Wildcare Annual Report 2013

Annual Report – 2013
Wildcare Australia Inc.
WILDCARE AUSTRALIA INC.

PO Box 2379, Nerang Mail Centre Qld 4211
Emergency Telephone: 07 5527 2444
Facsimile: 07 3318 7678
Email – enquiries@wildcare.org.au
Website – www.wildcare.org.au
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ 1
PRESIDENTS REPORT .................................................................................................2
TREASURERS REPORT ................................................................................................ 4
SECRETARY REPORT .................................................................................................5
OFFICE BEARERS 2012- 2013 ....................................................................................... 6
SPECIES COORDINATORS ............................................................................................ 7
GRANTS 2012 – 2013................................................................................................ 8
MEMBERSHIP REPORT .............................................................................................. 10
EDUCATION AND TRAINING REPORT ............................................................................ 11
TELEPHONE COORDINATORS REPORT .......................................................................... 13
WILDCARE SHOP REPORT ......................................................................................... 14
MEDIA AND PUBLICITY ............................................................................................. 14
NETWORKING WITH OTHER GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS ................................................ 15
TALKS & COMMUNITY – BRISBANE............................................................................... 17
TALKS & COMMUNITY – GOLD COAST.......................................................................... 19
RECORD KEEPING REPORT ....................................................................................... 21
HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS AWARDED FOR 2013-2014 ....................................................... 32
LIFE MEMBERS ...................................................................................................... 32
AUDITED FINANCIAL RECORDS 2012-2013..................................................................... 33
Acknowledgments
Thank you to everyone who contributed reports and photographs towards the 2013 Annual Report.
Thank you also to those involved in the collation of these reports and overall design and editing.
Photo Cover Page:

Feather-tail Glider (P Hacker)
1
Presidents Report
KAREN SCOTT
The past year has run relatively smoothly for Wildcare, thanks largely to the dedication and commitment of
our key volunteers including our Species Coordinators, Telephone Operators, Education Team and
Management Committee.
Although we have had a few challenges along the way from an organisational perspective, I feel that we have
well and truly come out ahead this year.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for our local wildlife. Never does there seem to have been a greater
need to stand up and fight for our wildlife and to educate the public about how to live harmoniously with
them. The current situation with bats is one that leaves me feeling particularly saddened with continued talk
of culling flying foxes and the apparent ease in which permits are being issued to disperse colonies. It is
more and more important now for everyone, regardless of what species you rescue and care for, to fight to
ensure that all of our wildlife is given the opportunity to live peacefully.
Having said that, I am still continually amazed at the level of compassion shown by the majority of the
general community when it comes to helping our wildlife when in need. I am always touched by the people
that go out of their way to help an animal in crisis and it is those people that make our jobs much more
rewarding.
Wildcare is very fortunate to have amongst it many people that ensure that the organisation adapts to the
changing demands of both the public and our members and who continue to make our organisation one of
the most professional in Australia.
I feel that we have had a very strong Management Committee this year and we have all worked well
together and complimented each other in our various roles. We have had a great mix of Committee
members this year from different areas including the Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast
which I feel has given the Committee a greater understanding of the needs of members in those regions.
The Committee has continued to strengthen its relationship with other organisations and has increased its
network to Wildcare’s benefit.
Thank you to my fellow Management Committee members for all of your hard work. Your ongoing
commitment is much appreciated. Sadly this year, we see Gail stepping down from her role on the
Management Committee due to work and family commitments. Gail and I have been on the Wildcare
Management Committee together for the past 13 years, so I will greatly miss her presence on the
Committee. However she still continues to maintain all of her other positions within Wildcare. Thank you
Gail for your support and mentoring over the years (and for getting me involved in Wildcare!).
To our many Species Coordinators – thank you! I have an idea of the amount of time that you dedicate to
sharing your knowledge and experience and mentoring new carers; not to mention the effort that you put
into caring for the animals in your own home. I also appreciate that most of you have been a tremendous
support to our volunteer telephone operators in helping with the coordination of rescues and placements.
And to our small team of telephone operators – I truly believe that you are the backbone of this
organisation. Without you, Wildcare would not be able to offer support to the public and would not have
been able to coordinate the rescue of the 5,500+ animals that it did during 2012. This is an amazing effort
considering that the team of telephone operators is less than 20 members. Heading this small but
remarkable team is our ever-proficient Telephone Coordinator Christine Johnes. Christine continues to do
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an amazing job with coordinating the telephone roster, maintaining all of the telephone documentation and
being a great mentor to our telephone operators.
An area where Wildcare has particularly excelled this past year is in community events. Penelope Hacker
along with our new Gold Coast Community Liaison Coordinator Debbie Overell, have done a fantastic job
with coordinating Wildcare’s attendance at many events and displays during the past year. You have both
done a fantastic job and I thank you for your hard work.
There are many other people within Wildcare that work quietly behind the scenes keeping things running
smoothing. To our Record Keeper, Kiersten Jones who continues to somehow manage to juggle the task of
maintaining Wildcare’s records whilst studying full-time and working part-time. To Cathy Cope, who
keeps our education program smoother than it ever has and to new Secretary this year, Lewis McKillop
who has kept the Committee in line and put in a lot of hard work to keep the administrative side of
Wildcare running smoothly. To say that I would be lost without each of you is an understatement. Thank
you!
Thank you also to the many organisations that continue to support Wildcare and our members. Particular
thanks must go the staff and volunteers at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, RSPCA Wildlife Hospital and
the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Your dedication and commitment to helping our wildlife and our
wildlife volunteers is commended.
Finally to all of our members, thank you for your continued support. Whether you are a rescuer, carer or
you help out in other ways, I thank you. Every contribution is significant and in some way affects the lives
of at least one animal. It is YOU that make Wildcare what it is.
I look forward to an even year in 2013-2014!
Photo Above:
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (A Bird)
3
Treasurers Report
T RACY P AROZ
Copies of the audited Financial Reports for the organization are included in the Appendix of the Annual Report.
The last twelve months have flown by for me in my new role as Treasurer. My full time job has been
increasingly busy, and the end of 2012 saw the birth of my beautiful granddaughter, Katelyn. 2013
commenced with my husband beginning a new job working 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off in far western
Queensland. Then the remnants of a cyclone hit, and I was stuck for 5 days with no power, phone and on
the last day, minimal drinking water. The upside of this disaster was that I had a large number of the local
wildlife here, sheltering on high ground out of the wind and rain!
This year Wildcare has been lucky to have a small group of dedicated volunteers attend numerous
community events and raise a massive $2,500. Well done!
Wildcare has again been very successful in obtaining grant funding for a variety of purposes as you will see
from the financial reports.
The Management Committee decided to try a Fundraising calendar to raise funds for Wildcare and late
November saw the Inaugural Wildcare Fundraising Calendar launched with an initial run of 200 printed.
We sold 160 calendars and we hope to be able to sell a lot more this year, with the calendars available to
purchase around September/October 2013.
We have seen more carers submit claims to the Carers Subsidy this year. At 31 March we had a balance of
$6,214 remaining in the Carers Subsidy Fund.
One of our main sources of income continues to be membership subscriptions. Thank you to all members
that continue to support our organisation and volunteers each year, particularly those members that are not
actively involved in rescuing or caring for wildlife. Your continued support in these difficult times is much
appreciated and enables us to continue to provide high quality support to our volunteers.
April saw the beginning of a new financial year and the records for 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 were
sent to the Auditors to prepare the audited Financial Reports for tabling at our AGM.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone that is and continues to be, a part of this wonderful organisation.
Photo Left:
Storm damage and released kangaroo returning
to survey the damage (T Paroz)
4
Secretary Report
L EWIS M C K ILLOP
Wildcare has faced many organisational challenges this year, and I am pleased to say that we have not only
survived, but come through in great shape.
Wildcare is blessed to have a large number of volunteers willing to put their hand up to assist with various roles,
and our organisation simply could not function without them. I would like to thank our hardworking Species
Coordinators, our dedicated Phone Operators, our Education Team, our Community Liaison Team, our
Trauma Carers, and of course all of our Rescuers and Rehabilitators. Thank you also to all who put their hand
up to assist with projects, such as fundraising and events.
It has been a busy year for all those involved with the administration of Wildcare. As the organisation continues
to grow, we regularly have to review our policies and procedures to keep everything running smoothly. This
year has also seen improvements in many areas; our membership database has been overhauled to improve
efficiency, many of our forms have been redesigned, and are now in editable PDF formats, we have introduced a
file sharing system which makes the committees lives much easier, and protects us from data loss. To help
reduce the workload on the committee, Wildcare has purchased a new binding machine and CD printer/burner
to quicken the production of training resources.
Going forward, there are some key areas of the organisation that still require improvement. Currently, our
rescue hotline is often unattended on weekdays between 7am and 5pm. This is causing significant delays in
injured/orphaned animals receiving attention. I would urge anyone who could spare a just few hours every
week or two, to put their hand up to help out.
We are still also desperately short of carers for all species, particularly birds. I would urge anyone that may be
interested in becoming a carer to contact a Species Coordinator to learn a bit more about what’s involved.
Lastly, there are still many areas we are unable to cover for wildlife rescues, and again, I would urge anyone that
may be able to assist, even with basic transporting, to get involved.
It is far from all doom and gloom though. This year we have had tremendous success in our grant applications,
bringing in some much needed funds to purchase rescue equipment. We have also attended many events around
South-East Queensland, raising both funds and awareness, while picking up new members along the way. We
have seen attendances at workshops increase significantly; we have also seen the introduction of our new
uniforms and our inaugural fundraising calendar, while our Facebook page continues to grow. We have also
established relationships with Land for Wildlife, which has led to an increased number of release sites, and also
with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where several experienced employees have become sponsored members of
Wildcare, to assist with trauma calls amongst other things.
The year ahead promises to be an exciting one for Wildcare. Our new website and brochures will be finalised
very shortly, with a fresh new look. Some of our Trauma Carers in key locations will soon be equipped and
licensed to dart macropods, thanks to the wonderful support of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia -
Caboolture Branch. We are also planning to introduce smarter methods of record keeping, including duplicate
booklets for recording rescue details. Lastly, we have provided another full education calendar, which includes
some new workshops, which we hope will be of interest to members.
As always, your feedback is more than welcome if you feel you can suggest ways in which we can improve as a
group.
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Office Bearers 2012- 2013
President Karen Scott
Vice-President Gail Gipp
Secretary Lewis McKillop
Treasurer Tracy Paroz
Committee Members Rachel Lyons

