A wild way to volunteer on Redlands Coast

Redland City Council is urgently seeking volunteers for its 24/7 wildlife care service, with the next inductions in November.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the Redlands 24hr Wildlife Rescue Service’s current volunteers were doing an amazing job but they desperately needed additional team members.

“The Redlands After-hours Wildlife Ambulance (RAWA) and Redlands Wildlife Care Network (RWCN) are operated by teams of dedicated locals who give up their time to rescue sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife across the city every day and night of the year,” Cr Williams said.

“The job they do is so vital as we share our naturally wonderful region with a wide variety of native animals which unfortunately can sometimes end up needing our help.

“More volunteers are really needed to ensure our 24/7 wildlife care service has the capacity to respond whenever and wherever needed.”

“So far this year the service has answered more than 4766 calls – that’s an average of 17 calls every day – giving our native wildlife the best chance of getting help.”

Cr Williams said the RAWA was on call from 5pm to 8am each day, with the RWCN taking over from 8am to 5pm.

“The majority of our native animals are nocturnal so it’s vital that we are able to transport sick or injured wildlife for veterinary care between the hours of 5pm and 8am, when wildlife is more likely to wander into the path of oncoming traffic, or be moving through our backyards to feed on native vegetation,” she said.

“Sick and injured koalas are transported to a wildlife hospital, with other sick and injured animals checked by a vet and taken to registered local wildlife carer.

“The RAWA service runs every day of the year with teams of three volunteers on a ‘rolling roster’ of one week in every five or six weeks.

“We have a core of 14 very dedicated volunteers manning the wildlife ambulance service but we really need around 21 or so to spread the load.

Cr Williams said RWCN volunteers worked from home on a phone roster during the day to coordinate rescues with RAWA volunteers or other wildlife rescue organisations, as well as working with local wildlife carers and helping to educate the community about wildlife behaviour and management.

“This role may appeal to those who want to be involved in helping our wildlife but may not be as active as they once were,” Cr Williams said.

“Experience isn’t necessary as training is provided at the inductions, with ambulance team members also getting training in the field by experienced volunteers.

“Council supplies a fully-equipped vehicle and covers running costs, including fuel and equipment, for our volunteers.”

Volunteers must live on Redlands Coast, be 18 years or older and have a current driver’s licence (L plates are not accepted).

To register for an induction at Council’s IndigiScapes Centre, contact [email protected]

Call the Redlands 24hr Wildlife Rescue service on 3833 4031 if you see sick, injured or orphaned native animals.