Wildlife Education Program

Wildlife Victoria is very excited to announce a new Wildlife Education Program, which has been developed to meet the increasing demand for Wildlife and Environmental information from all sectors of society, particularly schools.

The main purpose of the Education Program is promoting a more harmonious way of living with the unique creatures that share with us this land.

Through this program Wildlife Victoria wants to provide information, inspiration and initiatives to approach some of the challenges that our native animals are continuously facing, in a positive way.

The current ecological challenges we are facing including global warming, as well as the past devastating bushfires, have raised awareness about the environment, the wildlife and the ways in which we interact with them.

Particularly for schools and other education institutions, this program has been designed to enrich the Sustainability Perspective as part of the Educational Purpose, Principles and Values within the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS).

A series of didactic, dynamic, informative and fun PowerPoint presentations for early childhood, primary and secondary, are available now. They include topics such as:
-    Living with wildlife
-    What happens inside a Wildlife Shelter:
. rescuing animals in trouble
. rehabilitating orphaned, injured and sick animals
. releasing them back into the wild
-    Why native animals come into care: dangers to our wildlife
-    What we can do to help the wildlife and the environment
-    What we should do (or not do) when encountering a native animal in distress
-    Wildlife Victoria’s programs after the fires

For expressions of interest, please fill in the education form and return it to our office.
The fee for each presentation is $200 for groups up to 50 students or $5 per student. These funds will support this program, as well as the work for the native animals in need.

For more information, please contact Adriana Simmonds on 0423 242 037 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Adriana Simmonds is an experienced Education Officer who has merged her experience as Biologist, Wildlife Shelter Operator and Environmental Educator to produce and present this program based on the principles of Wildlife Victoria’s 20 years of work rescuing and rehabilitating our native animals.

The Husbandry and Rehabilitation of Wildlife

Victoria University and Wildlife Victoria are proud to introduce this course for any person who is interested in becoming a wildlife carer or would like to expand their knowledge in the care and rehabilitation of native Australian wildlife. It is available in both on-line and on-campus modes.

Enrolment

For enrolment enquiries contact Debbie on (03) 9216 8139.

Course coordinator is Greg Gordon ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

On-Line Mode

This course is designed for those who cannot attend formal classes but enables them to learn from experienced and knowledgeable wildlife carers. The course is both broad and detailed to meet the needs of any person who is new to wildlife caring or those who just wish to expand their knowledge.

Some of the topics that are included in the course are:

• Law and animal welfare
• Basic animal biology
• Wildlife husbandry
• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Animal first aid
• Animal rescue and release

As a student of the on-line course you will be able contact people who have considerable experience with a variety of different species. These individuals will be on-line tutors who can be contacted by a number of ways, such as:

• On-line chat
• Bulletin board inquires
• E-mail

Each student will have access to comprehensive notes and a detailed learners guide. This guide includes:

• How to get on-line
• How to use the system
• Assessment tasks
• Required skills

On-Campus Mode

This course uses similar material and has a similar structure as the on-line course. However, it is conducted at Victoria University at our Werribee campus. In this course there is considerable hands on experience, as there is the opportunity to visit various shelters and wildlife parks.

Each student receives a full set of notes from all the expert lectures.

This course runs from April to September. Lectures are at night and workshops and site visits are on the weekends.