The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has released a new action plan to improve wildlife response during bushfires.
Minister for the Environment, Lily D’Ambrosio said the Wildlife Welfare Bushfire Response 2020 Action Plan was developed following a roundtable of wildlife groups, including delegates from Animals Australia, Animal Justice Party, Australian Veterinary Association, RSPCA Victoria, Wildlife Victoria, Zoos Victoria and the University of Melbourne.
“[The 2019-2020] bushfires, which burnt more than 1.5 million hectares of land across the State, saw the loss of hundreds of millions of animals and highlighted areas in the rescue response that could be improved,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
She said the Action Plan would finalise new wildlife rehabilitation guidelines and establish a new Wildlife Welfare Sector Liaison role to improve communications.
Ms D’Ambrosio said the Action Plan would also provide and coordinate veterinary services; incorporate wildlife welfare roles and training into DELWP’s emergency response; set up an online tool to collect and share wildlife assessment and triage data; and monitor koalas released after treatment to understand survival rates.
“Last summer’s bushfires were devastating but they’ve provided an opportunity for us to learn and improve our approach to rescuing wildlife and giving these precious creatures the best chance of survival,” the Minister said.
“Working together with the wildlife sector on improving our response to bushfire rescue has been inspiring and will result in better outcomes for our animals,” she said.
DELWP’s seven-page Action Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
