NSW Wildlife Heroes

Most Australian wildlife rescue and care is done by hardworking volunteers. In NSW alone, more than 5,500 people give their time, money and love to Australian animals in need.

Wildlife volunteers in NSW are heroes that rescue around 104,000 sick and injured animals every year. They rescue and care around the clock – rain, hail or shine. There are no public holidays for wildlife carers. The value of their contribution is estimated to be $27 million annually.

They are heroes that answer nearly 180,000 phone calls each year, assisting members of the public at all times of the day and night.

A recent survey conducted by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service identified the greatest needs and challenges in the wildlife volunteering sector.

A $1.47 million grant from the NSW Environmental Trust will fund the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife’s Wildlife Heroes project, to respond to those challenges.

The project will ensure wildlife volunteers get the help they need, so they can continue providing the best care for our amazing native wildlife.

The Wildlife Heroes project will run over 3 years and aims to:

  • Acknowledge the scale, importance and value of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Australia
  • Offer grants for equipment, training, conferences and emergency response planning
  • Provide resources and tools for wildlife volunteers and wildlife organisations in NSW
  • Support ‘wildlife friendly’ veterinary practices with grants and information
  • Promote wildlife volunteering for greater public awareness and recruitment
  • Develop community education and awareness campaigns to increase knowledge of Australian native wildlife

Grants for NSW Wildlife Heroes

Guidelines available here for Wildlife Heroes Emergency Fund : open for applications between 1 and 14 January 2020.

Guidelines available here for Wildlife Heroes 2019 Bushfire Emergency Fund : open for applications from December 2019 and is ongoing.

Grants will be available throughout the project for wildlife rehabilitation groups, individual volunteers and wildlife friendly vets, with all information regarding current and future grant rounds as it becomes available via our grants portal.

APPLY FOR GRANTS

 

Further information on the Wildlife Heroes project.

  Wildlife Heroes FAQ (106KB)

Contact us directly about the project, including media enquiries: wildlifeheroes@fnpw.org.au

 

BYB and Wildlife Heroes News

1. Wildlife Heroes Scholarship Winners Announced Kylie Piper 15-Jul-2020

2. Wildlife Heroes teams up with the Western Australian Government to support wildlife rehabilitators Kylie Piper 02-Jul-2020

3. Caring for Carers: a New Support Program for Volunteer Wildlife Carers Jenny Lewis 08-Apr-2020

 

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