Sick and injured wildlife to receive seven-day care

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital has increased its operating hours to seven days a week to extend care for injured, sick, and orphaned native animals.

‘Critically injured wildlife can’t wait until the next business day to receive medical treatment for injuries and illness,’ said the service’s founding vet, Dr Bree Talbot.

‘They commonly present with injuries from impact collisions with cars, feral pest and domestic pet attacks, so it is incumbent on humans to provide a service to help them recover. It’s sad that the volume of patients is growing but we’re happy to be able to extend our service.’

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is joining with the Hospital to extend its hours of operation.

Animal Rescue Officer Robert Leach said giving wildlife the best chances of survival meant ensuring they had access to immediate and specialised treatment.

‘By supporting this critical lifesaving work, we are giving animals a second chance at life back in the wild, where they belong,’ he said.

‘IFAW believes every individual animal matters and by extending this vet service we are helping to ensure injured animals receive the care they need – no matter the day of the week.’

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is a fully licensed veterinary hospital providing expert veterinary triage, treatment and ongoing care for sick, injured and orphaned native animals. Licensed by the Veterinary Practitioners Board, it is Australia’s largest Mobile Wildlife Hospital.

The Hospital’s operating hours are Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am – 1:30pm.

Members of the public and licensed wildlife carers can bring injured and sick native animals to the hospital for immediate care, free of charge.

The organisation is a registered charity with no government funding and relies on public donations, philanthropy, and sponsorship to operate its services. It costs the charity $555 to provide a wildlife patient with an initial consult, X-rays, anaesthesia, fluids, food, and a day of hospitalisation, excluding any surgery costs.