Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital

23/12/2024

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital will be closing for several days over the Christmas and new year period 🐣.

During this time, we kindly ask that any wildlife requiring veterinary care are taken to either Currumbin Wildlife Hospital or Animal Emergency Services Bangalow (please refer to their affiliated pages for opening hours during this period) 🩺

Our entire team thank you for your support and wish you a truly Merry Christmas 🎄

22/12/2024

🎶On the eleventh day of Christmas, this little joey Sprout, was learning how to hop and hop about🎶

Can you guess what species Sprout is? 🤔

Like many other marsupial joeys that arrive at the hospital, Sprout sadly lost her mother due to a tragic car accident 💔 At the time, she was safe in her mother’s pouch and, thankfully, emerged unscathed. After a thorough examination by a veterinarian, our dedicated vet nurse and certified wildlife carer Maddy took her under her wing, and now she’s living alongside other joeys of similar age, getting ready to return to her natural habitat 🫶🏽

Australia holds the unfortunate title of having the highest rate of mammal extinction globally, with over 30 native species disappearing since 1788. It's crucial that we safeguard every native creature that we’re still privileged to coexist with.

Help us give our wildlife a second chance, by giving the gift of care this Christmas🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

20/12/2024

🎶On the tenth day of Christmas, way up in a tall tree, is where this glider soon will be🎶

the folds of skin that allow gliders to glide are called Patagiums?! 🪂

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital treats a wide range of mammalian patients, from swamp wallabies to feathertail gliders, and everything in between 🦘

If you would like to help us give the gift of care to our furry friends this Christmas, please consider donating. Every donation goes directly to providing expert veterinary care for our precious Australian wildlife🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

19/12/2024

🎶On the ninth day of Christmas, this little plover chick, ate his bowl of mealworms really quick🎶

Nothing warms our hearts more than when a little chick is brought in and just needs some fluids and a full belly before being reunited with its parents 🥰

With all this wild weather we've been having, it's no wonder so many baby birds are getting separated from their nest or parents. Our team are working tirelessly to ensure as many of these chicks as possible are given clean bills of health and reunited with their parents, but the ones that need a little more help are sent into care with our amazing wildlife carer friends 👐🏽

If you can help us give the gift of care this Christmas, please head to our website to donate🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

19/12/2024

🎶On the eighth day of Christmas, our team was there to greet, a little patient hanging by her feet🎶

that flying foxes and microbats have special valves in their blood vessels, which pump blood away from the head so they can happily hang upsidedown?! 😮

Flying foxes are also one Australia's most important pollinator groups- they can travel over 50km in a single night, feeding on a variety of native plants as they go. These plants have evolved to use bats to help spread their seeds, either by passing through their droppings or by sticking to their fur. In fact, flying foxes are essential for the pollination of many eucalyptus species, without which we wouldn't have koalas! 🦇♥️🐨

It is essential that we protect our beautiful flying foxes, who right now are suffering terribly due to a paralysis disease, as well as human impacts such as barbed wire, fruit tree nets, and car impacts.

Help us give these incredible little pollinators the care they deserve, by donating to our 12 days of Christmas fundraiser. Give the gift of care this Christmas🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

18/12/2024

🎶On the seventh day of Christmas, we chose to shellabrate, those with a long neck and hard back plate🎶

(Don't worry folks, we're over halfway through our turtley awesome Christmas jingles 🐢)

With the days getting longer and warmer, our stunning reptilian friends are making the most of the sunshine. Unfortunately this means more and more of them are finding themselves in swimming pools, around pets, and as happened with Sheldon here, on the road 😔 Fortunately for Sheldon, our team were able to treat his injuries and he was returned to his local river 🥰

Our hospital team have treated a higher-than-average number of reptiles this year, and summer has only just begun. These incredible creatures are more complex than you might think, and require very specific conditions in hospital to ensure they make a full recovery- they need direct access to UV light (preferably the sun), an enclosure that allows for a gradient of temperatures, swimming pools (for the aquatic patients), and of course food, medication, and enclosure furnishings 💦

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital receives no government funding or support, and can only continue to do the essential work we do with the support of people like you 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽

Please help our wildlife hospital team continue their vital work, by donating to give the gift of care this Christmas🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

17/12/2024

16/12/2024

🎶On the fifth day of Christmas, we saw a rope with eyes, wait that’s a snake, oh what a cute surprise!🎶

Our jingles may not be top-notch, but our dedication to our patients is 🫶🏼

Summer is quickly shaping up to be a very difficult period for our wildlife- with the number of patients we’re seeing each day rapidly increasing. From lorikeets and flying foxes 🦇 with paralysis syndrome, to baby birds 🐣 falling out of the nest, and reptiles 🐍 suffering car-related traumas- our team are working tirelessly to ensure each and every patient is given the best chance possible for recovery ❤️‍🩹.

