Mobile wildlife hospital visits Coffs sanctuary

WILDLIFE Recovery Australia’s mobile wildlife hospital visited Coffs Harbour last week, in collaboration with the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary. 

The mobile hospital, known as ‘Matilda’, and its veterinary crew are on a national working tour, sharing the word of the one-of-a-kind service and the need for funding to support its rescue and rehabilitation work.
Like the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary, the mobile wildlife hospital receives no government funding.

The van is equipped and staffed to provide immediate, expert care to wildlife during natural disasters and emergencies, with all resources funded by the community and grants.

“There is no government funding for saving wildlife,” Chief Veterinary Office Bree Talbot told News Of The Area.

The mobile wildlife hospital takes around $1.5 million a year to run, she said, and there’s no charge to the community who bring in the rescued animals, so it is all down to fundraising to cover the costs.

The hospital-within-a-van provides a triage table where decisions are made about urgent and non-urgent care.

There are cribs for small birds and mammals and critical care cages for bigger animals.

“This is where we do the detective work on what has happened,” Wildlife Recovery Australia’s Russell Mills said.

“It’s compact but a lot goes on here.”

Injured wildlife is brought in by members of the public, often following a dog attack or vehicle strike.

“Or it may be a young animal who has been orphaned,” Russell said.

X-rays are done pretty much on every animal, and then treatment begins.

Most animals are then fostered out to trained registered carers with a recovery plan.

By Andrea FERRARI