Funding boost for wildlife shelters

Beechworth Wildlife Shelter’s Sue Hiatt is thrilled to receive a grant in the latest round of the state government’s Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants program. The grants recognise the important role of wildlife rehabilitators, through dedicating their own time and money to rehabilitate injured or displaced wildlife and release them back into the wild. Beechworth Wildlife Shelter is one of two in Indigo Shire to each receive a $3000 grant. The shelter received the grant to buy netting for making outdoor enclosures safe from birds of prey. The other, Staghorn Wildlife Shelter received the grant to purchase different types of rescue equipment. “Grants help to make a huge difference as we self-fund the shelter,” Ms Hiatt said. “When we receive grants from corporations and from governments it is very much appreciated. “We've had a shelter license and a shelter for eight years since living in Beechworth and I've been doing wildlife rescue for around 20 years. “We have brush tail and ring tail possums, kangaroos, wombats, many bird species and some reptiles such as lizards as well as turtles that have been recovering from hits by cars. “Little orphan ringtails come up from Melbourne as there are not enough wildlife carers there. “If I don't have too many animals, I try and collect some each springtime.” The wildlife rescuer said she has at least one or two call-outs a day with one day last week having 14 in one day. Ms Hiatt also recently rescued a wombat stuck in a drain as well as a kangaroo and kookaburra both hit by a car. “Kangaroos with most of them hit by cars would be my most call outs,” she said. Ms Hiatt said when joeys reach a weight of 10kg, they are sent in a group of around four to Beechworth Correctional Centre to be cared for by the team until they are ready for return into the wild. “We don’t release them from here as there are too many cars on the nearby road,” she said. Ms Hiatt said grants received help in other areas of wildlife rescue too. “When we do receive them, it makes a huge difference to the supply of milk formulas for all our orphans of kangaroos, wombats and koalas hit by cars or attacked by dogs," she said. “We can feed them, and it also pays for some medicines, infrastructure and some repairs to enclosures and such things bedding. “Unfortunately, most kangaroos hit by cars are euthanised. “If a kangaroo breaks its leg, it very rarely will survive but we do have the facilities to bring in an adult kangaroo if needed and we have a wombat enclosure too.” The state government has provided $2.1 million in the Victorian Budget 2025/26 to support the protection of wildlife. This includes the Wildlife Victoria Hotline and to provide support for shelters and carers to rehabilitate wildlife. Minister for Environment, Steve Dimopoulos, said Victoria’s wildlife shelters and foster carers do incredible work to help rehabilitate injured and orphaned native animals for release back into the wild.

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