The Andrews Labor Government is helping protect Victoria’s injured wildlife with $470,000 in funding to support wildlife rescue volunteers.

Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio today visited Wildlife Victoria’s headquarters in Abbotsford to meet volunteers and tour the Wildlife Victoria Emergency Response Service call centre.

Calls relating to sick or injured wildlife have more than doubled in the past six years and the funding, allocated in the 2019/20 budget, will deliver increased capacity to process calls and support rehabilitation efforts.

The Emergency Response Service, which receives about 80,000 requests for help a year, relies on an extensive network of rescue and transport volunteers including veterinarians who provide pro-bono services and licenced carers and shelters who accept animals into their care for rehabilitation and release.

Wildlife Victoria also provides education programs and activities to facilitate positive community attitudes toward animals and give people the knowledge and skills they need for peaceful and positive co-existence with wildlife.

To further support Victoria’s volunteer wildlife carers and shelters, the Labor Government’s latest round of Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants will see recipients share in $200,000.

The grants help wildlife rehabilitators buy equipment and infrastructure for the operation of their facilities and to attend appropriate training.

The Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants program has provided $1.6 million to the state’s wildlife carers since 2008.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio

“We’ve made this investment in recognition of the hard work and dedication of volunteers who work tirelessly to help sick, injured and orphaned wildlife”

“Wildlife Victoria provides a valued service to our community and their services make a significant contribution to the overall wildlife rehabilitation effort.”