LATEST NEWS

Road crossing carnage tops 7,000 a day
Every night there are thousands of hit-and-run fatalities on our roads and the victims are our native animals. Approximately 2.5 million animals are killed by motor vehicles in NSW alone each year, that’s 7,000 a day.

Why so much road-kill?

Many of our native animals are active at night, often crossing or traveling along roads or feeding beside roadsides. They can be difficult to see and also behave unpredictably as they become dazzled by headlights.

To help stop the road-kill, Wildlife Awareness Week will be held from Monday July 3 until Monday July 10, 2006 by WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service).

It’s a dedicated week where members of the public, schools and community groups can recognise the serious problems faced everyday by wildlife and become actively involved in caring for our native animals and environment. WIRES hopes to reduce the number of native animals injured on our roads and increase the likelihood of drivers reaching their destinations. While preventing road-kill is not realistic, we all have the ability to strongly reduce the occurrence.

 

Last year WIRES received 50,000 telephone calls from the public and made 25,000 rescues of injured animals.

Chris Lloyd, WIRES Executive Officer, said: “ We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and it's heartbreaking to see how we are killing off our helpless animals. Many species are unique to this country and we must work together to provide these precious animals with a safe future.”

When do road-kill incidents happen?

Road-kill incidents tend to happen at dusk or dawn when nocturnal mammals are on the move and during the summer months when pouch young are venturing away from their parents. Also, roadside verges can offer attractive vegetation to eat, such as mown grass, water to drink that collects in ditches, or a steep bank or ditch that is difficult for animals to get around. How can we help Australia ’s native animals?

· Drive slower at night and be alert when driving at dusk, dawn and at night. · Don’t litter – litter attracts animals to the road

· Put a collar on your pet with several bells to warn birds of a stalking cat/dog

· Put rubbish in a bin and keep the lid on, or recycle it

· Choose plants for your garden that provide food for native animals

· Become a WIRES carer/ rescuer by attending our next Rescue and Immediate care course.

For more information call our help line on 66281898, or send us an email.

Domestic pets cause carnage in Northern Rivers area

This is having a significant effect on our already marginalised urban wildlife populations.

Some of our most gruesome and heart-breaking rescues have been of possums and birds that have been attacked by cats and dogs. And even more frustrating is that these horrible injuries need never have occurred if the pet owner had taken just a few easy steps to not only protect our wildlife but to keep their pet happy and safe too.

WIRES will be encouraging pet owners to prevent the death of native animals by:

· Putting a collar on their pet with several bells to warn birds of a stalking cat

· Building a cat run or enclosure to keep their pet in their garden

· Keeping their cats indoors at night

· Keeping their dogs on leads when out walking and keep them inside at night

· Become a WIRES carer/ rescuer by attending our next Rescue and Immediate care course.

 

Most WIRES carers are not only lovers of our native wildlife but are pet owners as well,’ The message we are trying to get across is that with a little thought and planning, not only can we protect our precious wildlife but we can enjoy our companion pets and keep them safe too.

WIRES aims to raise thousands of dollars each year to continue its vital work in protecting Australia ’s wildlife. WIRES welcomes support from individuals, community groups and businesses. All funds raised in our local area, stays in our local area assisting local fauna.

If your cat or dog does injure wildlife or if injured wildlife is found please contact the WIRES immediately on 66281898

 

Let’s not rubbish our wildlife
All sorts of rubbish left behind, or left lying about the yard and not considered harmful, can and does injure wildlife and other animals. How we responsibly dispose of rubbish can help prevent severe injuries and death to inquisitive or hungry critters. Learn how to prevent injury

 

I Spy Wildlife spot-a-thon

WIRES plays a vital role in the protection of threatened species, by caring for the sick, injured or orphaned, but also by educating young people about our native wildlife.
WIRES is currently producing an exciting new education booklet. WIRES believes that by educating young people about the issues native animals face everyday, the number of animals who become sick, injured or orphaned can be reduced.

To meet this aim WIRES has many different initiatives, and is particularly proud of its WIRES WildlifeLink Program. Central to it is the new education kit which aims to support the curriculum, whilst also teaching key messages about Australia’s wildlife. Included are activities, information and questions intended to help primary school aged children further develop their knowledge of Australian wildlife.

The education booklet is a fun educational wildlife activity book for children and teachers to enjoy. It will introduce children to the amazing world of Australia’s native animals with the aim of educating young naturalists with details about everyday animals they see and experience.
The aim of this resource is to explore and question some of the values and attitudes that we have towards wildlife. We aim to:

• provide teachers with a relevant and accessible resource
• provide children with a fun and creative way of learning about animals
• ignite a spark of compassion in the young generation

In conjunction with this, WIRES invites all schools to participate in I Spy Wildlife. I Spy Wildlife is an exciting opportunity to encourage students to spot local native animals. The I Spy Wildlife spot-a-thon is a fundraiser for WIRES which will be held at the beginning of spring.

If you wish to participate in I Spy Wildlife, please contact your local WIRES branch, WIRES Northern Rivers Tel 6628 1898, www.wiresnr.org.

Carers are available to give presentations to your school any time throughout the year.

 

 

 

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