Natasha Lewis-Millar (resigned)
Head Carers Eleanor Hanger

Gail Gipp
Record Keeper Kiersten Jones
Education Team Karen Scott

Cathy Cope
Telephone Coordinator Christine Johnes
Media Coordinators Vacant
Community Liaison Coordinator Penelope Hacker

Debbie Overell
Grants Coordinator Nicole Walters
Newsletter Team Eleanor Hanger

Deborah Bianchetto
Shop Coordinator Roy Webster

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Species Coordinators
Birds Kelly Clark Simone Smith

Tracey Corcoran Dianna Smith
Mimi Dona Claire Smith
Heather Frankcom Ailsa Watson
Natasha Lewis-Millar
Possums Eleanor Hanger Anika Lehmann
Rachel Lyons Cathy Cope
Helen Bradley Sharon Singleton
Natalie Rasmussen Clare Boyd
Robyn Braniff Michael Wilson
Ebony McIntosh Deborah Turnbull (resigned)
Gliders Eleanor Hanger Paula Rowlands

Tonya Howard Laura Reeder
Delicia Williams
Macropods Gail Gipp Roy Webster
Karen Scott Paula Rowlands
Roy Webster
Bats Trish Wimberley
Rachel Lyons
Delicia Williams
Reptiles Annette Bird
Chris Peters
Kelly Clark
Koalas Gail Gipp
Karen Scott
Echidnas Karen Scott
Vicky Toomey
Bandicoots, Carnivorous Karen Scott
Marsupials and Native Rodents Vicky Toomey
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Grants 2012 – 2013
KAREN SCOTT
Wildcare has continued to be successful in obtaining several grants throughout the past year including the
following:-
Ipswich City Council - $2,000

Funds received to assist with rescue and rehabilitation equipment for reptiles as a result of
Wildcare’s participation in the Scales & Tails Reptile Expo at Ipswich.
Gold Coast City Council - $3,000

Funds received to help with the construction of koala rehabilitation facilities due
to the limited facilities available on the Gold Coast for at-home care for the
species.
Mazda Foundation - $4,700

Mazda Foundation provided a funding opportunity specifically for Australian
endangered species. Wildcare was invited to submit an application which was
successful. Funding was provided to purchase rescue cages and poles and three
pairs of binoculars. This equipment has been distributed to members that have
commenced training to undertake koala rescues.
Department of Environment & Heritage Protection - $6,928

The Queensland Government through the EHP, offered the first round of the Koala
Rescue and Rehabilitation Grant in late 2012 which Wildcare was successful to
obtain funding for rescue cages, rescue poles, good quality torches and headlamps.
This equipment is being distributed to members that undertake koala rescues.
Logan City Council – EnviroGrant - $5,000

We have just received word that our application has been successful which will
provide funding for the development and printing of several information brochures on
topics such as wildlife and pets and feeding wildlife. The application also includes
costs to purchase several light-weight banners to be used at displays
and events.
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We were unsuccessful in several small grants throughout the year however given the high demand for
funding from the non-profit sector, we are fortunate that there still exist a reasonable number of
opportunities for wildlife and conservation groups to apply for funding. We are very grateful to have these
opportunities.
We have a number of applications still pending including the following:-
 Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FAHSCIA)

 Gold Coast City Council – Community Grants
 Gambling Community Benefit Fund
Wildcare now maintains a comprehensive spreadsheet of all grant applications submitted and I thought it an
opportunity time to set forth some interesting figures on Wildcare’s history with grant submissions. During
the period January 2005 to June 2013 (7 ½ years) we applied for 51 grants which can be summarised as
follows:-
Successful applications 33
Unsuccessful applications 14
Applications Withdrawn 1
Applications Pending 3
This represents a success rate of 70% which is a truly amazing effort. Most people consider a success rate of
30% to be a good result. The amount of funding that we have obtained over this time period through grant
applications totals $221,457.96. This amount has been utilised to fund a variety of projects and equipment
including:-
 Laptop and data projector for training  Intensive care units

