As Australia’s bushfire season approaches, the only all-species wildlife hospital between Sydney and the Gold Coast has been forced to reduce its opening hours over Christmas/NY as surging patient numbers take their toll on the humans who provide the vital veterinary service free of charge, seven days a week.
‘Combined with no government funding to operate, an uncertain economic climate, donor fatigue and a chronic veterinary sector workforce shortage, the relentless demand for wildlife care has forced us to reduce our opening hours to protect the mental and physical health of our veterinary staff and volunteers,’ said Dr Ken Henry AC, Chair of Wildlife Recovery Australia, the parent organisation of Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital.
‘It’s unsustainable that governments continue to rely on wildlife hospitals like ours to treat the native animals under their legal protection, with no recompense. Recurrent government funding would reduce the mental and physical stress on our people by allowing us to train more people to share the load.’
Struggling
A NSW Parliamentary Inquiry heard compelling evidence that there is a mental health crisis driving people to desperation in the veterinary sector, as documented in the podcast series Sick as a Dog, by award-winning radio host, journalist and podcaster Caroline Winter.
‘We are struggling,’ said Wildlife Recovery Australia General Manager of Veterinary Services Dr Bree Talbot.
‘It’s physically and emotionally draining work to witness animal suffering each day.
‘We’ve seen almost 3,000 patients in 2024, including many species threatened with extinction. We’ve treated almost 8500 animals since we opened. The numbers keep growing each year.
‘Reptiles, macropods and monotremes present with broken bones and beaks from being hit by cars, accounting for about a quarter of all reasons for admission,’ she said.
‘Possums and lizards sustain horrific internal injuries caused by pet and pest attacks, birds of prey are poisoned with rodenticides, turtles and seabirds suffer with marine debris and fishhooks in their intestines, and thousands of birds are afflicted with injuries and illnesses including a spike in Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome.’
Scores of Rainbow and Scaly-breasted lorikeets are being admitted with Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome, leaving them unable to fly, walk, blink or swallow.
‘We have a rare breed of skilled people committed to their jobs, but it’s become such a pressure cooker that we’ve had to reduce our operating hours when we’re at capacity to protect their mental and physical health,’ said Dr Talbot.
Wildlife Recovery Australia Founder and CEO Dr Stephen Van Mil said that the organisation’s facilities would not exist without the support of our community who attend fundraisers, and the sponsors and philanthropic supporters who’ve contributed millions of dollars to sustain operations.
‘Our work is effective, valuable, and deserves to be funded,’ he said.
‘We’ve invited every government official from the Prime Minister to Ministers of environment and emergency service portfolios, as well as our elected representatives to see our work first-hand.
‘We met with and appealed to the NSW Government Environment Minister for emergency funding over a year ago, with no response to date,’ said Dr Van Mil.
‘We were encouraged that Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek generously joined us for a virtual tour to see our work first-hand. She told us she was convinced that wildlife hospitals like ours need recurrent operational funding.
‘We acknowledge the state-wide consultation to improve support for the wildlife care sector, but the report and its recommendations won’t be considered by any Minister for another year.
‘The urgent need for funding is now.’
Seeking support
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is seeking financial support from philanthropic foundations and corporates to establish a Wildlife Investment Trust underpinning the conservation charity’s own efforts to raise funds through events and advertising campaigns to source public donations.
As rising temperatures increase the risk of bushfires, the Wildlife Hospital, which is also Australia’s only mobile wildlife hospital, is on standby to go to the site of a fire or flood to help impacted native animals as part of emergency response.
The Wildlife Hospital’s unique capability has been praised by Australian Firefighters, who have helped raise funds and awareness for the hospital through the annual Australian Firefighters calendar.
‘Dr Van Mil, Dr Talbot and their team are heroes as far as I’m concerned,’ said Australian Firefighters Calendar Managing Director David Rogers.
‘The Black Summer bushfires killed over three billion native animals. I cannot fathom why the hospital is forced to beg and scrape to raise funds to stay open.
‘I urge federal and state governments to accept their legal responsibility and match the financial support provided by donors and sponsors,’ he said.
‘The $2 million per year Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital needs to operate is a drop in the ocean to Treasury but will mean everything to the people who do this essential work for our precious wildlife.’
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