Australia’s wildlife crisis exposes a catastrophic failure of government

As bushfires ravage Victoria, confused emergency responses, lacking resources and government inaction are causing Australia’s wildlife to suffer and die, writes Sue Arnold.

DEVASTATING FIRES in Victoria predicted 400,000 hectare, an area five times larger than Singapore, in Australia’s most cleared state.

According to the professor Euan RitchieThe size of the clearing makes it difficult for animals to find suitable habitat. Survivors face a grim future as the wildlife mortality rate is so high.

Australia has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world. The record hits you in the face UN Climate Action the website says: ‘Biodiversity – our strongest natural defense against climate change’This shows that nature is in a crisis and nearly a million species are in danger of extinction.

But state and federal Labor governments and the Coalition Opposition continue to ensure biodiversity loss is kept firmly in the political closet. With the approval of the Albanian Government, the effects of climate change are given negligible priority 32 fossil fuel projects. Biodiversity losses are being ignored and no government is prepared to address Australia’s devastating loss of iconic species and ecosystems.

Professor Ritchie says Australia has lost almost 40 per cent of its forests. Without clear policies to restore degraded areas and protect existing areas on a large scale, Australia will lose much of its remaining biodiversity, he warns.

The Victorian Labor Government is led by inadequate environmental legislation and a complete failure to plan and provide the assistance needed for wildlife during major bushfires. As a result, Victoria’s wildlife is in grave danger.

Wildlife sanctuaries in fire zones are having to cope with burnt, injured animals with limited government support from the Department for Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), the institution responsible for wildlife. The density of koalas, kangaroos, bats, dingoes and many other species affected places a heavy burden on shelter volunteers struggling to cope with exhaustion; There is a lack of adequate veterinarians, feed, medicine, and funds to transport sick animals to any available veterinary clinic.

If any member of the public did a Google search to find out who to call when they found a burned, injured animal, the results would be: Wildlife Victoria or DEECA.

While DEECA’s website states that the agency responds to wildlife emergencies, including fire, rescue volunteers told me:A. It was stated that DEECA teams shot animals that could survive. There is no information available about where the teams are located or who is included in the teams.

IA. in the name Wildlife VictoriaProviding a 24-hour hotline and requesting shelter IDs Otways. A series of posts and an article on Facebook Guard It cited major concerns about potential losses and the need for urgent assistance.

Wildlife Victoria has not identified any sanctuaries in the Otways and IA. The information was told to Google. Two organizations stood out on Google: Wildlife Victoria and DEECA.

IA. contacted RSPCA Victoria Request details of the number of koalas and other wildlife brought to koala hospitals jointly under the care of the RSPCA, and Zoos Victoria.

The koala hospital was funded by more than $3 million, including $1.5 million donated during the 2019-2020 bushfires. The hospital had been fully operational by 2022, stating that the care of koalas and other wildlife was its specific purpose. The facility is known as the RSPCA Koala Ward.

IA. Detailed information has been requested on the number of koalas and other wildlife brought to the koala hospital during the current bushfires.

RSPCA’s response worrying.

Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo’s RSPCA Koala Zone and Kyabram Fauna Park are yet to accept inpatients due to these fires.

Please note that Werribee Open Range Zoo’s RSPCA Koala Ward has been designed with the specific needs of koalas in mind, but has the capacity to treat and rehabilitate not just koalas but all wildlife requiring treatment.

RSPCAs Mobile Animal Care Unit It must be ready for use and offered to the relevant authorities for deployment if safe to do so. The mobile unit continues to be parked.

From where?

RSPCAs reply:

‘DEECA wildlife assessment teams will assess the situation and determine if further support and resources are required through the Wildlife Emergency Support Network (WESN)’

WESN responsibility DEECA:

‘The aim of the Wildlife Emergency Support Network (WESN) is to improve wildlife welfare outcomes by developing a network of trained and accredited individuals across the veterinary and wildlife welfare sectors who can be deployed as part of wildlife emergency response activities to bushfire and extreme heat events.’

DEECA’s website states:

‘DEECA responds to wildlife in emergencies. This includes wildlife affected by fire. DEECA is the leading fire response to wildlife conservation in Victoria.’

search on google Victoria’s emergency responses Wildlife issues raise concern for Wildlife Victoria and DEECA Wildlife Victoria Emergency Appspecifies the application ‘Provides a simple way to report wildlife affected by bushfire’.

Confusion reigns. It is almost impossible to determine which organization is performing rescue, support and maintenance; There is no information about the number of patients, if any.

in response to meA.‘s Google question: Who helps wildlife suffer in Victorian bushfires? – the answer indicates DEECA, Zoos Victoria, Parks Victoria and various trained wildlife rehabilitation groups are not identified.

The DEECA website also directs people to 44 pages of outdated information. ‘Victoria response plan for fire-affected wildlife‘ — a document that makes no difference to the Victorian Government’s inadequate response to the recent devastating fires.

Several rescuers in contact with WESN volunteers gave me this advice:A. We said these WESN volunteers were not called upon and were deeply disappointed by this situation. Shelters I contactedA. WESN has no idea where it operates, how many animals are transferred into care, or whether the network is working.

RSPCA Victoria though says:

‘A triage unit of Victoria Zoos vets and veterinary nurses are waiting to be deployed to site as soon as it is safe to do so, as directed by DEECA as the lead agency.’

The RSPCA statement recommends:

‘DEECA wildlife assessment teams will assess the situation and determine whether further support and resources are required through the Wildlife Emergency Support Network (WESN).’

according to response document:

WESN maintains a database of trained individuals who can be deployed by DELWP in emergencies. These individuals may then be deployed as part of DELWP-led triage teams or field response teams.

The roles identified include:

triage veterinarians;

triage veterinary nurses;

triage unit assistants;

field evaluation team veterinarians; And

Field assessment team volunteers drawn from wildlife rescuers, authorized wildlife sanctuaries, and foster carers.

There is no doubt that wildlife sanctuaries and volunteers, including veterinarians, bear responsibility for affected wildlife.

Victoria’s 2026 population forecast is 7,274,000, with 9,208,000 by 2046. Major urbanization projects will further weaken wildlife, leaving inadequate habitat at the mercy of vehicles, dogs, disease and death.

With total state plantations exceeding 380,000 hectares for all species, Victoria is Australia’s largest plantation area. Recent fires destroyed 10,000 hectares pine plantation.

Nearly 80,000 hectares of blue gum plantations in south-west Victoria alone have created more open space and bushfire potential.

A significant forest fire broke out Budj Bim National Park At least 2,200 hectares or more were burned early last year. Inside January 2025Two major fires were burning in the state. Fires broke out in 2024-2025 grandmothers136,647 hectares of the national park were affected. In 2019-2020, Black Summer Forest fires destroyed 326,000 hectares. In 2009, Black Saturday Forest fires destroyed 450,000 hectares.

Results? Wildlife suffer painful injuries, there is loss of food and shelter, and there is a shortage of painkillers and suitable cages. The trauma they experience is terrible.

Victoria’s wildlife crises and the government’s actions to combat the effects of bushfires deserve a royal commission. Given the legacy of a lack of adequate policies and strong legislation for the protection of wild species, bushfire responses could be described as a national scandal.

So will any major party listen and act?