During bushfires and emergency events WIRES can be inundated with enquires from people wanting to assist wildlife.
Many calls and emails are from people wanting to assist with the rescue of injured wildlife in a direct way. While these offers are appreciated as it’s very encouraging to know that people want to help wildlife in times of tragedy, it is necessary for WIRES rescuers and carers to be trained and licenced before they are able to do this safely. Only appropriately trained members are authorised to carry out emergency wildlife rescue and care activities and even they cannot enter the fire grounds until they have been declared safe by the agencies in charge.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with WIRES we encourage you to attend a Rescue and Immediate Care Course so that you can join a local branch and assist with ongoing wildlife rescue and care in the future.
WIRES receive hundreds of calls daily to assist individual animals in distress and we are actively assisting sick, injured and orphaned wildlife 365 days a year. Bushfires and heat stress events unfortunately present an ongoing threat to our wildlife, particularly in the warmer months and when they occur they place additional demands on our limited resources. At all times though, our rescue team and volunteers do their best to provide rescue advice and assistance for all animals as quickly as possible.
The best way to assist our wildlife rescue and care work is by donating to WIRES, as this ensures we can provide the most appropriate help for native animals across the state. Community donations also support our ongoing rescue and care work and enable us to better respond to emergency events as they occur.
If you are in or near areas impacted by fires, you can also assist wildlife as outlined below:
Please remember WIRES is a registered charity and we rely on the generosity of the public to continue our rescue and care services. Gifts $2 and over are tax- deductible and you can donate online at any time, making a single donation or monthly donation to become one of our Virtual Carers. Every gift makes a significant difference and we are extremely grateful for the community's ongoing support of our work with wildlife.
Stay in touch and get our regular rescue stories, WIRES updates and a free copy of our 15 Ways to Help Wildlife ebook