Photo by Salty Dingo, 2023, created for Department of Communities & Justice.
WIRES Volunteers are dedicated to helping rescue and rehabilitate native Australian wildlife and are trained how to safely handle wildlife species and transport them for assistance.
Volunteers receive message alerts via an app on their phone and if able to attend a rescue, hit accept. The rescuer then liaises with the community member or vet that has reported the animal. From November 2019 to February 2020 WIRES volunteers accepted over 12,900 rescues to assist sick, injured and orphaned native animals.
Photo by Salty Dingo, 2023, created for Department of Communities & Justice.
WIRES volunteer Kyana describes why she spends her time rescuing native animals
“I volunteer for WIRES because I have always been in love with and fascinated by Australian wildlife. Knowing I can make a difference and help an animal that is suffering is extremely rewarding.”
“I rescued 8 ducklings from a very busy road in the city. It was highly stressful with a lot of cars around, but I managed to contain all the ducklings and the mother duck followed me to the nearest water source on foot about 1km away. Watching the little ducklings jump into the pond and swim away with mum was really rewarding.”
WIRES Volunteer, Kyala.
Volunteer Zoe shares an unusual rescue:
“I once went to help someone with a snake in their house. I was told that one had come in and two more were by the back door trying to get in. I was very surprised by the report of this behaviour and wondered if the residents were mistaken. When I arrived, there were in fact two Green Tree Snakes (non-venomous) at the glass back door. It turned out they were males trying to find the female who had made a getaway into the house. After about 20 minutes searching, I found the female hiding in a cupboard. After containing her I then collected the males who were still hanging around the back door. I released all three into nearby bushland, but I gave the female some time to slither off and disappear first!” Zoe, WIRES volunteer.
To become a volunteer with WIRES you need to complete the WIRES Rescue and Immediate Care Course (RICC). Completing the initial RICC training enables you to rescue a range of sick, injured and orphaned native animals.
For more information visit the WIRES website.