 Rescue cages  Reptile rescue equipment
 Humane possum traps  Venomous snake enclosures
 Rescue poles and nets  Duck enclosures
 Binoculars  Echidna rehabilitation tubs
 Torches and head lamps  Relocatable aviaries
 Telephone expenses  Printing costs for brochures and poster
 Computers and laser printer  Fuel for rescues and training
 Membership card printer  Dart gun
 Possum boxes and dreys  Marquee
 Bat aviary  Display boards
 Bat vivariums  First aid kits
My thanks to our Record Keeper, Kiersten Jones who regularly supplies data to be included in grant
applications as without this data, I do not believe that we would have the success that we do with obtaining
funding.
Finally, my sincere thanks to Nicole Walters, who has put in a tremendous amount of effort this past year in
researching available grants and drafting applications. This is a particularly time consuming task and Nicole
has put in 100% to ensuring that our applications are professional and well-researched and the result speaks
for itself. This has been a tremendous help to me personally and the rest of the Management Committee.
9
Membership Report
L EWIS M C K ILLOP
The last year has seen Wildcare’s membership continue to grow.
We continue to see new members joining us from a wide range of locations across South-East Queensland.
We also continue to see familiar faces renew their membership year after year, and the ongoing support is
very much appreciated.
Wildcare has also been fortunate this year to have formed a formal partnership with Currumbin Wildlife
Sanctuary, where several Sanctuary employees have joined Wildcare as a sponsored member. This has
provided our rescuers on the Gold Coast with some much needed assistance, especially with large
macropods.
A total of 266 new members joined us this year, and we now have over 640 members.
 194 Family Memberships
 418 Single Memberships
 8 Lifetime Memberships
 5 Honorary Membership
 16 Sponsored Memberships
Each year the Wildcare Management Committee awards Honorary Memberships to five members to
recognise their outstanding contribution. While there were many deserving candidates, Honorary
Memberships this year have been awarded to;
Christine Johnes – for her outstanding efforts as our Rescue Telephone Coordinator;
Deborah Bianchetto – for her hard work and dedication working on our newsletter and our new
website;
Lee Pirini – for her ongoing assistance with Wildcare obtaining a weapons license to assist with darting
animals, and her hard work as a Trauma Carer;
Samantha Longman – for her outstanding efforts with orphaned Koalas, and her efforts as a Trauma
Carer; and
Nicole Walters – for her hard work and great success as Wildcare’s Grants Officer.
We welcome all new members who joined us during the last year. Whether you go on to become a wildlife
carer, help in other ways, or simply wish to attend some of our training workshops, we are happy to have
you on board!
10
Education and Training Report
K AREN S COTT
The past year has been another tremendously busy one for the Wildcare education team and the next year is
shaping up to be even busier.
Many of our workshops this past year have been at or near capacity even though we have continued to offer
workshops in a variety of locations and at frequent intervals. This is a testament to the enthusiasm of
members to obtain the skills necessary to care for our unique wildlife. Well done everyone! We are so
honoured that most of our members take their role as a wildlife rescuer and carer seriously and are keen to
keep up to date with their knowledge and skills.
Our training workshops continue to receive good attendance from staff and volunteers from other animal
organisations including other wildlife care organisations.
For the period July 2012 to June 2013 we had 1465 workshop attendances which is an increase of 295 from
2011-2012. This is a tremendous effort by everyone involved in the Wildcare training program and shows
just how much volunteers contribute to the wildlife industry. Also bearing in mind that 1465 Certificates
of Attendance that were produced and distributed by Cathy. Thank you Cathy!
During this last year Wildcare offered 83 training workshops and a breakdown of the training courses
conducted is as follows:-
Orientation Program 10 Birds 11

Rescue and First Aid For Wildlife (Basic) 10 Seabirds 1
Wildlife Rescue (Advanced) 4 Bats 3
First Aid for Wildlife (Advanced) 1 Echidnas 1
Introduction to Caring for Orphaned 7 Bandicoots, Rodents & Carnivorous 1
Mammals Marsupials
Wildlife Anatomy & Physiology 1 Macropods 2
Reptiles (Wildcare) 16 Possums and Gliders 10
Reptiles (Hands-on – Martin Fingland) 3 Koalas 2
Wildlife Habitat and Plant ID 2
Below is a list of trainers that have contributed to our training program over the last year. As many of you
will be aware, many of these volunteers deliver numerous training workshops through the year:
Eleanor Hanger Gail Gipp Ricky Johns Rachel Lyons

Karen Scott Annette Bird Helen Bradley Dr Tania Bishop
Trish Wimberley Chris Peters Natasha Lewis-Millar Simone Smith

Vicky Toomey Kelly Clark Kiersten Jones Cathy Cope
Nigel Cope Claire Smith Simone Smith Dianna Smith
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This is a tremendous effort by all those concerned. As Wildcare members you will appreciate that
Wildcare has no paid staff and many of our trainers invest many long days and nights developing training
material for the benefit of members. We are honoured that we have so many experienced members in our
midst that are keen to share their knowledge, experience (and mistakes) with others. There is no adequate
way to convey to you our thanks for all that you contribute. Thank you.
Recently, Wildcare was invited to hold several workshops in the Maryborough area for the benefit of
rehabilitators in that region. This is an area where there is a tremendous lack of volunteer wildlife carers,
and therefore training and we were honoured that Wildcare was invited to contribute. Rachel Lyons and
Gail Gipp represented Wildcare and delivered two full-day workshops on Rescue and First Aid and
Orphaned Mammals/Possums. Further workshops for this area are scheduled for later this year.
Our thanks go to the organisations that have assisted us with providing venues to enable us to hold our
training workshops in the last year. Our particular thanks to the RSPCA who allow us the free use of their
auditorium at their Animal Care Campus at Wacol. This is a fantastic venue and seems to be fairly
convenient for most people around the Brisbane region. Our thanks to Annette Colling of the RSPCA who
assists Wildcare with venue bookings and getting workshop attendees signed in. Our thanks also to the
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital who continue to allow us the use of their wonderful conference room at the
Hospital free of charge. This is a great venue for northern Brisbane and Sunshine Coast members.
Our specialised workshops, including the hands-on Reptile Handling with Martin Fingland and the Wildlife
Anatomy & Physiology with Dr Tania Bishop, continue to be well received and we thank them for their
continued support.
We have continued to try to develop new workshops including the First Aid for Wildlife (Advanced)
course. Thank you to Annette Bird who has assisted with the development and delivery of this workshop
and put her nursing (both veterinary and human) skills to good use.
We are updating a number of our workshops over the coming months and are also planning on several new
workshops particularly with birds which we hope everyone will benefit from.
This year we invested in several pieces of equipment to make producing our education material much more
efficient. The first item we purchased was a CD Publisher/Printer which makes light work of the 1500+
CD’s that we produce each year. This has been an absolute timesaver and now we wonder why we didn’t
invest in this previously. The second item we purchased is an electric binder. This item has become
necessary as more members take the opportunity to purchase the training manuals in hard copy.
Finally, a huge thank you to those that help me so much with continuing to offer the high standard of
training workshops that Wildcare is able to offer. To Cathy Cope, who handles all of the day to day
training enquiries and processes all of the workshop registrations. Cathy continues to be a tremendous help
to myself and all of our trainers who have come to rely on her. Thank you also to the rest of the
Management Committee who are forever reading documents and helping generally with workshops.
I hope to see everyone in the coming year as you further your rehabilitation skills.
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Telephone Coordinators Report
C HRISTINE J OHNES
Well it has been another year of learning curves and character building!
Unfortunately the hotline continues to be unmanned to a total of about eight days a month, despite ongoing
recruitment and training of new volunteers. Life just seems too busy these days, and we seem to lose
volunteers as quickly as we gain them.
While I find it frustrating to be in a similar position to last year, this has been tempered by the opportunity
to meet and work with such a lovely bunch of people, our fabulous phone vollies! You all keep me sane, so
thank you! You know who you are.
Using the May roster as a snapshot, in 2012 we had 17 volunteers, and in 2013, 18. At least we are headed
in the right direction, albeit slowly. Yes, it’s scary that without that one percent (!) of our members putting
their hands up, our direct contribution towards native wildlife (and subsequent caring of those animals)
would stop altogether. Of those 18 wonderful people, a special thank you must go to Bren Dalby, Deb
Flack, Karen Scott, Lindy Meath, Penelope Hacker, Sharon Hutchison and Tammy Allison, for putting up
with me for another whole year. We have also been delighted to have Patricia van der Berkt back on our
night shift roster.
Did you know less than 9% of our membership base has signed up to be rescuers? We accomplish so much
for animals already with limited resources, imagine how much we could accomplish if our rescue base grew
ten-fold?
There is flexibility about hours, location, species and rescue difficulty. There is also a bounty of
knowledgeable people within Wildcare who can offer guidance when needed. You’re not expected to know
everything – requirements include having done Orientation and Basic Rescue & First courses, and be armed
with common sense and a calm mind. It’s so rewarding to know that you made a difference to the life of
that little helpless creature. Often it’s as simple as throwing a towel over a bird, scooping it into a box, and
popping into the local vets. Even transportation is a big help to us.
The most common complaint I get from our phone operator volunteers is the difficulty of getting a rescuer.
Often a seemingly simple rescue can take us over an hour to coordinate, as we either don’t have anyone in
that area, or no-one is picking up their phones. I think this is probably the main reason many operators do
not enjoy manning the phones (and subsequently leaving), so I will be focusing on building up our rescuer
base over this year in addition to endeavouring to get us back to a 24/7 hotline.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of being a rescuer or phone operator, please contact me on 0401
786 677 or hotline@wildcare.org.au. I promise I do not bite, and there is no such thing as a silly question.
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Wildcare Shop Report
W ILDCARE M ANAGEMENT C OMMITTEE
During the past year we have maintained the Wildcare Shop for the benefit of members although with the
closure of the Wildcare Office in early 2012, the number of items held has been reduced.
We have successfully continued to offer a mail order service to all members and in many cases have been
able to keep freight charges to a minimum by utilising the courier service operated by our veterinary
wholesaler.
Our new Wildcare uniforms have been well received and it is great to see members wearing them to
workshops and on rescues.
Many thanks to Dianna Smith on the Gold Coast who kindly offered to maintain a supply of shop items at
her home on the Gold Coast which enables members to collect items more easily.
Many thanks also to Roy Webster, our Shop Coordinator who has continued to provide a tremendous
amount of support and assistance to our members over the past year.
Media and Publicity

