Caring for our vulnerable wildlife

The numbers of wildlife injured and killed by fires across our nation have been unlike anything seen before and it’s prompted us all to think about the plight of our native fauna during natural disasters.

The drought-like conditions experienced throughout the Gympie region over recent months have put many of our own region’s wildlife under stress.  Here are some things you can do to help:

• Create habitats for our wildlife

The right plants provide food and shelter for many animals. But why not go a step further and install habitat boxes for animals such as possums, birds, bats and gliders. Talk with your local nursery for ideas. And if your property is suitable, maybe consider becoming a member of Gympie’s Land for Wildlife program (www.gympie.qld.gov.au/land-for-wildlife).

• Protect our wildlife from injury or harm

Wildlife are prone to injury from cats, dogs and vehicles. You can help keep them safe by keeping cats inside at night, keeping dogs secure in your yard, and taking notice of wildlife signage while driving in wildlife hotspots. And it’s a great idea to keep a box and towel in your car in case you come across injured wildlife, such as birds or lizards; but don’t attempt to handle snakes, flying-foxes, microbats, koalas, kangaroos or wallabies as they may inflict injury. Instead, contact a local wildlife care organisation, such as ANARRA, for help.

• Be careful not to kill our wildlife with kindness

Please don’t feed bread to wildlife, and please don’t pour water directly into the mouths of native animals as this may cause their lungs to fill with water and they may drown. Instead leave water dishes out for them.

• Protect our coastal and riverine animals 

Please don’t drive on sand dunes or along river banks because these are turtle nesting places, and please restrain dogs from disturbing any migratory birds which are common in Tin Can Bay and around Rainbow Beach.

This region is very fortunate to have connected habitat for our native fauna. This means it is possible for our wildlife to move uninterrupted throughout our region. 

The region also has high numbers of koalas and is home to a number of rare and threatened species, which means that it is more important than ever to do what we can to protect these species and their habitat.