Wildlife rehabilitation update

We are thrilled to share an exciting update with you all!

We announced earlier this year that, as part of our commitment to the people and animals of New South Wales, we are exploring establishing a facility that can manage both companion animals and wildlife at our Blue Mountains site.

We are pleased to announce that we have received provisional approval from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for a wildlife rehabilitation license, which means we are one step closer to making the project happen! The proposal submitted is for a dual occupancy site that will allow us to care for companion animals as well as wildlife. We still have a long way to go with this journey, but this approval means that the government has granted us permission to proceed with the design and development of the facility.

The 2019-20 bushfire crisis saw the devastating loss of millions upon millions of our precious wildlife. Helping animals great and small is the foundation on which RSPCA NSW has been built. When we asked the generous people who donated to our Bushfire Appeal earlier this year, 83% of them said they donated out of a desire help affected wildlife.

We have allocated a portion of the funds that were raised to help rehabilitate our wildlife in the most effective and impactful ways, including the establishment of a centralised facility that can handle large volumes of animals in need. We are in the process of submitting a proposal to Blue Mountains City Council to continue to provide impound animal management services for the region on behalf of the council. Next, we will be submitting a Development Application to Blue Mountains City Council for the development of the dual occupancy site. The site has the size, space and potential to successfully manage both companion animals and wildlife. The design of the proposed infrastructure and enclosures are being carefully considered with this objective in mind.

Over the next few months, we look forward to working with local organisations, including Blue Mountains City Council and Taronga, to make this a success.

We are grateful for your continued support, and so too are the koalas, flying foxes, platypus, wombats, bandicoots and the thousands of wonderful creatures that we will be helping.