W ILDCARE M ANAGEMENT C OMMITTEE
The past year has again seen a reduction in the amount of media exposure for Wildcare.
We have recognised the need to take a more formal approach to this area but so far have not been successful
with forming a specific media and publicity sub-committee. In order to raise awareness of the important
work that Wildcare undertakes, we really need an active team of members that can take on this task.
Several members successfully raised local issues with local media outlets such as newspapers and local
newsletters.
The Wildcare website is currently undergoing a major overhaul thanks to Deb Bianchetto. We are very
excited to see the finished product which will include a number of suggestions that have been submitted by
members.
We have seen an increase in ‘traffic’ on the Wildcare Facebook page thanks to the efforts of Natasha Lewis-
Millar and Nicole Walters. This form of media exposure is becoming more and more popular and our fan-
base has been steadily increasing over the past year to now have over 850 ‘likes’. If you are on Facebook
please link up and ‘share’ our page and updates.
Photo Left:
Rainbow Lorikeet (A Bird)
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Networking with Other Groups and Organisations
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Over the last year Wildcare’s Management Committee has continued to work closely with other
organisations.
RSPCA Queensland
We have continued to strengthen our relationship with the RSPCA Wildlife Department for the mutual
benefit of both groups. Wildcare continues to offer staff and volunteers of the RSPCA the opportunity to
attend our training courses and Wildcare continues to encourage our members to become ‘Wildlife
Heroes’ with the RSPCA.
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital

Our relationship with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hospital Foundation has continued to
strengthen over the past year. Our Gold Coast Species Coordinators and key rescues and volunteers
maintain a strong relationship with all staff and volunteers of the Hospital and assist each other wherever
possible.
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital

The staff and volunteers at AZWH continue to be a tremendous help to both our rescuers, carers and the
Wildcare Committee. The AZWH staff continues to assist our Trauma Carers with training and regulatory
requirements for Queensland Health Drug Approvals and our koala rescuers and rehabilitators with expert
veterinary care for koalas.
24 Hour Veterinary Clinics

We are fortunate that in South-east Queensland we have a number of 24 hour emergency veterinary clinics
that have been very generous with their time and services to help our volunteers with rescued critically
injured wildlife. We thank them for their tremendous support over the past year.
Gold Coast City Council

We continue to maintain a close relationship with environmental teams from Council in relation to koala
projects initiated by Council including the Elanora/Currumbin Waters Koala Management Plan. This has
been a great initiative and one that Wildcare has been honoured to be involved with.
GECKO Environmental Alliance

The Environment Alliance was originally an initiative of GECKO and was formed in April 2011. The
Alliance aims to support other like-minded organisations in their individual plights involving our wildlife
and the environment.
15
South-East Queensland Wildlife Care Groups
Wildcare has been attended and actively participated in several meetings held for the heads of the various
wildlife care groups in the region. These meetings have been well attended by the various groups and have
helped to improve communication and networking between them. It is intended that these meetings will
continue to be held twice a year.
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia – Caboolture Branch

Wildcare recently entered into a partnership with the S.S.A.A. Caboolture Branch which has provided the
Wildcare Trauma Carers access to experienced shooters to assist them in their training to obtain weapons
licences for dart guns/pistols. This will be a tremendous benefit when responding to large critically injured
macropods that require euthanasing.
Photo Above:
Yellow-footed Antechinus (P Hacker)
16
Talks & Community – Brisbane
P ENELOPE H ACKER
Wildcare (and especially yours truly) have been very lucky to have the enthusiastic and efficient Debbie
Overell take over the coordination of Community Events on the Gold Coast, leaving me with a much
quieter life in Brisbane. Thank you, Debbie!
The indefatigable Annette Bird, defying doctors and hospitals, organised and attended the ‘Scales and Tails
Reptile Expo’ on 10th November 2012. Wildcare’s attendance netted Wildcare a very healthy donation
from the organisers along with a donation from the Ipswich City Council for $2,000. Annette’s description
of the day can be seen in her Reptile Coordinator’s Report in the recent Wildcare Newsletter.
Rod and Rosalind Duncan were guest speakers at Nundah Rotary 13th February 2013, and this is an edited
version of Rod’s report:
Rosalind and I delivered our 45 minute presentation to a Nundah Rotary meeting to a group of about 15
attendees. Bill Sherwood and the members were very welcoming and we were invited to stay for the entire
meeting, including dinner and raffles!
We used a CD of Powerpoint presentations, 25 slides of which formed the backbone of the speech which also
contained dramatisations of real emergency phone operator exchanges and solutions, reference to the stats on
page 38 of the 2011 annual report, a demo rescue of my Kenny the kookaburra, finding the website including
the newsletter and, finally, a hand out and discussion of the terrific brochure titled “Wildcare Australia Please
Help!”.
We didn’t exactly receive any guarantee of financial contributions at last night’s meeting, but Bill is keen to
continue the interest in Wildcare Australia through Rotary, and may suggest a presentation to the District
meeting coming up.
With Rotary backing, some worthwhile projects and funding may be possible.
Deb Turnbull organised a display at the Old Mill Veterinary Surgery at Dayboro on 17th March.
There were three market days at Mt Nebo 5th December 2012, 8th February and 4th May 2013 which I
attended, spreading the Wildcare message out to my local community. Unfortunately, these are unlikely to
continue.
We had a display at ‘Dayboro Day’ on 26th May, when we had Iris Matzath, an annual visitor from Germany
and passionate Aussie wildlife supporter, join in with Jules, recently arrived from North Queensland, and
myself. I was really impressed by the interest and knowledge shown by people from the area, and we made
$127.
2nd June we had a great group of Wildcare members at LEAF in Logan, coordinated by Debbie Overell with
Eleanor Hanger, Chris Peters, Tammy Allison, Jessie Gaskon and Kelly Clark helping out.
17
Eleanor accepted a Certificate of Congratulations from the Mayor of Logan City Council for successfully
obtaining funding under 2013/2014 EnviroGrants Program for a Wildlife Education Brochure and Pull Up
Banners.
Rebecca Condon, one of the organisers for the day (and Wildcare member), collected $50 from a very
generous food vendor, David Heyward, who also gave her $50 last year as well for a donation (of course she
chose Wildcare!!). Sales at the display netted over $130.
We look forward to another year of successful displays with (hopefully) lots of volunteers attending. Please
consider helping if you can!
Photo Left:
Jules & Iris at Dayboro Day
Photo Right:
Tammy &Jessie at LEAF Event
Photo Below:
Eleanor collecting a cheque and Certificate from
Logan City Council Major
18
Talks & Community – Gold Coast
D EBBIE O VERELL
Wildcare Australia Inc has been involved with numerous events on the Gold Coast in the past 12 months. In
September we attended the ‘Pet and Animal Expo’ held on the 29 and 30 September at Varsity on the Gold
Coast. It was a diversified event with a large focus on domesticated animals but Currumbin Wildlife
Sanctuary and Wildcare Australia represented our Australian wildlife.
As usual we had a group of dedicated volunteers to assist in the display. Special thanks to the Meza family
who helped set up and pull down and even gave life to “Wilbur Wildcare” our Expo koala mascot as did
Andrew Wallace-Mitchell, who found furry talents he didn’t even know existed. A big thanks to Nicole
Walters whose face painting is a sight to behold. What a talent! Nicole was supported by Sally Purbrick-
Illek (the tiger), Bridget Hewitt, Britta Hawney, Andrew Wallace-Mitchell (who was multi-skilling)
Samantha Oliver and even Robyn Cox, who found artistic talents she also didn’t even know existed. Our
display visitors were welcomed by Ann Fitz-Gerald, Nina Hardie, Joanne Brierley, Dianna Smith, Joseph
Finn and Judy Swanton who all did a good job in encouraging our shop sales and getting visitors interested
in our informational raffle and display.
We handed out many membership brochures and made many

