Blog

Hi, my name is Cluney. I’m an Echidna puggle and thanks to WIRES, I was rescued just in the nick of time. But I’ll let them tell you the story…

Cluney was named after the area where he was found wandering near a main road, disorientated and dehydrated, in the northern rivers town of Clunes in New South Wales.  read more

Andrew from Bobbin Head Marina, called WIRES when he found a tiny microbat on the ground. He put it in a shoebox with some t-shirt material to hang from. WIRES volunteer, Sara went to pick up the pup the next morning and quickly realised that it was very young indeed. The tiny male microbat weighed just 3g, had no fur, and his eyes were only partially open. He was cold and very dehydrated.

Spare a thought for the future of Australia’s native animals on World Wildlife Day

Take a moment on 3 March to consider how much they love our unique animals and wild places. Today we are calling on everyone to recognise that 'Caring takes Courage' and “If we care about Australia’s wildlife then it’s vital we all work together to protect not just the animals but their habitats,” says WIRES CEO Leanne Taylor. read more

Over the last 6 weeks WIRES has received calls to help an unprecedented number of Kingfishers across the Sydney area. read more

Specific signs of heat stress to watch for are: Any bird that is panting indicates that they are really hot. A healthy bird will try and get out of the sun and into a cooler place. If you see a bird sitting outside in the full sun panting there’s something wrong.

Put water in a shady place so it stays as cool as possible. Change the water daily or even more frequently if possible. Put water in places at different heights away from pets or predators for different species of birds.

Flying-foxes & bats also pant and lick their wrists and flap to try and stay cool. They will also hug the trees because they are cooler than the air & move down lower to the ground where it’s cooler. They dive for water, dams and other water sources so leaving water out does not help them. If you see a flying-fox needing help DO NOT TOUCH, call WIRES 1300 094 737. read more

Strong winds and heavy rain can put wildlife under stress.

How you can help:

After the storm has passed and it is safe to do so please check under trees for fallen chicks, nests or injured birds. There have also been many flying-foxes entangled in backyard fruit tree netting, made worse this year by the severe natural food shortages up and down the east coast of Australia. If you see an injured young or adult flying-fox please do not touch, call WIRES immediately for assistance 1300 094 737. read more

Congratulations to everyone who entered our 2017 competition and especially to our three prizewinners, Mary-Lou, Teneale and John, take a look at their amazing entries, we think you will agree all three were worthy winners. read more

During periods of extended high temperatures you can help local wildlife by providing containers of fresh, cool water. Make sure you have a few sticks or stones in bowls or containers so that if small creatures fall in they can make it back out. Where possible refresh the water frequently throughout the day.  read more

Open for entries from 13th January, 2017. To enter you simply have to like and then private message your wildlife images to WIRES facebook page. You can also register to receive emails notifying you of the finalists and the competition winners.   read more

While most native animals are well adapted to changes in climatic conditions they can still suffer during heatwaves.  Animals can cope with extremes in temperatures they are used to, but if these extremes are unusual for a particular area the animals there will struggle.  read more