20/09/2026
WHO IS ACTUALLY PAYING FOR AUSTRALIA’S WILDLIFE CARE? 🐨🦔🦉🦆🦇
Right now, it is increasingly veterinary clinics, wildlife organisations, donors and volunteers.
And it is no longer sustainable.
Imagine the government told every privately owned mechanical workshop 👨🔧 :
🚗 “From now on, whenever a government vehicle breaks down, you need to fix it for free.”
⌛️ The mechanic’s time? You pay for it.
🛢 Fresh oil? You pay for it.
🔧 Spark plugs and parts? You pay for them.
🧰 Diagnostic equipment, workshop space and electricity? You pay for those too.
Then a new infectious disease emerges.
Suddenly you are told that to keep fixing those government vehicles, you need additional biosecurity measures and potentially a separate area or facility to safely work on them.
And who pays for that?
You do.
It sounds ridiculous.
Yet this is essentially what is being expected of veterinary clinics 🏥 across Australia when it comes to our native wildlife.
🩺 Privately owned veterinary clinics are expected to provide veterinary care to wildlife, often with little or no reimbursement for the veterinary time, medications, consumables, diagnostics, equipment and facilities required to provide that care.
Now imagine there is another group of incredibly dedicated people who say:
💚 “We will volunteer our time. We will look after those vehicles every single day. We will wash them, polish them and keep them going. We aren't asking you to pay us. We aren't asking you to pay us. We just need some help paying for a bucket, soap, polish, a cloth and the supplies we need to do it safely.”
And the answer is still no meaningful support.
That is essentially the position wildlife rehabilitators find themselves in.
They donate thousands upon thousands of hours caring for wildlife that belongs to all Australians, while charities and volunteers fund food, enclosures, transport, fuel, PPE and countless other costs themselves.
Now add H5 avian influenza into the equation.
🦅 South Australia has been described as the epicentre of Australia's H5 avian influenza wildlife crisis, yet the organisations and veterinary professionals on the frontline of wildlife care are still being expected to shoulder an enormous burden.
At Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue, we operate South Australia's only dedicated wildlife veterinary clinic.
And we are feeling the pressure more than ever 😫.
As veterinary clinics and wildlife rehabilitators turn to us for help providing appropriate veterinary care for injured and orphaned birds, our workload and costs continue to grow 📈.
We want to help.
But we cannot do this alone.
There comes a point where goodwill, volunteer hours and community donations simply cannot continue filling the gaps left by government.
Wildlife veterinary care and rehabilitation need to be recognised as essential services that require meaningful, sustainable government investment.
Until that happens, we need our community behind us.
📣 Please help us fight for Australia's wildlife:
✉️ Write to your local State and Federal MPs and ask what they are doing to ensure veterinary clinics and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisations are properly supported.
❤️ Become a regular donor to SKER. Even a small monthly donation gives us reliable funding to keep our veterinary clinic operating and our rescuers and rehabilitators on the frontline.
🌿 Donate at www.sker.org.au
📲 Share this post. The more Australians who understand how wildlife care is actually funded, the harder this issue becomes to ignore.
🤝 And please be kind to your veterinary teams, wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators. People across this sector are exhausted, under pressure and trying desperately to continue providing care with inadequate resources.
Our wildlife cannot write to a Minister ✍️.
They cannot ask why funding wasn't available when they were injured.
They cannot advocate for themselves.
So we will.
To every bird without a voice right now:
We won't stop fighting for you 💪🦅❤️
