How to help wildlife affected by bushfires

 

  • Do not enter any unsafe bushfire zones. Your safety remains the number one priority
  • Fire-affected wildlife who have lost their habitat will now be dispersing as they look for food, habitat and water.  If you see one, please keep your dogs and cats inside, keep noise to a minimum, and watch them for some time. If they are not injured, leave them alone and let them find their way. If they are injured, take them to your local vet hospital.
  • Please take any wildlife needing urgent medical assistance to your nearest vet
  • Please put water out for wildlife at all levels of the bush: in trees and on the ground
  • Feeding native animals is generally not recommended as it can cause damage to the animals eating it. If you do provide food, refer to these guidelines.
  • Please keep pet cats and dogs inside to protect wild animals. Heat-stressed wildlife are often weak and more susceptible to bites from dogs and cats.

 

Helping wildlife

The Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) is coordinating a collaborative response to the emerging rescue and rehabilitation needs of affected wildlife. This will allow us to bring together the significant expertise, resources, equipment and facilities across our membership to help native animals in the crisis affected areas.

The effects of this crisis on wildlife and their destroyed habitats is going to require a long-term approach so the ZAA bushfire and drought response will also consider what’s needed in years ahead to rehabilitate our surviving native wildlife and ensure that we can return them to liveable habitats.

This approach aims to execute three key phases:

Phase one - placing rescued native animals with appropriate facilities and expert care for treatment, ongoing rehabilitation and preparation to return to the wild.

Phase two – assessing the impacts on wildlife and habitat to understand where rehabilitation efforts are most needed.

Phase three – medium and long-term recovery efforts to return healthy animals to regenerated habitats and revive and sustain populations of wildlife in affected areas.