Travelling Veterinary Service

Wildlife Victoria’s Travelling Veterinary Service (TVS) is on call 7 days a week to assess and treat injured wildlife in field and in care – providing vital support not just to wildlife but also to Wildlife Victoria’s volunteer wildlife rescuers and wildlife rehabilitators at no cost.

Wildlife Victoria launched the TVS after a critical gap in round the clock wildlife veterinary support was identified across the state. Due to this shortage of veterinarians, especially those with wildlife expertise, there are limited opportunities and locations for expert wildlife care in Victoria. Additional wildlife veterinary capability was required to ensure ongoing support for Wildlife Victoria’s hardworking volunteers.

In addition to Wildlife Victoria recognising the need for a nimble, mobile, in-field service that can meet day-to-day wildlife veterinary needs, it was also identified that the service would need the capacity for deployment during major wildlife emergencies.

As a statewide emergency response service, Wildlife Victoria is committed to providing veterinary support to wildlife in need across the state. In response to increased case volume, a need for specialised wildlife-specific veterinary services, and a general increase in population within the regions, Wildlife Victoria established two TVS hubs in Nunawading and West Gippsland.

Each hub is staffed in shifts with two veterinarians and two vet nurses operating from a custom-built 4WD vehicle. The TVS vehicle is fully equipped to perform detailed, roadside assessments which significantly reduces diagnostic time, allowing staff to provide appropriate care quickly to reduce animal suffering, and to improve health outcomes for treatable animals. Each vehicle is equipped with specialist and essential veterinary equipment including a mobile X-Ray machine, mobile anaesthesia machine, a darting gun, medications, veterinary consumables such as bandages and dressings, pull out treatment tables, fluid pumps and items for basic pathology such as a microscope and centrifuge.

Benefits of the Wildlife Victoria Travelling Veterinary Service

The Wildlife Victoria Travelling Veterinary Service is provided at no cost to the Victorian community and to Wildlife Victoria volunteer rescuers and rehabilitators, saving our compassionate and hardworking volunteers thousands of dollars in veterinary costs.

Where a veterinarian is required to attend a rescue case, Wildlife Victoria’s Emergency Response Service can deploy the TVS as the first responder significantly improving welfare outcomes for critical cases.

Wildlife Victoria’s veterinarians conduct in field assessment and triage of injured wildlife and perform prompt treatment or humane euthanasia as required.

When not attending wildlife rescues, Wildlife Victoria’s veterinarians provide free of charge “house call” services to Wildlife Victoria’s volunteer wildlife rehabilitators. They assist with the treatment of wildlife in care including assessment, dispensing medications and case management.

Wildlife Victoria veterinarians operate under specific Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols and complete training prior to deployment. The TVS staff work in shifts to ensure coverage seven days a week.

Each veterinarian is allocated to a specific region of need in Victoria and can be deployed as the on the ground regional veterinary expert in times of wildlife emergencies such as bushfires, storms, floods and heat emergencies.

Wildlife Victoria, with its statewide network of volunteers, and detailed knowledge of wildlife emergency response, is uniquely placed to deliver a nimble, effective and efficient wildlife Travelling Veterinary Service that better meets the needs of the Victorian community both from the perspective of day-to-day wildlife veterinary support as well as for major emergencies.

Meet the team

Dr Jessica McCutchan

Dr Alisdair Eddie

Dr Emily Graham

Dr Anita Tolpinrud

Jordan Finn

Nicola Rae

Camilla Woods

Lee Moon

Bayli Paterson-Bird

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