Healing the wild – new hospital for native animals

A NEW wildlife hospital expected to open by the end of the year will relieve pressure on local rescue organisations and vets, who are struggling to keep up with the growing number of sick, injured and orphaned native animals in the region.

The Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital at Wollongbar will be a state-of-the-art facility with dedicated rehabilitation enclosures, an intensive care unit and a consult room for carers.

It will be supported by a wildlife transport van that will collect animals such as native birds, wallabies, possums and echidnas from as far south as the Clarence Valley, as far west as Kyogle, and as far north as Tweed Heads.

Construction of the facility is nearing completion, with plans to apply for an occupancy certificate from Ballina Shire Council soon.

“It’s an amazing building,” general manager Bronte Potts said. “Every nook and cranny has been thought about.”

More than 11,000 native animals were rescued across the Northern Rivers’ seven Local Government Areas in the 2022/23 season, according to the NSW government’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Data Dashboard.

There are two other wildlife hospitals in the region. Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital operates from a custom-built semi-trailer at Knockrow, while Northern Rivers Koala Hospital is based at Lismore.

But Ms Potts said they can only do so much, and thousands of native animals were left untreated each year.

“We all fill slightly different areas of the sector,” she said.

A group of wildlife carers and veterinarians came up with the idea of building the hospital in 2019.

“This region has been experiencing a lot of development for housing and that obviously impacts on wildlife and their habitat,” Ms Potts said.

“Organisations like Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers and WIRES Northern Rivers are struggling to recruit volunteers because of the cost-of-living crisis. I can’t wait to open so we can make an impact.”

For more information or to donate, head to nrwh.com.au