WIRES North Coast has seen an increase calls about small animals needing help. Carers says land clearing for housing development is pushing the creatures into suburban streets.

WIRES Mid North Coast rescues and rehabilitates all wildlife over a large area, from Halfway Creek north of Corindi Beach in the north to Stuart’s Point south of Macksville to the south and out to Ebor in the west, an area of approximately 8172 sq. km.

This is one of  27 WIRES branches involved in the rescue and care of wildlife. WIRES assist tens of thousands of animals every year, receiving over 69,000 requests for rescue assistance annually.

WIRES advises : DO NOT approach snakes, monitor lizards (goannas), bats (flying-foxes or microbats), large macropods (kangaroos or wallabies) or raptors (eagles, falcons or hawks).

These animals require specialist handling and MUST be rescued by trained wildlife rescuers. If you are unsure of the species please check the images and information via the links above.

All wildlife that is sick or injured needs to be assessed by a vet before coming into care.    

It is critical to get sick and injured wildlife vet treatment as quickly as possible. Please read instructions below on how to safely contain wildlife before approaching the animal.

Most vets will take wildlife free of charge.

If you can, please call the vet to let them know you are coming. Not all vets handle all species of wildlife but they will help wherever possible. 

If you also let our Rescue Team know where you’ve taken the animal, WIRES will follow up directly with the vet, to bring the animal into care after it’s been vet assessed and received any vet care required. 

Improper rescue can hurt or distress the animal and the rescuer which is why WIRES train all its volunteers.

Please exercise caution when handling wildlife.

When reporting rescues to WIRES and vets please confirm the EXACT location where the animal was found.  

Many young animals can possibly be reunited with their parents, if we know the exact location the animal was found.

Many native animals are also very territorial and it is critical that we release them where they were found, when they are ready to release, to ensure their best chance of survival. 

1) If you have found a sick, injured or orphaned animal, remove any threat to the animal.  

This includes keeping all people and pets away from the native animal, to minimise stress to the animal for vet transport or until a rescuer arrives.  

2) If it is safe to do so, please contain the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place.

Ensure you are wearing appropriate PPE, including gloves when touching any animal, gently place a towel over the animal and place it in a ventilated box with a lid and transport it carefully to the nearest vet or wait for the rescuer to arrive. After placing the animal in the box you should immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitiser.

If you are containing a possum please take additional precautions. Wear a jacket or long sleeves to reduce the risk of being scratched and wear a face mask in addition to gloves when using a towel to pick up the animal.

3) Do not give the animal any food or water, unless instructed to by a vet or WIRES. 

WIRES Mid North Coast:

Address:  ​ PO Box 936, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450​

Rescue Hotline: 1300 094 737

​Phone (Admin): 02 6564 8661 ​

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web Site: wires.org.au/branch/midnorthcoast

Video By | Alison Paul