Wildlife Victoria

Wildlife Victoria

Website	www.wildlifevictoria.org.au

Wildlife Victoria is the preeminent wildlife rescue service in the state of Victoria, Australia.^[1][2][3][4] Established in 1989, it is a non-profit, volunteer based charity that provides an emergency phone service to the community by responding to calls regarding sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.^[5][6] The organization maintains a wildlife care and communications network across Victoria, which includes volunteer wildlife shelters, rescuers and transporters, emergency services, government agencies and commercial operators.^[7][8]

When the emergency phone service receives a call, Wildlife Victoria uses a comprehensive database to locate the closest available and suitable experienced volunteer, who then locates the animal and determines the appropriate course of action.^[9]

The organization reports that its emergency phone service receives up to 300 calls per day and around 60,000 calls per year.^[9] In the eighteen months to May 2013, around 80,000 emergency phone calls were received.^[10] A diverse range of animals is provided with emergency assistance, including kangaroos,^[11][12] possums,^[13] cockatoos, koalas, bats,^[14] blue tongued lizards, ducks^[15] and fur seals.^[16]

Wildlife Victoria is often actively involved in educating the public on several issues, including responsible pet ownership, as a large number of their emergency cases are caused by cat and dog attacks,^[17][18] the dangers of fruit tree netting,^[19] development encroaching on natural habitat,^[20][21][22] the impact of environmental degradation^[23] and animal cruelty.^{[24][25][26][27]}

The work of Wildlife Victoria was highlighted during the 2009 Black Saturday Bush fires that claimed 173^[28] human lives with estimates of millions of animal lives lost.^[29][30] The organization coordinated rescue teams across the state to search and save wildlife injured during the fires.^[2][31][32]

Wildlife Victoria’s current President is environmental geographer and educator Rob Gell.^[33][34][35]

References

• http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/