Australian wildlife in harm's way' with volunteers left to pick up the pieces' amid climate crisis, fires and floods

"He is leading a push for patchy state and territory wildlife protection to be coordinated at a the national level, part of a plan to turn around Australia's biodiversity decline. Some rescue services currently carried out by volunteers would be paid for by government under the proposal."

"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."

"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction. There's a huge gap at both federal and state level, Henry said. As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm's way."

Wildlife protection advocates, led by former Treasury secretary Ken Henry through Wildlife Recovery Australia, are pushing the Albanese government to create standardized national rules for rescuing and rehabilitating threatened species affected by disasters like bushfires and floods. Currently, wildlife protection varies across states and territories, with most rescue services delivered by volunteers. The consortium seeks federal budget funding for veterinary treatment and long-term rehabilitation programs. Last year, volunteers responded to over 320,000 wildlife distress calls and conducted nearly 130,000 rescue operations. Climate change and habitat destruction are driving increasing demand for these services. Henry argues that without coordinated national standards and government funding, Australia's biodiversity decline will reach an irreversible point.

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