more people aware about Wildcare through our competition
for a family pass to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where
participants had to answer a question about Wildcare. The
Winner of this competition was Donna March.
On the 17 November Diana Kolb represented

us at the ‘Centracare Albert River Community
Farm Open Day’ situated at Yatala. Although
the day was stormy Diana was able to pass out
many brochures and take some donations in
the northern area of the Gold Coast.
19
Also in November and December we had an opportunity to have displays at The Pines Shopping Centre at
Elanora. This too was a great opportunity to get Wildcare’s message out there, particularly in an area with
such a large koala population. With the help of Amber Cameron, Kiersten Jones, Joanne Brierley, Jan and
Brenda Nilsson and Eric Black we focused on selling merchandise and a raffle for a family pass to Currumbin
Wildlife Sanctuary. The winner of this raffle was Perry Wilson.
The first Saturday in January we held a sausage sizzle at Bunning’s Nerang. With the help of Ann Fitz-
Gerald, Tom and Lindy Meath, Robyn Cox, Sharon and Tim Hutchison, Dianna Smith, Dianne and Mike
Cecil and Eric Black selling over 30 kilos of sausages and numerous soft drinks.
On 24 April Eleanor Hanger attended the ‘Numinbah Valley

Environmental Education Centre Open Day’. Eleanor reported it was
a great day with many of the locals in this area attending the event and
showing lots of interest in our display.
In April, Diana Kolb organised a trivia night at the Gleneagles Gables
tavern which raised around $500 which was a great effort and everyone
had a great time.
Other events to occur on the Gold Coast before the end of June include
the ‘Green Week Expo’ at Broadbeach and the very exciting ‘Mudgeeraba Show’.
Up until the end of May through these wonderful events and the dedication of our volunteers we have
jointly raised approximately $2,500 for the day-to-day operations of Wildcare Australia as well as
communicating to a wide audience the aims and objectives of our organisation.
20
Record Keeping Report
KIERSTEN JONES
records@wildcare.org.au
Records Submissions
The records are now being submitted by permit-endorsed members every six months, or every three
months if the member is applying for the carer subsidy. This has assisted me somewhat to manage the
records role, with the busier processing and collating times now concentrated mainly in January/February
and again in July/August, instead of there being a demanding workload all year around. A few carers still
send in monthly records, as it is their way of keeping up-to-date or keeping a backup of their records
elsewhere, and I’m certainly not going to refuse these records but I may be slower to process them.
Unfortunately I am still receiving records from 2012. No doubt this will continue over the next couple of
months as members apply to renew their 2012-2013 permit endorsement through Wildcare. Collating the
2012 records seemed a lot harder than usual, with many gaps in records, particularly for those species that
come into care frequently and often get transferred between carers. It is very difficult to match these
records, but I do realise how busy some carers are. The Management Committee recognise that busy carers
find records hard to keep on top of, and have introduced a new rescue form with duplicate copy that will
hopefully provide an easier way of keeping a record of each animal rescued, and providing a more practical
means of passing on information with the animal upon transfer to the vet or to another carer (simply by
keeping the duplicate and passing the original on with the animal). This form is on trial at present, and will
hopefully improve the situation. However, for the 2012 records, the numbers in care as indicated by
various records reports have fluctuated so much, either increasing when more records are received or
decreasing when new records received show a link between two existing records as being the same animal.
Records Forms
The Excel records form was designed in a way that fulfilled two purposes – to make it easy for carers to
complete their records and to make it easy for Wildcare’s Record Keeper to collate the data produced in
the records. The form design is continually improving. The 2013 version of Excel records form has
undergone several changes to the pick-list option columns. I haven’t had a lot of feedback yet, as most
carers will not submit their records using this form until the end of June when the records are next due.
However, for those that have already sent some records in, it does appear easier for these members to
complete the records in the required format. The only problem experienced is that the new outcomes pick-
list column does not seem to be working for members who have older versions of Excel on their
computers. This is being fixed as each member submits their records.
The changes include the addition of more species to the ‘species’ pick-list, based on some that entered care
in 2012 (mainly reptiles), and new ‘reasons’ which were being described in the comments column because
the pick-list options did not previously include them, e.g. ‘Dependent young in care with mother’. ‘Egg’ is
now in the age category due to a high number of reptile eggs being incubated by carers to produce
hatchlings in 2012. The options categories now provided in the ‘outcome’ pick-list have been extended to
alleviate the need for the member to type so much information in the ‘outcome details’ column. E.g. For
released animals, there are now two possible options of ‘released back at rescue location’, or ‘soft-released
on carer’s property’, and there will soon be a third option, of ‘released at alternate suitable habitat’ based
on feedback so far from carers.
21
There are more changes I would like to make to simplify the records further, i.e. deleting some columns
altogether, and I am in the process of consulting with the Management Committee on finalising these
changes before introducing them.
Records Reports
Our records data now extends back as far as 2003 (and 2000 for koala records), and continues to be a
valuable source of retrospective information, particularly for Wildcare. Records data is used to justify grant
applications, and annual figures used in our Volunteer Orientation Manual. The figures provided in the last
three AGM Record Keeping Reports have been used by some of our Species Coordinators in preparing
workshop presentations. The records are very helpful in predicting the number of animals rescued and
needing care each year, the peak times of year that they require care, the most common reasons why each
species will need rescue/care, and their likely survival outcomes based on reason for entry.
However in recent months I have been consulting with our Management Committee on other ways to
reduce the Record Keeper workload to a manageable level, with one way by reducing the production of
new records reports requested from external sources. I have been able to provide previously-prepared
reports in some instances and have also referred the requester on to our local wildlife hospitals and/or
EHP, where there are staff who generate these reports as part of their job. For example, the 2000-2011
Wildcare Gold Coast Koala Records Report was used to support Wildcare’s EHP Koala Rescue & Rehab
Grant application (we were successful in obtaining this grant), and was also provided to an independent
ecologist researching the importance of local koala populations in relation to their broader landscape.
This year I have only completed the following new reports:

 2000-2011 Wildlife Rescue Records specific to two Gold Coast locations (1. Tallebudgera &
Tallebudgera Valley; and 2. Captain Cook Drive, Arundel) provided to Gold Coast City Council
Conservation Officers assessing the need for wildlife road signage at Trees Road, Tallebudgera and
surrounding streets, and at Captain Cook Drive, Arundel, respectively.
 2011 Wildcare Records for Brisbane area (BCC) provided to Karen Scott for BCC grant application for
rescue cages for Brisbane-based Wildcare members.
 Springbrook Road Trauma Report – using the 2004-2012 Wildcare Records Data – for the
Springbrook Wildlife Appreciation Group (SWAG).
 Updated the Koala Records Report covering the Gold Coast/Scenic Rim/Logan areas, using the 2012
koala records – the figures in this report are now based on the entire 2000-2012 Wildcare records –
provided to Gold Coast City Council Koala Conservation Team, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Head
Vet, and local DEHP rangers.
 2011-2012 Wildlife Records / 2011-2012 Wildlife Birds Records – for UQ Wildlife Biology Honours
Student (a comparative report to one previously provided for the July 2009 to June 2011 reporting
period, encompassing the equivalent records information).
2012 Records Data

