Rapid response teams were set up by the state government after Black Saturday to rescue animals in the event of future bushfires, but the scheme was mysteriously shelved, in a move now being slammed by wildlife groups.

The department of environment established the strike teams with the hope of setting up a rescue service and a vet triage – the same initiatives that senior bureaucrats promised this week as the animal death toll continued to rise.

Adelaide wildlife rescuer Simon Adamczyk with a koala near Cape Borda, on Kangaroo Island, on Tuesday. Credit:AAP

Those involved say they purchased fire gear and were given extensive training to find injured wildlife and bring them into fire safety grounds for treatment and rehabilitation.

But as Cienwen Hickey, president of wildlife group Australia’s Kangaroos told The Age: “All the training and cost were to no avail, because we never got called out by DELWP (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning). They shelved the idea.”