Helping Injured Wildlife

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Try to avoid handling with bare hands and don’t offer any food.

Scoop into a container and place a small amount of water in it, enough to cover the feet. Keep covered, contact your local group or take to a local vet.

Never handle bats – always call the rescue groups for advice.

Always use gentle force when rescuing birds. Never tightly grasp around the chest, lightly hold with wings against body.

Place a towel over the bird and place on a box, leaving them somewhere warm, dark and quiet. Never offer food or water. Once in the box, loosen the towel so the bird can move if needed.

*Raptors require specialist attention, only if safe to rescue should you contain. Raptor danger points are their talons. Observe and contact a group or take contained animal to your local vet.*

These species are very strong, do not contain in a cardboard box and place in a car or leave unattended.

In place, put a sturdy container over the animal with a towel or heavy object on top. Breathing holes will be required in the container. Contact your rescue group.

While we think echidnas are pretty tough, they can sustain damage very easily due to delicate beak structures. 

Adults can be difficult to deal with. If found on the ground, please keep on the ground and do not encourage back up a tree. Place a laundry basket or box over the top of the animal with a blanket or towel and a little weight. Contact your local group as soon as possible.

If the adult is up the tree, please monitor closely and contact your local group. They can move around quickly and even 5 minutes without observations can lose the animal. 

Joeys should be wrapped gently in a towel and kept warm, dark and quiet. Contact your local group ASAP.

If koalas have red or ‘gunky’ eyes or a ‘Dirty Bum’ contact your local group and monitor.

Larger macropods can be difficult to deal with – contact your local group for advice when dealing with adults. 

Small species can be placed into a pillowcase and placed into a box. Keep warm, dark and quiet.

Joeys should be wrapped in a towel and kept warm, dark and quiet.

Joeys will require warmth. Wrap in a towel and place in a box with towels somewhere warm, dark and quiet and contact your local rescue group ASAP.

Never take a joey from a mother that is still alive but injured, wrap mum with bub in the pouch, place in a container and keep warm, dark and quiet. Take them to your local vet or contact your local group.

Adults can be wrapped in a towel and placed in a box. Keep them warm, dark and quiet until it can be taken to a vet or your local rescue group can assist. A pillowcase works well for these species.

Never handle snakes – contact your local group or Snake Catcher.

All species (excluding snakes) - Wrap in a towel. Contain in a box that is warm, dark and quiet, do not supply food or water. 

Adults can be difficult to deal with, always contact your local group for assistance.

Joeys should be wrapped in a towel or pillowcase and placed in a box with some towels, keeping them warm, dark and quiet.