At the time of writing this report, the complete 2012 Rescue/Care Records are available for reporting
here. The next 6 months of records (January to June 2013) will be received after the end of June and so will
not be collated for reporting until July/August 2013. The 2012 records total animals reported below (n =
22
5327) differs slightly to those given in the April 2013 Wildcare newsletter WildNews ‘Record Keeper’s Rap’
(n = 5370), due to the addition of new records since those figures were produced, some of which clarified
duplicate records representing the same animal that needed to be merged. It should be noted that a portion
of 2011 animals that were still in care into 2012 have been included in the figures below. Some would argue
that they should be excluded as they are duplicating what was reported last year, but they do reflect the
workload of the carers, and probably balance out the 2011 records that were submitted after the report on
these records was completed. There were 333 animals that were still in care at the end of 2011 and were
released (or otherwise) in 2012, representing 6% of the animals reported in the 2012 records.
The road kill sightings reported by members in their records have again been included in the records data
for 2012, as these are often requested in data reports. The previous Excel records form also made it hard
for me to discriminate between a road kill report and a rescue where the animal was found already dead as a
result of road trauma – the changes to the outcomes pick-lists on the new 2013 Excel records form will
now better discriminate between the two. There were 430 road kill victims reported in 2012, representing
8% of reported animals.
The 2012 total of 5327 compares similarly with the previous two reporting years (e.g. 5108 animals were
reported in 2010, and 4709 in 2011), although there has been a general increase over time in animals being
reported in our records since 2003, as shown in Figure 1.
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Figure 1: Annual Totals of Animals Rescued / In Care, 2003-2012

The following table reflects the number of animals reported in 2012 by each animal group, and the change
from the numbers reported in 2011, for each animal group:
23
Table 1: Comparison of 2011 & 2012 Wildcare Records – Animal Group Sub-Totals:
2011 2012
Animal Group % of Change
Number % of Total Number
Total
Birds 2206 47% 2023 38% -8%
Possums and Gliders 1074 23% 1268 24% +18%
Macropods 452 9.6% 672 12.6% +49%
Reptiles 392 8.4% 606 11.4% +55%
Koalas 216 4.6% 376 7.1% +74%
Bats and Flying-foxes 160 3.4% 168 3.1% +4%
Small/Other Mammals 120 2.6% 144 2.7% +20%
Monotremes 69 1.5% 54 1.0% -22%
Frogs 8 0.2% 15 0.3% +88%
TOTAL* 4697 100% 5326* 100% +13%
* Note that the shark record from 2012 was excluded from this table.
Species Reported in the 2012 Wildcare Records

Table 1 indicates that the proportion of animals reported for each animal group in 2012 are in the same
order as in 2011, with the same two groups, birds and possums/gliders, having the highest number of
animals reported, and collectively making up 62% of the total animals reported in 2012, as shown in Figure
2.
Mammals - Monotremes Amphibians Fish/Marine
Small / 1% 0.3% Life
Other
0.02%
2.7%
Bats /
Flying-foxes Koalas
3.1% 7%
Reptiles Birds
11% 38%
Macropods
13%
Possums /
Gliders
24%
Figure 2: 2012 Wildcare Rescue and Rehabilitation Records

– By ANIMAL GROUP
24
On a species level, the total numbers reported for each species gave a different trend, with twelve species
representing 61% of animals entering care, with each having at least 100 animals needing rescue/care in
2012, as shown in Table 2:
Table 2: Species requiring the greatest intervention by Wildcare members in 2012:

Animal Group Species Number % of Total
Possums and Gliders Possum, Common Brushtail 601 11%
Possums and Gliders Possum, Common Ringtail 516 10%
Birds Lorikeet, Rainbow 444 8%
Koalas Koala 376 7%
Macropods Wallaby, Red-necked 261 5%
Birds Duck, Australian Wood 258 5%
Macropods Kangaroo, Eastern Grey 205 4%
Birds Duck, Pacific Black 138 3%
Reptiles Snake - Python, Carpet 115 2%
Reptiles Dragon, Bearded 105 2%
Reptiles Skink, Blue-tongued 104 2%
Birds Magpie, Australian 103 2%
TOTAL Animals Reported (in 2012 Records) 3226 61%
Table 2 indicates that the above species included two possum species (common brushtails and common
ringtails), four bird species (rainbow lorikeets, wood ducks and pacific black ducks, and magpies), koalas,
two macropod species (red-necked wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos), and three reptile species (carpet
pythons, blue tongue lizards and bearded dragons).
Reasons for Rescue/Care for 2012’s Most Commonly-Reported Species

There are several reasons for the high numbers of rescues or episodes of care for the above species. The two
macropod species (red-necked wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos) represent the two most common
species found in the areas rescued. Macropods records in previous years have been dominated by road
trauma (adults and resulting orphans), and 2012 was no different (71% of eastern grey kangaroos and 81%
of red-necked wallabies reported). A few of the above species were largely-represented by orphaned young,
with ducklings in particular often presenting in large clutches. There were 543 orphaned common brushtail
and ringtail possums reported as entering care, which represents nearly half (49%) of the rescues/episodes
of care reported for these two species. For the species of lorikeets and koalas, there were a number of
reasons for them entering care, including injury caused by animal attack or road trauma, orphaning and
disease. Orphans represented 58% of Australian magpies rescued or entering care, although the underlying
reasons for their orphaning were vague in most records (i.e. ‘found without parent’ or ‘other’).
The reasons for the three most commonly-reported reptile species were different for each species. For the
blue tongue skinks, injury from cat or dog attack was the main reason for rescue and/or care in 2012 (46 of
106 animals, or 43%). Carpet pythons came in mainly as adults or sub-adults, suffering a variety of trauma-
related injuries – the most common being road trauma, although lawn mowers/electric garden tools,
animal attacks, being trapped or caught in netting were also listed as causes of injury. The bearded dragons
rescued in 2012 were mostly orphans or eggs from injured mothers that were incubated (71 animals, or
68%), while the remaining 32% were adult dragons with injuries from various causes.
25
Unusual or Less Commonly-Reported Species for 2012
Two brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Qld and EPBC listing: Vulnerable) entered care in 2012, with their story
being told by their carer Kerry in the Spring 2012 edition of ‘WildNews’ (the link to all our newsletters is
found on our Website, under ‘Carer Resources’). Sadly, some other uncommon species reported in 2012
included endangered and vulnerable species injured or killed by road trauma in Springbrook (Gold Coast
Hinterland). These included three giant barred frogs (Qld and EPBC listing: Endangered), and two long-
nosed potoroos (Qld and EPBC listing: Vulnerable). The greater glider reported was the orphan rescued in
2011, which remained in care until 2012.
There were some other species not listed as endangered or vulnerable, but still less commonly reported in
records in previous years. One of our macropod coordinators listed two common wallaroos (Qld status:
Least Concern) in care in 2012 – one orphaned by road trauma in Beaudesert, and another orphan injured by
gunshot wounds in Nerang. A rufous bettong (Qld status: Least Concern) was found without its mother in the
Scenic Rim area.
Another frill-neck lizard, or frilled lizard (Qld status: Least Concern), was rescued in 2012, due to road
trauma injuries, this time from Maryborough, and a surrendered thorny devil (central Australian species)
was in care briefly (much to the excitement of the reptile carer and local reptile species coordinator
involved) until placed via the Queensland Species Management Program. Our small mammal records for
2012 included two orphaned common dunnart siblings rescued in Samsonvale (Moreton Bay Region) (Qld
status: Least Concern, but uncommon), and another young brush-tailed phascogale (Qld status: Least Concern,
but uncommon) from Conondale on the Sunshine Coast, in care until it recovered from cat attack injuries
and was released. Our Monotreme records included one platypus rescue (Qld status: Least Concern, but
uncommon) in 2012, which was a sick sub-adult rescued and taken to the nearest wildlife hospital but sadly
died within 24 hours. The most unusual rescue in 2012 would have to be the wobbegong found at a bus
stop in Coomera – sadly, the concern was that it was a possible animal cruelty case.
Uncommonly-rescued birds reported in 2012 included a black-breasted button-quail at Rainbow Beach

