Record admissions to WA Wildlife Hospital trigger fears it may have to send animals elsewhere

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Over the past 15 years, admissions to the WA Wildlife Hospital have increased by an average of 17 per cent each year. Urban sprawl, introduced predators and emerging diseases are among the theories put forward for the rise in numbers.

Transcript

00:00Karen Clarkson has been working at the WA Wildlife Hospital for the past 7 years, caring

00:09for all creatures great and small.

00:15We try and release them as soon as we can, as soon as they're well enough, they can fly,

00:21they can eat on their own, they're putting on weight, we'll release them back out into

00:25the wild.

00:26But there's one key problem facing the centre.

00:28So it's huge increase in the numbers and the diversity of the animals coming in as well.

00:36There's been an average 17% year on year increase in wildlife patients over the past 15 years.

00:41We're starting to really figure out what is our capacity, at what point do we have to

00:44close our doors and go we just cannot handle any more animals coming through this hospital.

00:48Despite record demand, opening hours have been reduced by 90 minutes a day.

00:53We can't keep burning out the same dedicated people who are looking after these animals

00:57so that's why government support, community awareness, education is so important.

01:04More research is required to determine exactly why admissions are increasing, but some common

01:09presentations include diseases, fishing entanglement, introduced predator attacks and injuries as

01:14a result of urban sprawl.

01:17The centre hopes animals like Raffi, the red-tailed black cockatoo, will draw in tourists through

01:22educational tours they want to raise awareness about the increased risk to WA's wildlife.

01:27But the responsibility doesn't just lie with members of the public.

01:31It's one thing to ask people to drive more carefully and look on the roads, it's another

01:34thing to say well you have to do something about climate change and that has to come

01:37from the top down rather than the bottom up.

01:39We're looking to see how we can broaden the scope of this organisation to help finance

01:47it and to increase its relevance and to increase its reach to the community.

01:53The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction says while it appreciates the

01:57efforts of wildlife rescue organisations, they would not respond to the ABC's questions

02:03regarding additional funding.

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