If you need to arrange care for an injured, sick or orphaned native animal then call the Emergency Phone on 13 000 WILDLIFE or 13 000 94535.

During busy periods, we receive over 200 emergency calls a day so we apologise if we are not able to answer your call immediately and thank you for your patience.

*Do not email details of injured wildlife to us, please contact one of our trained Emergency Phone Operators.

Thank you for caring about our wildlife. Wildlife Victoria assists over 60,000 injured, sick and orphaned animals every year and your kindness is greatly appreciated.

For more information please click on the following frequenty asked questions;

Does Wildlife Victoria deal with non-native animals?

Is wildlife protected by the law?

What do I do if I can visibly see the animal is injured?

Is Wildlife Victoria funded by the government to rescue the native wildlife?

Do domestic pets cause harm to native wildlife?

What do I do if I have found a young bird?

What do I do if I have found ducklings?

What do I do if I have found a Possum?

What if I have an Echidna in my garden?

What if I have Flying Foxes (Fruit Bats) in my garden?

What do I do if I have found a snake or other reptile?

What do I do if I have found a turtle?

Why is it common to see wildlife near the road?

What if I find a dead animal?

Does Wildlife Victoria deal with non-native animals?

If you are phoning about a non-native animal such as a pigeon, rabbit or fox, please be aware that Wildlife Victoria is only able to provide hands-on assistance with native animals. For assistance with non-native animals, including domestic animals such as cats or dogs, please contact the RSPCA on 9224 2222 or your local council.

Is wildlife protected by the law?

 Healthy native animals cannot legally be harmed or moved from where they are found. Wildlife Victoria are here to help wildlife that is orphaned, sick or injured but we are not able to relocate healthy animals.

What do I do if I can visibly see the animal is injured?

Some animals can be dangerous when injured or stressed, or may be particularly susceptible to stress if handled incorrectly. These include large animals and their young such as kangaroos, wallabies, wombats or koalas, and also fruit bats, snakes and birds of prey. These animals should be handled by an experienced rescuer or wildlife carer to avoid injury to you, or further stress or injury to the animal.   Please hold the line and one of our operators will advise you. If you are able to do so, please stay with the animal and keep an eye on it from a short distance away while you wait for a rescuer to arrive.

Is Wildlife Victoria funded by the government to rescue the native wildlife?

 We receive no government funding and rely on public donations alone. This Emergency Phone Service receives hundreds of calls each day. If you would like to make a donation to help maintain this crucial service, please click here to make a donation. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

What do I do if I have found a young bird? 

During spring, many of Victoria’s young birds are going through the fledgling stage of their development. After fledglings emerge out of their nest, they can spend up to 2 weeks on the ground while learning to fly. During this period, they are still being fed by their parents and should not be interfered with unless obviously injured. Many swooping birds that people perceive as aggressive, are simply trying to be good parents. This protective behaviour lasts only a few weeks. You can protect yourself by wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella while in the area.
 

What do I do if I have found ducklings?

Mother ducks are also on the move in springtime, walking their clutch of ducklings for up to 2 days to search for food and water sources. They often hatch their young in suburban gardens, and then make their way to nearby parks, creeks and natural reserves. In most situations they do not require a rescue and should be left alone and allowed to go on their way. If you believe the ducklings are in some sort of danger, please hold and speak with one of our trained operators.

 

What do I do if I have found a Possum? 

If you have found a baby possum, and its parents are nowhere to be seen, please hold to speak to one of our operators. The possum can be wrapped in something warm and soft and placed in a box in a quiet, dark area. You can keep it warm by filling a hot water bottle or drink bottle with hot water from the tap (but not the kettle) wrapping the hot water bottle in two layers of towel and placing it underneath the possum. Please do not attempt to give the possum anything to eat or drink. A possum that has been brought in by your cat will need to be assessed by a vet, even if it is not visibly injured.

 

What if I have an Echidna in my garden? 

