WIRES and Woolworths - Emergency Food Support

WIRES and Woolworths have developed a new Emergency Food Support Program for wildlife. 

This program complements the existing food rescue program & national food program, where Woolworths and WIRES are supporting local wildlife carers and rescue organisations with access to specific fresh produce suitable for wildlife in care, as well as access to specialist wildlife food from national wildlife food suppliers.

As there are hundreds of wildlife rescue organisations and over 20,000 wildlife carers within Australia, no program can support every need. However, with increasing issues for wildlife related to massive habitat loss, heat stress events, disease, natural disasters and climate change, WIRES supported by Woolworths, have set up a new Emergency Food Support Program.

In the event of a Wildlife Emergency, licenced carers and groups can request urgent support to help with the provision of immediate care to wildlife in need, including medical assistance, medicines to help treat accute injuries and aid in triage & recovery as well as access to specialist supplemental food.

Thanks to the generosity of Woolworths team and customers, A $50,000 fund has been established and allocated to this emergency relief program for authorised groups or individuals to draw upon for support when they and the animals in their care need it most.

Eligibility Criteria

If a licenced/authorised wildlife carer or rescue organisation is experiencing a local emergency event that results in high numbers of native animals coming into care, they can use the form below to request assistance via emergency food support. 

Individual carers can submit a request up to the value of $500 and rescue organisations up to $2,000.

To be eligible for consideration:

• Groups must be licenced or authorised for wildlife rescue and care in accordance with their state requirements
• Individuals and groups must prioritise animal welfare and aim to consistently provide best practice rescue and care for wildlife
• Individuals and groups must be able to demonstrate significent experience in the rehabilitation of the species they have in care 
• Groups must be registered as Australian organisations with a current ABN
• Groups must be willing to agree to the Community Guidelines that govern participation in the program
• Any funding previously received from WIRES must have been successfully acquitted.

Note: If a licenced carer or wildlife organisation is facing an emergency event impacting wildlife and requires additional assistance that is not related to feeding wildlife in care, please email the details directly to [email protected].

Apply Now

Group applications must be submitted by the group's Committee or Executive on behalf of all members.

Depending on the volume of eligible applications support will need to be prioritised, taking into account what will deliver the maximum impact for the highest number of animals.

If anyone has any questions about the program, please email [email protected]

To find out more about all wildlife programs supported by WIRES and Woolworths go to:
wires.org.au/woolworths-and-wires-for-wildlife