Aussie Wildlife Recovery & Emergency Preparedness

We hope you are staying safe and well during these challenging COVID-19 times. While this pandemic has impacted some of our operating procedures, WIRES continues to focus on bushfire recovery and using your donations to support projects that help our wildlife. The summer of bushfires in Australia have dominated our work for the last seven months and continue to do so.

The needs of our native animals are huge, as we face significant numbers of species requiring urgent intervention and one of the highest mammal extinction rates of any country in the world. Your donation is going towards immediate and long-term solutions to these issues.   

Following is an update on some major projects we have been developing in partnership with Australia’s leading animal conservation and environmental groups and universities. Without the donations we have received from around the world these important initiatives would not be possible, and this is just the beginning of what we have planned.

I thank you again for your generosity. As we implement ongoing recovery plans and increase rescue and care capacity for native animals in preparation for the coming spring and summer we will keep you updated. 

We have included some details on nine projects below.

Threatened species programs – over $3.5 million

WIRES is committed to restoring native wildlife populations and has developed important new partnerships to address the alarming number of native animals facing significant population decline.

Projects include:

• Australian Wildlife Conservancy partnership is focused on saving the Kangaroo Island Dunnart and Northern Bettong from extinction and also includes bushfire recovery programs.  
   
• Koala Health Hub (School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney) is a three-year grant to support koala care, management and research. This grant will allow it to respond to an increasing need for koala care and management following recent bushfire and drought.

Wildlife care facilities and habitat protection - over $2.5 million

WIRES is helping community groups across the country to establish local programs that support existing wildlife populations in challenging and ever-changing environments.

Projects include:

• WIRES Landcare Australia Wildlife Relief and Recovery Grants - 64 environmental groups across the country received grants to support the recovery of wildlife habitats impacted by bushfire and drought. This includes rainforest revegetation, installation of nest boxes, feeding programs for endangered wildlife, management of invasive weeds, erosion control and protection of waterways and aquatic habitats.
   
• Water for Wildlife - A collaboration between WIRES, the University of Sydney, WWF Australia, Reece, Wildsip and other partners to build and distribute 800 Tree Troff ® drink stations in bushfire and drought affected areas.

• Drink Station Project - WIRES collaborated with Greater Sydney Local Land Services, local councils, Landcare/Bushcare groups, IFAW and NPWS to get emergency water stations installed for native wildlife species in response to extreme drought and fires. WIRES provided 120 automatic-filling drinking bowls to provide water for wildlife in semi-remote locations

Funding for animal rescue and care needs – over $5 million  

Projects include:

• Wildlife Emergency Relief Fund - In January WIRES established an emergency “Wildlife Relief Fund’ to support non-WIRES frontline wildlife rescue organisations. Over $2million was distributed to 223 groups and registered carers across the country to provide immediate assistance.
   
• Veterinary Relief Fund - In January WIRES established a fund to support vets and specialist wildlife veterinary practices treating animals that have been affected during the bushfire crisis and drought.  
     
• Animal Rescue Cooperative - WIRES supported Animal Rescue Cooperative (ARC) in feeding thousands of native animals affected by the fires and drought. WIRES continues to work with ARC to deliver hay, joey formula, birdseed, macropod pellets and fresh vegetables to wildlife carers. With ARC's extensive network of volunteers and transport, we have been able to deliver these items along with medical supplies, towels, knitted pouches and blankets to wildlife carers.
   
• Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, Queensland - WIRES is funding the construction to help build capacity to meet the increasing numbers of animal patients at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital. We will also be supporting ongoing emergency rescue assistance with a dedicated emergency rescue responder and emergency vehicle based at Currumbin to improve rescue response capability.

As we head into the Australian Spring/Summer season the number of calls for help increases. Our Rescue Line receives more than 170,000 calls for help each year and the next 3-6 months are our busiest. Spring is breeding season and our volunteers are inundated with orphaned wombat, possum, kangaroo and wallaby joeys as well as the chicks of the many amazing native birds in our country.

If you would like to support our ongoing work rescuing wildlife and getting them back to the wild where they belong please share and support our project -  Australian wildlife from rescue to release

Links:

• Supporting Australian wildlife from rescue to release
• Video-Australian Bushfires-WIRES Wildlife Rescue
• Follow us on Instagram for wildlife rescue stories and images

You are a very valued member of the WIRES community and we are thinking of you at this difficult time and hope you, your family and loved ones are keeping safe and well. 

