News

Tularaemia is a rare disease caused by Francisella tularensis bacteria. Infections usually occur through handling of infected animals, bites of an infected ticks, consumption of contaminated food, or contact with contaminated water.

Most infections are reported from the northern hemisphere.To date there have been four locally acquired cases of tularaemia reported in Australia. Three infections have been linked to bites/scratches from infected possums: two confirmed cases in Tasmania (one linked to a ringtail and the other to an unidentified species of possum) and a probable case in NSW (linked to a ringtail possum). The fourth infection is believed to have been acquired in a laboratory setting, and the implicated species of Australian animal has not been identified.

For the complete Tularaemia factsheet on the disease including symptoms and protection please see the following link to the NSW Health Website https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Factsheets/tularaemia.pdf

For many of us the world is a state of uncertainty and change at the moment. For some of us this may have been more recent with the Corvid-19 crisis but others within our wildlife community have been living in a heightened state for many many months as a result of the bushfire crisis. It’s the latter for which my heart goes out strongly with a voice saying ‘you are not forgotten’.

The critical role of volunteers within the wildlife rehabilitation sector is challenging and supporting the physical, mental and emotional wellness of these volunteers is vital. Many wildlife volunteers are drawn to the role because they prioritise the needs of animals, but it’s important to also remember that taking care to give care, means you also care for yourself so that you can care for wildlife for longer.

Two Green Threads has prepared the Take Care to Give Care guide with the purpose of helping build resilience for individuals and the wildlife volunteer sector as a whole. It first took shape during an earlier crisis but the prompts and tips are relevant not just in current times of crisis but also when the world returns to normality and the service of wildlife volunteers continues to be needed.

This guide offers information and prompts to help wildlife volunteers balance their care of wildlife with care for themselves.

Our volunteers in their wildlife work might like to follow some of these NSW Health recommendations when they are out and about in the community. 

A “no touch” policy and the social distancing recommendations might be the best ways to self-protect. 

This link covers a number of FAQ recommendations and scenarios that will guide volunteers in ways to avoid coming into contact with Covid-19 and what to do if they suspect contact with Covid-19.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus-faqs.aspx

The recent bushfires of late 2019 and early 2020 have had a devastating impact on our communities and our natural environment. Tragically, lives have been lost and thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged, across the country. The bushfires have burned more than 5.3 million hectares in New South Wales, including more than 2.7 million hectares of our national park estate.

We are still determining the full magnitude of the damage, in terms of the extent and severity of the fires and the impacts on our wildlife and their natural habitats. Efforts continue to actively fight fires that are still burning in a number of areas of the state. Using state of the art aerial imagery, remote sensing and mapping techniques, our scientists are completing our understanding of the impacts the fires have had on our natural environment and what this means for recovery.

What we know is that many of our most vulnerable species have been heavily impacted as a result of the fires and now face threats from habitat loss, scarcity of food and water and predation by feral animals. While our assessment continues, we are undertaking essential recovery actions right now.

This document sets out the immediate actions we are taking to protect wildlife and support the natural recovery process that has already started in many areas. Our immediate response includes the deployment of watering stations, supplementary food drops, and broad-scale feral animal
control. We are also planning for the longer-term restoration and recovery of our native animals, plants and landscapes across New South Wales. We will continue to update our response as we improve our understanding of the impacts of the fires.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the firefighting effort. In particular, I want to thank those volunteers who have selflessly contributed their time to protect others, often while their own properties were under threat, and the firefighting staff in my own portfolio, including in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, many of
whom are still fighting active fires.

Coming through a disaster is a time when our community unites. Many of us have been touched by the images of the tireless and heroic efforts of not only our firefighters, but also volunteers rescuing wildlife from fire grounds and providing care. These stories and images have contributed to
a groundswell of support and generosity from communities in New South Wales, Australia and internationally. This support will greatly assist in the rehabilitation of many injured animals and restoration of their habitat.

The Hon. Matthew Kean MP
Minister for Energy and Environment

Read the whole document.

All donations to NSW Wildlife Council will be allocated to a Special Purposes Budget to be used specifically for projects that will directly benefit wildlife needing assistance.

These projects include:

• expenses of member groups in dealing with Emergencies affecting wildlife e.g. wildfire, flood and other extreme weather events
• partial funding of the annual grants program of $5000 to assist five member group volunteers with their capital expenses related to construction of wildlife rehabilitation facilities and projects

All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

To donate directly into our bank account the details are:
Name: NWC Public Fund
BSB:  032691
Account Number: 472838

or via PayPal via the button below

The NSW Wildlife Council (NWC) as the peak body for wildlife rehabilitation groups in NSW works to achieve optimal outcomes for our wildlife.

Since early January 2020 more than 90% of the NWC land-based voluntary wildlife rescue member groups are affected by fires with the remaining 10% operating in areas experiencing years of the lowest ever recorded rainfall. 

The scale of these fires is devastating for wildlife with figures of 4.9 million hectares now reported burnt in NSW.  These areas once represented important and, in some cases, vital, native wildlife refuge habitat.

The NWC Wildlife Drought and Fire Recovery Fund aims to provide long term recovery support to its volunteer NWC wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups in NSW.

The NWC recognises the long term impact of these 2019/2020 fires and the continuing drought.  Support and care of our wildlife and actions to restore their habitat will be needed for months and years. 

Our wildlife now faces three compounding threats: 

• the ongoing severe drought has already greatly compromised wildlife and reduced the quality and availability of feed
• the initial loss of wildlife from the fires; followed by the cumulative effects as they succumb to injury and psychological trauma.
• the of loss of habitat offering necessary shelter and the food resources needed for survival

Displaced surviving wildlife from fire-zones is now vulnerable, confused, possibly injured and stressed.

The NWC is grateful for the generous public support to our wildlife during this very challenging time and asks for continued support to our member groups through the NWC Wildlife Drought and Fire Recovery Fund.

NWC land-based rescue groups that are fire affected include:

• FAWNA  www.fawna.org.au
• Friends of the Koala  www.friendsofthekoala.org
• Hunter Wildlife Rescue  www.hunterwildlife.org.au
• Koalas in Care  www.koalasincare.org.au
• LAOKO Snowy Mountains Wildlife Rescue https://laokosmwr.org/
• NARG Native Animal Rescue Group http://www.narg.asn.au/
• Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers  www.wildlifecarers.com
• Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers Inc  www.ntwc.org.au
• Port Macquarie Koala Hospital  www.koalahospital.org.au
• Port Stephens Koalas  www.portstephenskoalas.com.au
• Saving Our Native animals Inc  (SONA) https://www.facebook.com/SavingOurNativeAnimals
• Wildlife Rescue South Coast www.wildlife-rescue.org.au/
• Sydney Wildlife http://www.sydneywildlife.org.au/
• Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers  www.tvwc.org.au
• Wildcare Queanbeyan http://www.wildcare.com.au/
• Wildlife Aid  www.wildlifeaid.org.au
• Wildlife ARC  www.wildlife-arc.org.au
• Wildlife Carers Network Central West Inc.  https://wildlifecarers.org.au
• Wildlife in Need of Care  www.wildlifeinneedofcare.org.au

NWC Land Based Rescue Groups in Severe Drought:

• Rescue and Rehabilitation of Aust Native Animals (RRANA)  http://www.rrana.20fr.com/
• Sunraysia Wildlife Rescue Group https://www.facebook.com/SunraysiaWildlife/