WIRES response to current NSW mouse plague

Thursday, June 3, 2021

WIRES is monitoring the mouse plague poisoning situation closely and we have had considerable concern and enquiries from the community about the safety to wildlife. Currently we cannot report a noticeable increase in calls for native animals related to the poisoning, however this may not be indicative of a potential issue as the public usually only reports injured, sick and orphaned cases, not deceased native animals, unless there are large and ongoing numbers being found.

As with all natural disasters the scale of this plague is causing great hardship to the lives and livelihoods of the farmers and rural residents as well as impacting on domestic pets, wildlife and potentially livestock. We trust the solution will not involve introducing even more potent poisons into the environment that could further threaten and affect native animals as many species populations are still recovering from the long term effects of the drought and Black Summer bushfires.

We ask members of the public living in plague affected areas to please call WIRES on 1300 094 737 if they find a native animal showing signs of poisoning or contact your local vet for assessment to ensure the best chance of survival, please don’t touch dead or sick animals.

Please report mass or large scale deaths of native wildlife to:

RSPCA on 1300 278 358

NPWS on 1300 361 967 or email [email protected]

For any incident that presents an immediate threat to human health or property please report to the NSW Environmental Protection Authority on 131 555 or [email protected]

ABOUT WIRES

WIRES is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation. WIRES has been rescuing and caring for sick, injured and orphaned native animals for over 35 years with a mission to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and inspire others to do the same. WIRES’ Wildlife Rescue Office answers calls from the community 24/7, 365 days a year, providing rescue advice and assistance for over 130,000 animals annually. Connecting wildlife to real-time assistance, WIRES full-time mobile Wildlife Ambulances operate across New South Wales, South-East Queensland and Tasmania, and WIRES had over 3,500 volunteers assisting with wildlife rescue and care in NSW. WIRES is supporting thousands of wildlife carers across Australia through a diverse range of national programs. WIRES also collaborates nationally with strategic partners to support the long-term recovery of wildlife habitat and the long-term preservation of native species in the wild.

For more information on WIRES wildlife programs visit www.wires.org.au.

MEDIA CONTACTS

WIRES Media Officer: John Grant | 0416 272 153 | [email protected]

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