As summer temperatures start to cool, I am reflecting upon the events that defined this summer. With many species facing new and increased threats, the summer bushfires, and the shocking announcement by the Victorian government on duck hunting, it would be easy to become disheartened.
At times like this, however, I remind myself of what we have been able to achieve for wildlife. In the last six months alone, our Emergency Response Service has responded to nearly 94,000 calls for help and provided in-field assistance for 53,000 native animals. In that time our Travelling Vet Service provided veterinary care to nearly 800 native animals in rehabilitative care and out in field.
This has all been made possible because of your support. Thank you.
Duck hunting triage deployment
Along with most Victorians, we were optimistic that the government would implement the recommendations from its parliamentary inquiry and end native bird hunting this year, finally securing a safer future for our native ducks and quail. We were also optimistic that cancellation of duck hunting would remove some pressure from our Travelling Vet Service, which operates a veterinary triage facility in field during the opening week of the hunting season. Unfortunately, the Victorian government’s decision to allow the continuation of duck hunting has left us devastated for our native birds and frustrated by the continued drag on our resources the duck hunting season causes.
Support from dedicated people like you helps us to keep going, to keep advocating, and to keep doing everything we can to help protect our ducks, quail and all of Victoria’s native wildlife. Thank you from each and every one of us here at Wildlife Victoria for your support.
A note about netting
Over this summer and autumn as fruit and veggies began to ripen, we saw a lot of animals tangled in illegal fruit tree netting. This type of netting is not only dangerous for native birds but can often be fatal to bats, most commonly our precious grey headed flying foxes, a threatened species. They can become very easily entangled, and suffer horrific injuries.
Despite legislative change in 2021 banning wide aperture backyard fruit tree netting in favour of nets with smaller holes that are safe for wildlife, there are still a lot of people who do not realise their old netting can be harmful to wildlife, and, unfortunately, commercial netting requirements haven’t been upgraded yet. You can read more about safer fruit tree netting and explore more wildlife fact sheets here.
Looking ahead to winter
It is an exciting time for anyone wanting to become a new Wildlife Victoria volunteer, with the dates for our winter training just announced on our website. Last winter we were able to offer twelve training sessions across the state, resulting in over 180 newly trained volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering with us, keep an eye out here for training dates and registration in your area.
Please read on for further updates and stories about all things Wildlife Victoria and remember that your support is having a positive impact on wildlife.