Bev’s wildlife rescue & rehab

16/07/2025

We’ve noticed a recent increase in calls from areas outside our primary service region, such as Geelong and Ballarat. While we deeply appreciate your concern for wildlife, we’d like to clarify a few important points to ensure we can work together effectively to help our furry and feathered friends.

**1. Legal Limitations:**
As wildlife rescuers, we operate under strict legal guidelines. For example, we are *not permitted* to remove or relocate bats and possums unless they are injured. Additionally, we can’t just relocate animals because they inconvenience you—this is not allowed under the law. These restrictions are in place to protect both the animals and the public, and they apply regardless of where a call comes from.

**2. We Are Volunteers:**
Our team consists entirely of dedicated volunteers. We do not receive payment for our services, and each of us balances this vital work with our personal lives and responsibilities. When you reach out, please keep in mind that we’re doing our best within the limits of our availability.

**3. Respect and Understanding:**
Recently, we’ve faced an uptick in rude behavior from some callers, including hang-ups when we can’t assist immediately. This is disheartening and hinders our efforts. Our volunteers are here to help, but we need your cooperation and respect to do so effectively.

**4. A Request for Patience:**
For all callers, please be patient and kind. We are committed to assisting as many animals as possible, but legal, logistical, and resource constraints sometimes limit our immediate ability to respond. If we can’t help right away, it’s not for lack of care—it’s due to these real challenges.

**5. For Callers Outside Our Service Area and Easily Catchable Animals:**
If you’re calling from outside our primary service area, we always strive to refer you to other rescues when possible. For example, if you're down the Surfcoast, we recommend contacting Surfcoast Wildlife Rescue. In other areas where we don’t know of any smaller rescues, we recommend Wildlife Victoria.
Additionally, if you’re able to safely contain a bird by gently throwing a small towel over it and placing it into a box (with a towel on the bottom for grip), then taking it to a local vet, you can save our team an hour to an hour and a half of travel time. This allows us to focus on other urgent rescues. For other easily catchable animals, please consider doing the same.

We will always strive to assist when we can, but your understanding and support make this challenging work sustainable for our volunteers.

Thank you for caring about our wildlife!
Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue Team
0430 212 653

16/07/2025

South Oakleigh Wildlife Shelter has spent the weekend cleaning up after hundreds of dead corellas and pigeons were found outside the Springvale South shopping centre, believed to have been poisoned.

16/07/2025

09/07/2025

09/07/2025

Are you keen on bats?🦇

Join us for a free online webinar on 23 July!

Discover how to survey bats in your area and decipher their calls, with Dr Lisa Cawthen, bat ecologist and trainer from Faunatech.

In this session, Lisa will introduce you to the world of bats and how to use the echo meter touch 2 to record bat calls.

You'll learn tips and tricks to undertake a bat survey, and the basics of bat call identification.

Sign up here: https://www.landcaretas.org.au/monitoring_bats_on_your_patch_tools_for_landcarers

09/07/2025

09/07/2025

Wildlife entanglements on Barbed Wire are horrific. The simple act of fixing white electrical tape to the top strand is amazingly effective, letting the animals see and avoid the wire, especially nocturnal wildlife.

I am in the planning stage of a project to install the white tape free of charge on properties, focusing first on land that has had entanglements occur or have trees that make it a high probability. This will dependent on a grant at this stage, I will know if I am successful in September.

For the time being, I would like to ask that any landowners or farmers on the Sunshine Coast that may be interested in this to please get in touch. There would be no cost or input required, simply allowing the work to be done is all that is required. The fence would not be altered in any way other than the application of the tape.

The second part is volunteers! Installing the wire is simple and tools and training would be provided. It will likely involve a couple of hours of your time. Getting many volunteers across the Coast would make this feasible.
Please get in touch if you would consider this.

As stated, this is currently dependent on a grant being awarded and work would not begin until September at the earliest. If the grant is unsuccessful I will explore other avenues for funding.

This has huge potential to make a difference to our wildlife.

09/07/2025

Sadly call out for another euth, but thought I’d share the damage it can do to cars. Male wallaby hit early this morning.
Please be careful driving in early mornings and dusk for the safety of yourselves and wildlife.💜

06/07/2025

We are deeply saddened to hear that the man recently diagnosed with Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV) in northern NSW has passed away. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this tragic time.

Although less than 1% of bats are estimated to carry the lyssavirus WIRES is joining NSW Health in urging the public to not put yourself at any risk by never touching or handling a bat.

Even well-meaning attempts to help can lead to bites or scratches, and while lyssavirus is rare, it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
It is really important that anyone receiving a bite or scratch seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
Learn more at ⤵️
https://hubs.la/Q03vSWl60

🦇 Australian bats are a threatened species and protected by law and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems.
REMEMBER: NO TOUCH, NO RISK.

Call WIRES on 1300 094 737 or your nearest wildlife rescue group so a trained and vaccinated wildlife volunteer can attend and safely assist the animal.