EMERGENCY FEED AND WATER FOR WILDLIFE

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​The catastrophic ​NSW South Coast bushfires have destroyed millions of hectares of bush.  It is estimated that over 1 billion animals have been killed, and those that have survived face life-threatening food and water shortages. While we don't usually recommend feeding wildlife, we are encouraging members of the public to help while these shortages continue. In addition to the guidlines on this page, we recommend two excellent resources, with links at the bottom of the page.

​We cannot stress too strongly the need to follow these guidelines when feeding wildlife in these circumstances: The animals are already stressed and may be injured.  Social media sites have popped up across Australia, some of which are run by people with the best of intentions, but whose information and advice is sometimes incorrect, including suggestions for providing food that can harm wildlife and encourage predation by wild dogs or feral cats.

BASIC "DO'S & DON'TS"

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Here is advice provided by experts within Wildlife Rescue South Coast, WIRES and National Parks on what to do, and what to avoid when providing food and water for fire-affected wildlife.

Firstly, if you find injured or orphaned wildlife you should contact WRSC or other local wildlife volunteers. Wild animals are not used to being handled and can become severely stressed and may die as a result. If you come across an injured animal and there is no wildlife carer or vet available, here are some things you can do while waiting for help:

• Do keep small children, cats and dogs away from the animal as they can increase stress.
• Do cover and contain small animals in a box lined with a towel if you are confident in handling that animal
• Do keep the animal inside in a quiet place, allowing it to rest with no disturbance.
• Do "offer" water by placing it in front and below them, but
• Don't pour water from a bottle or other containers into an animal's mouth
• Don't give food or water to injured animals
• Don't attempt to handle snakes, flying-foxes or microbats. Bites by these animals can have life-threatening results and should only be handled by trained and vaccinated wildlife carers. ​

Do consider connecting with these organisationd to help:

WRSC or other wildlife volunteers, Environment groups such as Landcare, and ​Local Land Services
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PROVIDING WATER

Setting up water stations is a great idea, but remember that our native animals come in all shapes and sizes: Small animals can drown in large containers and large animals may not be able to access water provided with small outlets. 

Note that the suggestions provided here comply with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service requirements:

• Do use shallow containers with a stable rock or stick in them to give safe access out of the water.
• Do use strong, stable containers to avoid having them tip over or collapsing.
• Do place containers on firm surfaces, so they don’t tip if a heavy animal tries to use it.
• Do place containers at a range of heights so a range of animals can reach them.
• Do place water in a cleared area with shade to allow nervous wildlife to watch out for predators and keep cool.
• Do provide clean, fresh water. Change it daily if possible, to remove contaminants and prevent the spread of disease.
• Don't use large, broad conatines for water as water with large surface areas are easily contaminated.
• Don't leave plastic containers in bushland after the emergency feeding period is past.
• Don't set up feed stations in National Parks without permission.
• ​Don't place water or feed stations close to barbed wire fences, tree netting or within 25 meters of roads.

PROVIDING FOOD

Native animals have very specific requirements: what can be offered to one animal imay be harmful to another and could result in disease or even death.

• Do use Macropod pellets for kangaroos and wallabies. Goat pellets are acceptable substitute
• Do use hay for macropods and wombats, but not in bushland as it poses a high risk of introducing invasive weeds.
• Do provide chopped fruit. Put in a bucket and hoist into trees with a rope for bats & possums.
• Do remove uneaten food and clean food containers every day or two to prevent spread of disease or attracting unwanted pests
• Do use the right feeds for the animals - check out the links at the bottom of the page for details
• Do place the right feeds in various places to mege sure the right food gets to the right animal - see this National Parks web page for more information.
• Don't feed wildlife honey, avocado, bread, sugar, dairy products, dog or cat food.
• Don't feed "Wildlife Balls" (mixtures of peanut butter, honey or molassis and rolled oats) as they are harmful to some wildlife.
• ​Don't scatter bird seed directly onto the ground – put it in an accessible container.
• Don't put the food in exactly the same place each time, as animals may eat scats of others, increasing the potential for spreading diseases.

EXCELLENT RESOURCES

We recommend the following resources which provide greater detail about what you should and should
​not do to help provide food and water for wildlife following emergencies such as these bushfires:

• WIRES EMERGENCY FEED RECOMMENDATIONS
  This page has great information on how to set up food and water feeding stations, including photos and instructions to help ensure that a variety of different birds and animals can access food and water safely. Includes more information about safe feed.

• ​NATIONAL PARKS & WILDLIFE SERVICE HELPING WILDLIFE IN EMERGENCIES
  About half-way down that page, there is a list of what food can and can't be used for different species, and where that food
  can be placed for access by the intended species.

Please do not follow suggestions from websites or social media unless they comply with National Parks & Wildlife Service guidelines.

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This page last updated February 2021