(Qld and EPBC listing: Vulnerable) and a red-backed button-quail (Qld status: Least Concern) on the Gold
Coast, another golden-headed cisticola from Coolangatta, Gold Coast (Qld status: Least Concern), a brown
treecreeper at Montville, Sunshine Coast (Qld status: Least Concern), a yellow-tailed black-cockatoo on the
Gold Coast (Qld status: Least Concern), and a Baillon’s crake from Everton Park (Qld status: Least Concern).
It should be noted that we have recently amended some kookaburra records in retrospect after an observant
member questioned the number of blue-winged kookaburras entering care in 2011, when reading last
year’s Record Keeping Report. After obtaining information on the species distribution from the
Queensland Museum and clarifying with each reporting member on how they identified the species, most of
these records were changed to ‘Laughing Kookaburra’. This emphasises the importance of wildlife
rehabilitators to properly identify animals entering their care, not just in ensuring credibility of our records
data but also in ensuring the correct care, diet and release preparation for the species is given. Wildcare’s
carers are now fortunate to have a wide array of resources to assist with identifying species, including
experienced staff at our local wildlife hospitals, Wildcare Species Coordinators, species identification books
and internet resources so readily available, so using these resources should guarantee that species are
correctly identified.
26
For those of you who are interested in what species mostly require our volunteers’ time and efforts, Table 3
provides a simplistic breakdown of the animal categories as reported in 2012. For a complete list of all
species, please contact the record keeper.
Table 3: 2012 Wildcare Records – Animal Category Breakdowns:

Animal Group Number % of Total Further Breakdown
Greatest bird species numbers were -
lorikeets (n = 531) and native ducks (n = 425).
Birds 2023 38%
For further species breakdown of birds, please contact the
record keeper.
Consists of 1179 possums and 89 gliders:
Possum records included 601 common brushtails,
Possums and
1268 24% 516 common ringtails and 48 short-eared brushtails.
Gliders
Gliders records consisted of 43 squirrel gliders, 18 sugar
gliders, 27 feathertail gliders and 1 greater glider.
Figure includes 355 wallabies, 213 kangaroos,
95 pademelons, 2 common wallaroos (euros), 2 brush-tailed
Macropods 672 12.6% rock-wallabies, 2 (long-nosed) potoroos, and 1 rufous
bettong. For further species breakdown of macropods,
please contact the record keeper.
Figure includes 216 snakes, 199 dragons, 116 skinks, 49
turtles, 18 monitors, 2 frill-necked lizards and 1 thorny devil
Reptiles 606 11.4%
(QSMP case). For further species breakdown of reptiles,
please contact the record keeper or Reptile coordinator.
Koalas 376 7.1%
Figure includes 88 black flying-foxes, 24 grey-headed flying-
Bats and foxes, 5 little red flying-foxes, 44 microbats, and 1 myotis.
168 3.1%
Flying-foxes For further species breakdown of bats and flying-foxes,
please contact the record keeper or Bat coordinator.
Figure includes 89 bandicoots, 22 antechinus, 2 dunnarts, 1
Small/Other phascogale, and 2 native rats.
144 2.7%
Mammals For further species breakdown of small mammals, please
contact the record keeper.
Monotremes 54 1.0% Figure includes 53 echidnas and 1 platypus rescue.
Figure includes 11 green tree frogs and 3 giant barred frogs (1
Frogs 15 0.3%
unknown).
Figure includes 1 Wobbegong (shark) rescue on the Gold
Fish 1 0.01%
Coast.
TOTAL 5370 100%
Reasons for Rescue and Care/Rehabilitation in 2012

The most common reasons for rescue/care of wildlife in 2012 were very similar to those for 2011, with
road trauma and orphaning being the most common reasons for rescue or entering care (as shown in Table
4 and Figure 3 below).
27
Table 4: CAUSES of Morbidity/Mortality/Need for Intervention – All Species, 2011 & 2012:
2011 2012
%
REASON FOR RESCUE / CARE % of % of
QTY QTY Change
Total Total
Orphaned *
1725 37% 1959* 37% 0%
(All reasons, including those repeated in other categories)
Road Trauma - Injured/Orphaned 1171 25% 1490* 28% +3%
Other Trauma / Injury
730 16% 806 15% -1%
(e.g. Barb wire, lawn mower injury)
Injury - Attacked by Dog / Cat / Other 552 12% 533* 10% -2%
Disease / Unwell 448 10% 553* 10% 0%

Habitat loss / destruction / In danger 256 5% 146 3% -2%
Storm / weather event 41 1% 22 0.4% -0.6%
Surrendered wildlife / Lost pet 25 1% 18 0.3% -0.7%
OTHER / UNKNOWN 167 4% 244 5% +1%
*Note that figures include duplicates where records fit into two categories, so totals of Quantity columns are higher
than annual totals (E.g. Numbers of ‘Orphans due to road trauma’ are included twice, in both the ‘Orphaned’ and
‘Road Trauma’ categories).
Surrendered / OTHER /
lost pet 0.3% UNKNOWN
Storm / 5%
weather event
0.4%
Habitat loss Disease

3% 10%
Orphaned
Injury - 37%
Attacked
10%
Injury -
Other
15%
Road Trauma
28%
Figure 3: Reasons for Rescue/Care reported in 2012 (All Species)
Sadly 5% of Wildcare records had unknown, unspecified or vague reasons (not providing the underlying
reason for needing rescue) – the most common being ‘Orphaned – other’, ‘Orphaned – found without
mother’, ‘Injury – other’, ‘Not flying’ and ‘Found on ground’. A lot of times this occurs with animals that
were received from another carer, and sometimes from a wildlife hospital. It is a shame that we cannot get
more detail in these cases to then highlight the underlying reasons.
28
The 2012 records had a concerning number of intentional human cruelty cases (n=7) including a wallaby
shot by an arrow, an orphan macropod with gunshot wounds, and a possible case of a gutted wobbegong
still alive and left to die at a bus stop. These cases were either reported to the RSPCA or were rescue calls
received from the RSPCA. Also of concern were the number of cases of poisoning reported (n = 31) in
2012, including 15 possums that consumed rat bait, and 6 crows poisoned in a single incident.
Most Common Reasons for Rescue and Care/Rehabilitation for each Animal Group in 2012
A summary is given for each animal category of the three most common reasons reported in Table 5:
Table 5: Most Common Reasons for Rescue / Care / Rehabilitation (By Animal Group, 2012)
Number/ % of
Animal Group Most Common Reason for Rescue / Care Total in Animal Animal
Group Group
1. Orphaned (965) – including 63 road trauma orphans 965/2023 48%
[Orphaned (902) – excluding 63 road trauma orphans] [902/2023] [45%]
2. Injury – Other / Various (557)
Birds (excluding 195 road trauma injury cases):
557/2023 28%
Including Dog/Cat/Bird Attack (105),
Impact injury (125), and Drowning/near drowning (20).
3. Road Trauma (327) – including 63 road trauma orphans 327/2023 16%
1. Orphaned (613) – including 125 road trauma orphans 613/1268 48%
Possums and [Orphaned (488) – excluding 125 road trauma orphans] [488/1268] [38%]
Gliders 2. Road Trauma (343) – including 125 road trauma orphans 343/1268 27%
3. Dog / Cat Attack (167) 167/1268 13%
1. Road Trauma (525) ) – including 115 road trauma orphans 525/672 78%
Macropods 2. Orphaned (176) – including 115 road trauma orphans 176/672 26%
[Orphaned (61) – excluding 115 road trauma orphans] [61/672] [9%]
1. Road Trauma (132) 132/606 22%
2. Dog / Cat Attack (123) 123/606 20%
Reptiles 3. Injury – Other / Various (125):
Including Trapped (41), Lawn mower (12), Fruit netting entanglement 125/606 21%
(10)
1. Disease (146) 146/376 39%
Koalas * 2. Road Trauma (70) 70/376 19%
3. Dog Attack (41) * 41/376 11%
1. Orphaning (66) 66/168 39%
Bats and Flying- 2. Injury – non-road trauma (47)
foxes including Fruit-netting (15), Attacked (8), Trapped (6), Barbed wire (6), 47/168 28%
and Power line electrocution (3).
3. Road trauma-related Injury (22) 22/168 13%
1. Orphaning (58) 58/144 40%
Small/Other
2. Road trauma-related Injury or Orphaning (33) 33/144 23%
Mammals
3. Attack-related Injury or Orphaning (29) 29/144 20%
Monotremes Road trauma 33/54 61%
Frogs Injury - Other 8/15 53%
Fish Injury – possible Human Cruelty case 1/1 100%
* There were also 52 koala records where the reason was ‘observation/check’, whereby the rescuer had to attend to
observe/check on the koala, with the outcome of ‘no rescue’.
29
Outcomes in the 2012 Wildcare Records
Table 6 quantitatively breaks down the outcomes overall:
Table 6 2012 Wildcare Rescue/Care/Rehabilitation Records

