Venteman’s Reach Nature Walk, Lane Cove River Late in 2019, Sydney Wildlife Rescue was awarded a grant by the Commonwealth Government, under their ‘Communities Environment Program’. We had been working with Lane Cove Council Bushland staff, and this grant came up at an opportune time for us to see our project progress. Now 18 months later, with two time extensions due to Covid, our project has been completed! Venteman’s Reach is a stretch of bushland along the Lane Cove River. The walk starts at Blackman Park, which has large sports fields, community and sports premises, outdoor human ..read more

  Diagnosis Detectives   Diagnosing human illness is difficult but at least the patient can tell you about their symptoms, pain levels and the most likely origin of said sickness/injury. With animals, there is a lot more guesswork involved as they can’t communicate.  At least with pets, their owners can provide some insights. With wildlife, however, there is no communication, no patient history and a variety of environmental factors not seen in captive animals.  Add to that the fact that they are not used to being handled, and our volunteer vets have a very difficult job ma ..read more

Fortunately for injured and orphaned wildlife, Sydney Wildlife Rescue has been classified as an essential service under the COVID lockdown rules. This means it can still undertake vital rescues during the pandemic while taking sensible precautions to protect both its members and the public. All members are volunteers, doing what they do for love, but any who feel particularly vulnerable can opt to not go out into the community while still doing essential animal rehabilitation work from home. The organisation has also made changes to its response routine to keep its volunteers safe. Only one ..read more

Baby Ringtail possum Currently Australia has the world’s worst record for animal extinctions. In Australia (especially after the bushfires) we are lucky to have some native wildlife surviving in the cities. However, with more trees being removed some wildlife are seeking shelter in areas we don’t want them (such as in our roof space) or trying to find a meal from our food plants as their food trees and shrubs have been removed. In these situations please plant more native plants and provide nesting boxes to live alongside them, as well as keeping your pets inside at night. If you st ..read more

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There is never a quiet day in the Mobile Care Unit. Our list of patients can vary from a 3g pygmy possum to a 20kg wallaby! Last week we started one day with a death adder and ended that day with a lace monitor. Every type of furry, feathery, spiny and scaly patient has been brought to see our volunteer vets – some even coming from as far afield as Lithgow! Flying Fox being microchipped Microchipping a diamond python prior to release  Death adder being chipped. We have been microchipping many of our patients before release over the past fe ..read more

A healthy garden doesn’t normally suffer from severe insect infestations. If you have used toxic pesticides for a long time, it may take a while for the natural balance to be restored, but it is worth it in the long run. Planting native trees, bushes and shrubs will encourage wildlife to your yard. Providing an understory of shrubs and mulching gardens will not only conserve water, but will enable smaller insectivorous birds and native lizards to inhabit your garden as well. Providing a source of clean fresh water in an area safe from pet dogs or cats will also encourage native birds to y ..read more

  The Sydney Wildlife rescue line is the nerve centre of our organisation.  It is the place where members of the public turn to when they need immediate help – an injured possum in their shed, a snake in their kitchen, a bird lying helpless on their verandah.  And we are there with a listening ear and the means to assist in solving their problems. Sydney Wildlife has been in existence for 24 years, and I have been involved with the rescue line for fifteen of those years and have seen big changes, most of them in the past year.  If you had told me that withi ..read more