As always WIRES continues to prioritise the rescue and care of wildlife in distress. During the long and catastrophic bushfire season, we were immersed in the crisis and in the provision of immediate rescue and care for the many animals suffering burns and habitat loss. 

Nellie and Declan - Orphaned Wombat Joeys

Even as the bushfires raged and our volunteers began search and rescue activities there were already many animals in our care and possibly none more endearing than Nellie and Declan, two orphaned wombat joeys.

Nellie and Declan were in care with WIRES volunteers before the fires hit the area. When the fire began threatening local communities they had to be evacuated as the fires approached their carers homes.

Nellie spent one very long night snuggled in her pouch on the beach, along with her carer and hundreds of frightened local residents, as the fire approached.

Both Nellie and Declan came through unscathed and we are pleased to report they are still doing well and growing up fast. 
Learn more about wombats.

Bushfire Relief and Recovery Update

Thanks to you we have spent recent months getting much-needed emergency funds out to, not only our own 3,000 WIRES volunteers, but also to a further 6,247 wildlife carers. WIRES has provided funding for 240 projects through our Emergency Relief Grants to rescue groups and licensed carers across Australia. Being in a position to be able to help wildlife and volunteer carers in all Australian states and territories has been a huge privilege.

As you can see in the graph below these grants have funded food, water, vital rescue and care equipment, medical costs and also enabled the vital rebuilding of enclosures lost in the fires. This response has allowed many dedicated rescue groups to focus on animal rescue and care at a time when it was most needed.

In addition to continuing to rescue wildlife, WIRES is now also working with a wide range of groups to ensure the best possible longer-term outcomes for our wildlife. You have made it possible for us to collaborate and provide funding for partners like; the Animal Rescue Collective (ARC) who are providing a constant supply of food and goods to wildlife carers, with Landcare Australia who have expertise in habitat and land recovery and with veterinary clinical teams to provide the best treatment advice to wildlife volunteers for the wildlife in their care. 

These projects would not have been possible without your support and will ensure Australia's native species are given the best chance to thrive in a post-bushfire world. We look forward to sharing more details about these initiatives with you.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for being a valued member of the WIRES community.

If you have not found us already we would love you to register to receive our monthly enews for more inspiring wildlife stories.

Yours sincerely,
Dianne Browning
WIRES Digital Communications Manager

Across Nov/Dec/Jan our volunteers attended over 10,000 rescues. Thanks to your support we are able to respond to assist wildlife in need. 

The bushfire emergency in Australia has taken a tragic toll on wildlife and the global community acted significantly to help wildlife in January donating millions of dollars to WIRES to help native animals.

WIRES takes the diligent management of these funds extremely seriously and is working closely with a wide range of organisations to implement plans designed to deliver maximum value for immediately affected wildlife and surviving wildlife in the wild. Many animals are also facing long-term challenges due to the food and water shortages and lack of habitat.

No-one knows yet whether hundreds of animals at risk of extinction have survived and for the remaining animals of these species, unprecedented actions to preserve their future may be required.

Thanks to our incredible donors, we are immensely proud to have been able to already have approved or disbursed funding to 70 licensed rescue groups or individually licensed carers across 6 states and territories, in addition to supporting our 28 WIRES Branches across NSW, and every day there are more applications being received and processed.

These funds have been used to:

• provide food and water to hundreds of animals in care, including more than 11 tonnes of hay. 
• fund medical equipment for emergency animal care
• fund veterinary expenses
• fund lifesaving medications
• expand existing care enclosures to accommodate the increased amount of rescued animals in the aftermath of the bushfires.
• repair damaged enclosures or facilities destroyed by fires.

Additionally:
• water tanks, pumps, pipes, high-visibility vests and radios have also been funded to help volunteers to stay safe in the dangerous search and rescue conditions.
• specialised facilities are being built for Koalas and Greater Gliders.
• 26 ICU incubators have been purchased. These incubators are invaluable when caring for young orphaned animals who would still be relying on their mothers to keep them warm.
• 5 flying-fox flight aviaries are being built along with the repair and extension to an existing facility.
• supplies including pouches, possum boxes, safety equipment and medical supplies have been distributed to 7 states and territories with the assistance of the Animal Rescue Cooperative.

Thank you for your support, we have been very moved by the level of compassion from around the globe, it is greatly appreciated.