OUTCOMES of Animals Reported in 2012 – All Species
2012 OUTCOME QTY %
Released 1904 36%
Euthanased 887 17%
Died 713 13%
Road Kill 430 8%
Still in Care (SIC) at end of 2012 299 6%
Transfer to Private Carer or Other Group 264 5%
No Rescue 229 4%
Transfer to Vet / Wildlife Hospital - outcome unknown 218 4%
Transfer to WC Member with private permit 118 2%
Escaped 39 0.7%
Transfer to WC Member with WC permit endorsement at end of 2012 4 0.1%
OUTCOME NOT SUPPLIED (Last listed as Transfer to WC Member) 103 2%
OUTCOME NOT SUPPLIED (Other) 119 2%
TOTAL 5327 100%
Table 6 shows that 36% of animals rescued or cared for by Wildcare members were released back to the
wild in 2012. The percentages of outcomes for each animal group have not been shown in this report but
are available upon request from the Wildcare Record Keeper. However to summarise these, some animal
groups had higher proportions released (i.e. 45-50% of total for the animal group); these being, birds,
echidnas and reptiles. Our release figures may be considered high compared with release figures from
wildlife hospitals and local vet clinics. It is important to note that many records represent animals entering
care after passing the initial veterinary assessment at a wildlife hospital, and so this is one significant
consideration – that in this situation we are accepting animals already deemed to have a good chance of
release.
Those euthanased represent 17% of all animals reported in Wildcare records for 2012. These are a
combination of animals in care that later require euthanasia, rescue records where animals are taken straight
to nearest vet or wildlife hospital and we are advised of this outcome, and trauma carer records. The
euthanasia outcome combined with the ‘transfer to Vet/Wildlife Hospital’ outcome (4% in 2012) represent
the timely intervention by our licensed trauma carers and other volunteer rescuers, which ultimately
reduces the suffering endured by these animals. Macropods had the largest proportion of euthanasia (33% of
all macropods reported had euthanasia as the outcome, and macropods represented 25% of all euthanasia
outcomes), which again represents a large proportion of the rescues carried out by Wildcare’s licensed
trauma carers and first-response rescuers.
The animals groups ‘Macropods’ and ‘Possums/Gliders’ represented 64% of the road kill sightings
reported by members this year.
30
Rescue Locations of Reported Animals in 2012
Finally, the rescue locations of animals reported in 2012 are shown in Figure 4 below, and are again fairly
consistent with member’s residential locations:
Fraser Coast, 0.7% Lockyer Valley, Other Queensland,

0.6% 0.5%
Toowoomba, 0.8% Interstate, 0.4%
Ipswich, 1.2% UNKNOWN, 2%
Gympie, 2%
Sunshine Coast, 3%
Redland,
4%
Moreton
Bay, 5%
Gold Coast, 43%

Scenic Rim, 6%
Logan, 10%
Brisbane, 19%
Figure 4: 2012 Wildcare Rescue/Care/Rehabilitation Records –

Council Jurisdictions of Rescued / Reported Animals
31
Honorary Memberships Awarded for 2013-2014
A number of members were issued with Honorary Membership for the 2013-2014 year, in view of their
outstanding contribution to the organisation in various ways.
They include:
 Christine Johnes
 Samantha Longman
 Lee Pirini
 Nicole Walters
 Deborah Bianchetto
Life Members
 Dr Jonathan Hanger - Founding Member of Wildcare
 Gail Gipp – Founding member of Wildcare carers
 Eleanor Hanger – Founding member of Wildcare carers
 Orm Ridgway
 Nancy Ridgeway (Deceased)
 Jim McNeill
 Greer McNeill
 Roy Webster
 Patricia Hales
 Kiersten Jones
32
Audited Financial Records 2012-2013
Attached on the following pages.
33

Wildcare Annual Report 2013

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Annual Report – 2013

Wildcare Australia Inc.

WILDCARE AUSTRALIA INC.

Photo Cover Page:

President Karen Scott

Vice-President Gail Gipp

Secretary Lewis McKillop

Treasurer Tracy Paroz

Committee Members Rachel Lyons

Head Carers Eleanor Hanger

Record Keeper Kiersten Jones

Education Team Karen Scott

Telephone Coordinator Christine Johnes

Media Coordinators Vacant

Community Liaison Coordinator Penelope Hacker

Grants Coordinator Nicole Walters

Newsletter Team Eleanor Hanger

Shop Coordinator Roy Webster

Birds Kelly Clark Simone Smith

Gliders Eleanor Hanger Paula Rowlands

Ipswich City Council - $2,000

Gold Coast City Council - $3,000

Mazda Foundation - $4,700

Department of Environment & Heritage Protection - $6,928

Logan City Council – EnviroGrant - $5,000

 Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FAHSCIA)

 Laptop and data projector for training  Intensive care units

Orientation Program 10 Birds 11

Eleanor Hanger Gail Gipp Ricky Johns Rachel Lyons

Trish Wimberley Chris Peters Natasha Lewis-Millar Simone Smith

Media and Publicity

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital

Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital

24 Hour Veterinary Clinics

Gold Coast City Council

GECKO Environmental Alliance

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia – Caboolture Branch

Annual Report – 2013

We handed out many membership brochures and made many

On the 17 November Diana Kolb represented

On 24 April Eleanor Hanger attended the ‘Numinbah Valley

This year I have only completed the following new reports:

period, encompassing the equivalent records information).

2012 Records Data

Figure 1: Annual Totals of Animals Rescued / In Care, 2003-2012

Species Reported in the 2012 Wildcare Records

Figure 2: 2012 Wildcare Rescue and Rehabilitation Records

Table 2: Species requiring the greatest intervention by Wildcare members in 2012:

Reasons for Rescue/Care for 2012’s Most Commonly-Reported Species

Uncommonly-rescued birds reported in 2012 included a black-breasted button-quail at Rainbow Beach

Table 3: 2012 Wildcare Records – Animal Category Breakdowns:

Reasons for Rescue and Care/Rehabilitation in 2012

Disease / Unwell 448 10% 553* 10% 0%

Habitat loss Disease

Figure 3: Reasons for Rescue/Care reported in 2012 (All Species)

Table 6 2012 Wildcare Rescue/Care/Rehabilitation Records

Fraser Coast, 0.7% Lockyer Valley, Other Queensland,

Ipswich, 1.2% UNKNOWN, 2%

Gold Coast, 43%

Figure 4: 2012 Wildcare Rescue/Care/Rehabilitation Records –

Annual Report – 2013

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