If you find orphaned or injured wildlife:
- KEEP THE ANIMAL WARM
- KEEP THE ANIMAL DARK
- KEEP THE ANIMAL QUIET
- KEEP HANDLING TO A MINIMUM
- DO NOT PROVIDE FOOD OR DRINK
- CALL BONORONG STRAIGHT AWAY FOR ADVICE
0447 264 625 (0447 ANIMAL)
7 ways to help native wildlife
1. Call for help if you find sick/injured wildlife
To report a rescue, call Bonorong 0447 264 625 or visit wires.org.au. Native animals require specialist care and facilities.
2. Give way to wildlife
Slow down and use caution when driving at dusk and dawn, many mammals are most active during these times. If you have struck an animal or you have seen an animal on the road which appears to have been hit, please stop to check the animal if it is safe to do so. Call Bonorong for advice if it has not been killed.
3. Admire don’t feed
Feeding native animals can disrupt their natural diet negatively impacting their health, possibly causing sickness, and deformities in young. And they may stop finding their own food, or not teach their babies to find food.
4. Create wildlife-friendly backyards
To create wildlife-friendly yards you can:
A. Introduce native plants and trees, complementing larger plants with ground covers, grasses and small dense shrubs.
B. Include water sources like ponds or bird baths. Bird baths need to be cleaned regularly and they should only be shallow, or have twigs inside so that birds can easily climb out.
C. Use timber and recycled materials to make good hide-aways for different creatures.
D. Ensure any netting you use is wildlife-friendly, this means choosing netting that you cannot poke your finger through, this will prevent any native animals from getting caught and injured.
E. Use wildlife-friendly fencing as many animals particularly nocturnal animals such as gliders and owls fail to see fences or cannot clear the height in windy conditions. Over 75 wildlife species have been recorded as fence victims. Where fences are needed avoid barbed wired fences and where possible, make fences more visible.
F. Leave leaf litter in your garden as it will attract insects, vertebrates and lizards.
G. Leave safe dead trees and hollowed limbs of live trees, as the hollows provide nesting sites.
H. Don’t use any chemicals and pesticides in your garden, use only safe, natural, non-chemical alternatives for pest control and cleaning e.g. white vinegar and baking soda.
5. Make/plant native wildlife homes
6. Keep pets in, especially at night
7. Remember to leave out clean water
free wildlife apps
Seeing an injured animal on the road or accidentally hitting an animal can be stressful. Many people don’t know what to do. Well-meaning calls are often made to the police, the fire service or the wrong organisation – wasting time and endangering lives. The IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Wildlife Rescue App aims to reduce stress and confusion by giving users all the information they need at their fingertips – empowering them to save lives.
This free app puts people directly in touch with the nearest wildlife rescue group, including IFAW’s partner at Bonorong Wildlife Hospital, to report an injured animal. The user will then be guided on the best way to help support the injured animal, saving lives.
“We know millions of animals are killed or injured on roads every year, but we simply can’t afford for our native wildlife to be impacted any further,” IFAW Animal Rescue Officer Robert Leach said.
“The app puts you in touch with the largest rescue service — our partners at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary — which covers all of Tasmania, where IFAW vets at the hospital assess and treat animals, giving them a greater chance of being released back into the wild.
Before you head out on the roads, make sure you download the free IFAW Wildlife Rescue App. The app also allows the user to report deceased animals, allowing wildlife rehabilitators to accurately monitor the cause of local deaths and identify danger zones and road-kill hotspots.
The Wildlife Rescue App is available in the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW and Tasmania. It can be downloaded from the Apple Store or the Google Play. Please download it today and help protect our native wildlife.
iNaturalist app
iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation. Get connected with a community of millions scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research-quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. So if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about life, get this app!
Field Guide to Tasmanian Fauna
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) has cemented its reputation as a place of learning and innovation in the natural sciences with today’s launch of an electronic guide to Tasmania’s animals.
The Field Guide to Tasmanian Fauna app provides access to images, sounds and expert knowledge that allows users to find out more about the rich and unusual animal life around them.
Whether your interest is in the seashells and seastars at the beach, the bugs and beetles in your back yard, or the birds and mammals that you might spot in the bush, the app can be your guide.
Each entry in the app features high-quality images of the animal, a range map and some accompanying text to help you confirm your identification and tell you a little about the animal’s way of life – and for birds and frogs there are also sound recordings.
The app features over 700 species, and more will be added by TMAG’s zoology staff as time goes on. It is compatible with Apple and Android tablet and hand-held devices and can be downloaded from the respective app stores for free.
Merlin Bird ID
Great for identifying birds, download bird packs for your area.