Echidnas can travel up to 10km from their burrows per day, leaving their young behind for 5 to 7 days to search for food. If you see an echidna, please keep your dog inside the house. If the echidna is not injured, it will move on within 24 hours, so please be patient.

What if I have Flying Foxes (Fruit Bats) in my garden?

These amazing animals are close to primates in intelligence and are a threatened species. They are essential to our eco-system and over 20 species of trees depend upon them for survival. If there are fruit bats feeding from trees in or near your garden, they are attracted to the temporary food source while the trees are fruiting or flowering and are not likely be around for more than a few weeks. Netting thrown loosely over trees often causes fatal injuries when fruit bats become entangled and struggle desperately to escape. Wildlife-friendly alternatives include shadecloth, protecting ripening fruit with paper bags or stretching heavy-duty netting tightly over a frame. Please do not handle a sick or injured flying fox; call immediately for assistance and wait for a trained rescuer to arrive.

What do I do if I have found a snake or other reptile?

 Increased temperatures in Spring and Summer mean that snakes and other reptiles often come out to bask in the sun. Wildlife Victoria cannot re-locate healthy animals so please consider phoning a licensed snake handler. If you require contact details of a snake handler, please hold the line to speak to an operator. Blue tongued lizards are harmless to people and benefit your garden by eating snails and slugs.

Did you know that around 30% of emergency calls are due to cats and dogs injuring wildlife?

Wildlife Victoria endorses responsible pet ownership. A cat that is allowed outside after dusk, is in danger of being hit by a car, getting in a fight with other cats, contracting diseases and typically has a shorter life expectancy than indoor cats. You can keep your cat happy and protect our native wildlife by building a cat run enclosure in your garden and keeping it indoors at night. For more information on how you can install your cat enclosure, please visit www.catnip.com.au. If your cat has brought you a possum or bird, it will need immediate veterinary attention, even if no injury is evident.

What do I do if I have found a turtle?

 Turtles found wandering, even in suburban areas, are rarely escaped pets and are mostly wild animals. As long as the turtle is not injured, it can be transported in an escape-proof box to the nearest natural water source and released. If the turtle has a cracked shell or any other visible injuries, please hold and speak to one of our operators.

Why is it common to see wildlife near the road?

 When driving during these times, please look out for wildlife crossing signs and slow down to protect both yourself, and our native wildlife.

What if I find a dead animal?

If you find a dead animal lying beside the road and you can safely do so, stop and check it as there may be a live baby inside a dead mother's pouch. These orphans can often be successfully raised with proper care. Take great care if removing young from the pouch as the mouth may still be fused to the mother's teat and can be seriously damaged if removed by force.
When transporting orphans or waiting for help to arrive, wrap the baby animal in a blanket or jumper. Unless it is a hot day and the orphan has been in the sun, use a well-wrapped hot water bottle to help keep it warm

The 24hr Emergency Phone

The Emergency Phone is Wildlife Victoria’s 24-hour emergency telephone service for people needing help with injured, sick or orphaned wildlife. Emergency Phone operators are trained to give advice on what to do with native Australian animals in need of care. We have an established, comprehensive system to respond to all manner of wildlife rescue calls and utilise an extensive network of volunteers, government agencies, zoos, emergency services, and private commercial operators.

The Emergency Phone takes over 60,000 calls per annum facilitating the best result for wildlife that has been injured or displaced through human activity, road trauma, feral animals, tree felling, land clearing, pollution, bushfires and oil spills. The Emergency Phone often takes calls from people with orphaned wildlife. A mother killed by car accident can often still have live young, protected from trauma, still in the pouch. Emergency Phone operators can arrange for a licensed shelter operator to care for the orphan until it can be released into the wild.

The Emergency Phone network is utilised by government departments, zoos and sanctuaries, veterinarians, councils, police and other emergency services and the general community.

The Emergency Phone number is listed in phone books, council reference books, can be found on road signs, it is given out by other animal welfare services including the RSPCA, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and is kept in the memory of many mobile phones in case of emergency.