Dear Supporters,
Welcome to our new newsletter. Whether you go for wildlife walks, build temporary nests, or just enjoy listening to bird calls in your neighbourhood, we are thrilled that you are part of a growing number of people who want to help and care for wildlife. We will be sending out this newsletter twice a year to update you on what we have been up to and share some stories and wildlife advice.
Our work is only possible because of our dedicated donors and supporters, so I would personally like to say thank you to each and every one of you!
Spring 2023
Springtime means babies, and we are already seeing an increase in orphaned wildlife needing rescue and care. After a bit of a break over winter, my own wildlife shelter is already home to 6 ringtail and 5 brushtail possum joey orphans. These beautiful and curious babies will spend months in my shelter until they are old enough to look after themselves. Then begins their transition back into the wild.
During Spring, we see a massive increase in calls to our Emergency Response Service (ERS). This year, the busy period started early with a record number of calls received in August compared to any other year in Wildlife Victoria history. Since the beginning of September, Wildlife Victoria’s Emergency Response Service has experienced a 51% increase in the number of calls for assistance in comparison to the same period last year. This coincides with higher than average temperatures recorded across the state.
Possum and kangaroo joeys and fledgling birds are our most common calls during spring. Our data indicates that our warming climate is causing shifts in breeding patterns for native animals, meaning that our busiest period of the year is starting earlier and finishing later. We are preparing for this increase to continue for some time, with more volunteer rescuers trained and more staffing for our ERS.
Some achievements this year:
An end to duck hunting in sight
On Friday 16th June, I appeared at the Parliamentary Inquiry into Recreational Native Bird Hunting, giving evidence in support of Wildlife Victoria’s actions to end duck and quail hunting. During duck hunting season we dispatch our Travelling Veterinary Service to wetlands in Victoria to set up a veterinary triage for wounded birds. Our vets x-ray all birds that are brought to us by rescuers and provide evidence to the Game Management Authority. It is illegal for hunters to shoot a bird and leave it in the field. Despite this, in the five days we were at the wetlands, we x-rayed 73 birds, including eight threatened species, that had been left in field with gunshot wounds. This is just from one area of Victoria. All our evidence was presented to the parliamentary inquiry, adding considerable weight to the case for ending duck hunting.
On Thursday 31st August, the Inquiry committee handed down its findings, recommending a ban on recreational duck hunting from 2024. This is a landmark decision, and a huge win for native wildlife in Victoria. The State government now has six months to decide whether to adopt these recommendations. This is as close as we have ever been to ending this cruel practice, and we are hopeful.
I want to say thank you to the thousands of people who made their submissions to the Inquiry, and to those who have fought for decades to bring an end to duck hunting.
Regional volunteer training
Early this year, we launched a Regional Volunteer Training program, to increase our rescue capacity in regional Victoria and provide more support for existing volunteers in those areas. There is a full rundown of the training in this newsletter. Suffice to say, it was highly successful, and we now have an extra 137 volunteers in regional Victoria ready to step up.
Road toll reduction program
The greatest cause of injury to wildlife that is reported to us is road-related accidents, with tens of thousands of native animals killed or injured on Victoria’s roads each year. To address this issue, we are currently working on a Road Toll Reduction Pilot Project that is engaging with three local councils, selected for their high road toll reports. This project aims to implement mitigation strategies in each of the three areas, such as community engagement, reduced speed limits, virtual fencing and improvements to road signage.
Wildlife Victoria is working closely alongside these councils to develop, implement and analyse the delivery of these mitigation strategies. The findings of the Pilot Project will be used to develop a toolkit of resources that can be rolled out to councils across the state in order to reduce the wildlife road toll.
Better support for our volunteers
Wildlife Victoria volunteers are on the front line of wildlife emergency services and as a rescuer and carer myself, I understand the significant pressure - physical, mental and emotional - that our volunteers experience. Caring for wildlife requires dedication and patience, and it can often be exhausting and heartbreaking.
This is why we have rolled out a free mental health and wellbeing support service for all of our volunteers and their families. The service is provided by Sonder, a leader in workforce assistance programming, and includes 24/7 mental health, financial health, and general wellbeing services, completely free of charge for our volunteers.
Wildlife Victoria is the first wildlife organisation in Australia to offer this support to volunteers.
Looking ahead - Summer
As we head into the warmer months, it is important to consider the impact of changing weather on our native wildlife.
Summer in Australia can be cruel. The impacts of climate change on wildlife are becoming more and more evident. With memories from the 2019-2020 bushfire disaster fresh in our minds, we are beginning preparations in order to respond to heat-related emergency situations as they arise.
Below are some simple things we can all do to help our wildlife cope with high temperatures:
Put out shallow dishes of water in safe, shady places in your backyard. Add a few rocks or sticks so smaller animals can climb in and out.
If possible, keep your pets indoors on hot days.
Provide artificial shade, or better yet...
Plant native trees and shrubs in your backyard. Plants such as grevilleas, banksias, flowering eucalypts, wattle, bottlebrush and native grasses can provide food and shelter for wildlife. Spring is a great time to plant extra native shrubs and bushes in your garden.
If you see an animal out during the day that looks unwell, please call our Emergency Response Service on 03 8400 7300.
I want to say thank you again for your support as we continue to rescue, rehabilitate and advocate for our unique and precious wildlife.
Warm regards,
Lisa Palma
Wildlife Victoria CEO