How to Contribute to the Organisations Caring for Injured and Displaced Wildlife due to the BushFires in Australia

Over an 8 month period from the second half of 2019 until February 2020 there were a number of devastating bush fires which occurred, particularly along the east coast of Australia. In addition, parts of South Australia (including the iconic Kangaroo Island) were also involved. Along with vast areas of bushland being burnt there was some loss of buildings but fortunately to relatively few lives were lost of the local human inhabitants. The farm animal losses numbered in the tens of thousands. There was also a colossal loss of wildlife habitat which will have medium to long term implications. This has translated into millions of wildlife being killed including most recently on Kangaroo Island where it is estimated that 25,000 koalas have perished.

Due to the ferocity and extent of these fires a lot of the wildlife were not able to escape in time. This includes reptiles and the marsupials including possums as well as the koalas. There have been some dramatic rescues of the koalas one of which attracted a lot of media attention when it involved a woman saving a koala. This particular koala went on to die despite being intensively nursed in a wildlife hospital.

A video of this same rescue effort can be seen here https://youtu.be/YzRix8ktta4


The list of organisations some of which you may wish to contribute include-

1) The Rescue Collective (rescuing and feeding injured & displaced wildlife on the east coast of Australia) -https://therescuecollective.com/

2) Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation Kangaroo Island (includes koalas)- https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-kangaroo-islands-koalas-and-wildlife?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR0nhRxUpEZlzegf7ZBOCRaJT6aJlUP8fe3hQNGxbg8ekOrtUZdGGqujt1E

3) South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management (helping with treating wildlife injured on both Kangaroo Island as well as in the Adelaide Hills) https://www.savem.org.au/

4) Adelaide and Hills Koala Rescue (South Australia Fires Dec 2019) - https://www.gofundme.com/f/sa-koala-burn-victims?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR1yhfuolxBQ8n5li7300q0QaC3XDM4fj4YuEY47lo7mpWQgsNTVG2ZIzJo

5) Adelaide Koala Rescue - https://www.akr.org.au/

6) Cobargo Wildlife Centre, Cobargo New South Wales -NB severely impacted by the bushfires https://www.gofundme.com/f/wildlife-fire-ground-carers

7) The Nature Foundation of SA Kangaroo Island Conservation programs         https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/support-us/kangaroo-island-conservation-programs

8) Fauna Rescue South Australia (NB Kangaroo Island fires) https://www.faunarescue.org.au/

9) Wildlife Victoria - *** really need help (for wildlife impacted upon by bushfires in Victoria) https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/

10) East Gippsland Wildlife rescue (Victoria bushfires) - https://mkc.org.au/donations/koalaisland?fbclid=IwAR2KRGo1f9_d9FT5qNjFxaN7atKtyR8KXY_RcXlM6r-dPr29tfOqkm_E3bU

11) Wildlife Rescue Habitat Boxes (because so many trees have been destroyed) https://wildlifeboxes.raisely.com/

12) Science for Wildlife (based in Sydney, New South Wales - medium to long term assistance programs including for koalas) -http://scienceforwildlife.org/

13) Native Animal Rescue Group, Braidwood, New South Wales- http://narg.asn.au/

14) Koalas in Care (New South Wales) - http://www.koalasincare.org.au/

15) Bangalow Koalas - http://www.bangalowkoalas.com.au/support-bangalow-koalas/

16) Port Stephens Koalas (New South Wales) https://portstephenskoalas.com.au/

17) FAWNA (care for all other injured wildlife except koalas) https://www.fawna.org.au/donating-to-fawna/

18) Shoalhaven Bat Clinic https://www.facebook.com/pg/Shoalhaven.Bat.Clinic/posts/

19) Rural and Hive Aid (Support Farmers & Honey Bees) https://www.ruralaid.org.au/donate/

20) Wombat hospital http://www.cedarcreekwombatrescue.com/

21) Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary https://sleepyburrows.com.au/

22) Dingo Sanctuary Bargo (impacted upon by the bushfires but the animals have been saved) https://dingosanctuarybargo.com.au/

23) Wildlife Rescue South Coast -***Really need help (Rescue all types of wildlife South Coast New South Wales) https://www.wildlife-rescue.org.au/

24) Wildcare Australia (build nest boxes- medium to long term efforts) https://wildcare-australia-inc.giveeasy.org/urgent-help-for-our-wildlife

25) Blue Mountains Koala Project https://www.givenow.com.au/koalaconservation

26) Trillion Trees Australia (ongoing recovery strategy to plant trees restore habitat) https://trilliontrees.org.au/

27) Birdlife Australia Bushfire appeal http://www.birdlife.org.au/current-appeal

28) Port Macquarie Koala Hospital https://www.koalahospital.org.au/ (As of 23rd November 2019 the team at the hospital are requesting that donations of supplies be made to the other organisations)

29) Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary koala appeal https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-koala-bushfire-victims

30) Australian Wildlife Conservancy (medium to long term conservation efforts) https://www.australianwildlife.org/

31) Aussie Ark (conservation efforts in the medium to long term) https://www.aussieark.org.au/

32) WIRES New South Wales (*** are reasonably well off due to donations currently) https://www.wires.org.au

33) Friends of the Koala https://friends-of-the-koala.giveeasy.org/urgent-help-required?fbclid=IwAR2BZucQgc6U7zKUX83j-gcTGW2ieVWZvaCYmwC2b27VFM7fRH_xDGFtDr4
(Update-they are replete with funds as from the 24th November)

33) WIRES Northern Rivers (Caring for burnt possums)- https://www.facebook.com/Wires-Northern-Rivers-129514553790887/4