredibly resilient! His coat was however caked in oil, and Ned was concerned he’d develop skin and eye irritations and possibly lung and stomach issues if he’d inhaled or ingested the aromatic oil. 

The tub was opened and Ned carefully removed the quoll, cleaned off the excess oil and transported him in our Wildlife Ambulance to Bonorong Wildlife Hospital for medical care. As feared, he did develop a respiratory issue from inhaling the oil, but after several weeks of rehabilitation made a full recovery and has since been successfully released.

Do you remember tiny koala joey Ajooni?

She was rescued in September last year, after her mother was struck by a car.  

Ajooni was rescued from the side of the road and placed in the care of our volunteer Emma, who provided her with the dedicated care her mother wasn’t able to give her.  

A few months ago Ajooni was buddied up with Maz – a male koala joey who’d been found lost and alone last December, and who’d spent his infancy with WIRES koala carer Tracy.   

Being buddied is an important step in the social development of young koalas in care, and the two completed their rehabilitation together. A few weeks ago, Ajooni and Maz were successfully released and are now continuing their journeys – safe, healthy, wild and free. Thank you for making it so! 

Thank you so much for helping us grow, almost year on year for the past 40 years. You are part of a very special group of people dedicated to providing distressed native animals with the rescue and protection they need and deserve. 

Thank you for your continued support which allows us to rescue and rehabilitate Australian native wildlife. One such rescue involved a heat-stressed Osprey, which took a full 24 hours to rescue. 

Initially, we received a report from a concerned member of the public who spotted the bird in a Sydney car park with its wings spread, likely in response to heat stress. Our Emergency Responder, Kyana, was dispatched to the scene; however, before her arrival, a car honked at the bird, causing it to take flight and land on a cliff above water, making it impossible for Kyana to access.

Later that evening, we received another call about a grounded Osprey in a backyard of a Northern Beaches suburb of Sydney. Despite being harassed by Kookaburras, the Osprey remained on the ground. Thankfully, they calmed down overnight, and in the morning, after the householder confirmed the bird was still present, we dispatched two Emergency Responders, fully equipped with long poles, nets, and rescue equipment.

The Osprey was swiftly captured and underwent a health check. Unfortunately, he was in poor condition and quite emaciated, so he was transported in our Wildlife Ambulance to Taronga Wildlife Hospital, where he received immediate oxygen and taken in for further treatment and investigation. We wish him well in his recovery! 

Yet another challening rescue unfolded for our dedicated Wildlife Carers when the Wildlife Rescue Office received a distressing call from a concerned member of the public who discovered a spotted Red-Necked Wallaby stuck in the grille of a car.

After he called WIRES the concerned man put an umbrella over the grille to shade the wallaby, as the temperatures were quickly rising.

Meanwhile, our Wildlife Rescue Office sent out an emergency alert, which was picked up by a local Northern New South Wales WIRES volunteer, Mark, along with Dr Bree from Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital.

When the car owner approached she was completely baffled. She had no idea she had struck the wallaby on the way to the supermarket.

Working together, Dr Bree sedated the wallaby whilst Mark gently removed him from the grille. He was quickly transferred to the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for medical care. Amazingly, he had no broken bones or injuries. He's now having a good rest before being released back into the wild.

Thank you so much for making sure these rescues happened - you are vitally important to our ongoing work.