Emergency Recovery and Preparation

In the aftermath of catastrophic fires, severe drought and extreme weather taking a tragic toll on wildlife, we remain focused on rescue, rehabilitation and recovery.

The last 12 months has been unlike anything WIRES and the Australian community have ever experienced. Compounding the impact of one of the worst droughts in history, massive fires raged for months in what has become known as Australia's Black Summer. Millions of hectares of land were burnt, much of which was threatened species habitat and 20% of Australian forests were lost. Species thought to be common may need to be reclassified and there are hundreds of species at risk of extinction.

A new report from WWF confirmed that almost 3 billion animals were killed or displaced by the bushfire crisis, 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs.

Global community support enabled WIRES to provide national emergency support. In addition to supporting WIRES 28 branches in NSW, WIRES has funded over 240 projects nationally for licensed wildlife carers, groups and vets. WIRES are also working on a wide range of major projects to support wildlife recovery, including critical koala research and Water for Wildlife with The University of Sydney, 64 projects to help restore wildlife habitat nationally with Landcare Australia and critical conservation projects with Aussie Ark and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

From January to August WIRES volunteers accepted over 21,600 wildlife rescues and we continue to assist sick, injured and orphaned native animals every day. WIRES are also working on projects with key partners to expand wildlife rescue and care capacity and emergency preparedness, as forecasts indicate that the frequency and intensity of bushfires and extreme weather will continue to increase.

Wildlife Rescue 7 days a week, 365 days a year

WIRES mission is to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and inspire others to do the same.

WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc.) has been rescuing and caring for wildlife for almost 35 years and is the largest wildlife rescue organisation in Australia. WIRES has over 3,000 volunteers in 28 NSW branches involved in the rescue and care of wildlife, and we have a dedicated Rescue Office that operates 24/7, 365 days a year assisting the community to help native animals in distress.

WIRES is passionate about supporting smaller volunteer organisations in the wildlife sector with the same mission, as well as Universities, Veterinary Associations and other leading scientific and environmental groups. In that last 5 years WIRES has been working with organisations including: WWF Australia, National Parks Association, Humane Society International, The Wilderness Society, Nature Conservation Council, Birdlife, RSPCA, Animal Welfare League and IFAW and we thank these organisations for their significant ongoing contribution to the wildlife rehabilitation sector.

Currently WIRES presence is primarily in NSW where we are responding to tens of thousands of rescues each year. WIRES receive around 170,000 calls annually to our 1300 line including thousands of interstate calls, and in the last financial year WIRES provided rescue advice and assistance for over 100,000 native animals.

WIRES also plays a major role in community wildlife education with over 5 million unique visitors to our site in the last financial year, over 4 million of these in January 2020. In response to the tragic toll of the catastrophic fires, extreme weather and drought on wildlife, WIRES is actively pursuing significant opportunities to help wildlife more broadly across Australia, including partnering on projects to improve long-term outcomes for native animals.