Helping sick, injured or orphaned wildlife

There are different types of help available depending on the type of animal:

• For sick or dead birds, call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
  View more information about bird flu symptoms.
• For injured or orphaned wild animals, call 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625) between the hours of 7am and 7pm, for specialist advice on the safest way to respond and to connect with wildlife rescue services.
  • After-hours, you can use the RSPCA Hotline website: After hours to find your closest wildlife rescue organisation.
• For marine animal strandings (injured or dead turtles, dolphins, dugongs, seals or whales) use the QWildlife app (iOS and Android) or call the Wildlife Hotline on 1300 130 372 (press option 1). Find out what you can do if you see a stranding.

Native wildlife may become sick or injured due to disease and other risks such as being hit by a car, attacked by other animals, or trapped in fencing or netting. Sickness, injury or death of wildlife can often result in orphaned young.

Even if wildlife does not appear badly injured, they may have severe internal injuries that need to be triaged by a veterinarian or specialist carer.

This also applies if you witness a dog or cat interacting with a wild animal. Even a small scratch or contact with another animal’s saliva can transfer harmful bacteria to the native animal that requires special diagnosis and treatment.

In such situations, specialised care and rehabilitation from a veterinarian or trained wildlife carer becomes essential.

Native wildlife may only be kept and cared for by specialised wildlife hospitals or licensed wildlife carers. These highly trained and experienced individuals have the expertise to give animals the best chance of recovery and return to the wild.

What to do if you find a sick, injured or orphaned animal

If you are looking for advice on how to provide immediate care for a sick or injured animal you’ve found:

• read our blog article ‘What to do if you find sick, orphaned, or injured wildlife in Queensland’, which provides simple dos-and-don’ts
• visit the RSPCA website which offers advice on handling wildlife
• visit the BirdLife Australia website for advice on helping injured birds.

What to expect when you call 1300 ANIMAL

1300 ANIMAL operators will ask you a series of questions and provide you with specialist advice on the safest way to respond to the situation.

Depending on the species and situation, the operator may:

• provide advice on first aid and how to appropriately handle the animal
• dispatch a licensed wildlife carer or the wildlife ambulance to rescue the animal
• request you to transport it to a nearby wildlife hospital.

Remember to record the location where you found the animal so it can be returned to the same place once it has been treated and rehabilitated.

You will not be charged for the call or be required to share any personal information.

The laws

Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992 ensures proper care for native wildlife in distress.

Native wildlife may only be kept and cared for by a licensed wildlife carer. These qualified professionals have the expertise to give the animal the best chance of recovery and returning to the wild.

Without this skilled care, wildlife may not recover or lose their natural behaviours that they need to live a healthy life in the wild.

The law requires anyone who finds sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife to surrender it to a licensed wildlife carer or veterinarian within 72 hours. Fines apply for those that don’t.

We appreciate your compassion for our native animals. By taking these actions, you'll be directly contributing to Queensland's wildlife conservation efforts.