Please help our wildlife hospital team continue their vital work, by donating this Christmas season 🎄

www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

15/12/2024

🎶On the fourth day of Christmas, a microbat we spy,
All ready to go back outside and fly 🎶

🎄Give the gift of care this Christmas 🐾

For the 12 days of Christmas, we’re asking our incredible community to help us continue our work to treat our precious native wildlife 🦘

Every donation provides food, medicine, and vital veterinary care to each and every patient admitted into our hospital 🩺

Help us give our patients the care they deserve ♥️
www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

14/12/2024

🎶On the third day of Christmas, a trio we did see, of kookaburras, oh so sassy 🎶

🎄Give the gift of care this Christmas 🐾

For the 12 days of Christmas, we’re asking our incredible community to help us continue our work to treat our precious native wildlife 🦘

Every donation provides food, medicine, and vital veterinary care to each and every patient admitted into our hospital 🩺

Help us give our patients the care they deserve ♥️
www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

13/12/2024

🎶On the second day of Christmas, this baby came our way, now with a loving carer it will stay🎶

🎄Give the gift of care this Christmas 🐾

For the 12 days of Christmas, we’re asking our incredible community to help us continue our work to treat our precious native wildlife 🦘

Every donation provides food, medicine, and vital veterinary care to each and every patient admitted into our hospital 🩺

Help us give our patients the care they deserve ♥️
www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

11/12/2024

🎶On the first day of Christmas, our team was filled with glee, our echidna was ready to go free🎶

🎄This Christmas, Give the Gift of Care to Wildlife in Need 🐾

The holiday season is a time for giving to those in need, and right now our wildlife need you 🦜.

Every day our hospital is seeing an increasing number of patients admitted, with countless injured and orphaned animals desperately needing care. From tiny orphaned joeys to birds with traumatic injuries, every patient depends on us—and we can’t do it without your help 🦘.

This Christmas, you can give the gift of care 🫶🏼

HERE’S THE IMPACT YOUR GIFT CAN HAVE:
• $25 - The gift of nourishment: Feed a wildlife patient for a day, providing the strength they need to recover 🥬.
• $50 - The gift of rehabilitation: Support a patient’s care in hospital, helping them to regain their independence and prepare for release back into the wild 🩺.
• $100 - The gift of critical care: Fund vital veterinary services such as X-rays and anaesthesia to help ensure a patient receives the best care for their condition 🩻.

MAKE IT PERSONAL 📝
When you donate, we’ll send you a beautiful Gift Certificate by email. Perfect to share with a loved one or include in a Christmas card, it’s a meaningful way to spread joy and compassion this holiday season. Your support can make all the difference. Together, we can provide a second chance, hope, and healing for our precious wildlife.

Please, donate now and give the gift of life this Christmas 🐸
www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate

Support the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital by making a donation today. Your contributions help us provide life-saving care to injured and sick native animals, promote conservation, and educate the community about Australia's unique wildlife. Whether it's a one-time donation or ongoing support, every gi

11/12/2024

We hope this story makes you very hoppy 🐸

This stunning Green Tree Frog was brought into the hospital by our wonderful friends at after a concerned member of the public found it inside their letterbox with a nasty leg wound.

Dr Toni and nurse Hollie performed surgery and successfully stitched up the laceration, and the frog is now recovering well in our hospital 😄

frogs use their eyes to swallow their food?! 🤯 They close their eyes and push their eyeballs downwards, which helps squish and move their food down their throat!

09/12/2024

: Can you guess what species this beautiful bird is? 🤔

She was brought into the hospital after being found by a concerned member of the public. Upon assessment it was determined that she was a juvenile suffering from Avian Pox Virus 🤒.

She was treated with a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and vitamins, and made an incredible recovery!💊

She is now in the wonderful hands of the WIRES Northern Rivers Raptor Coordinator, who has set her up in a large aviary to build up her flight strength before she will be released back into the wild 🌳

we are a not-for-profit charity and rely solely on grants and donations from individuals like you to treat our patients?
If you would like to make a donation, please head to https://www.byronbaywildlifehospital.org/donate 🙏🏽

09/12/2024

08/12/2024

Hatchling VS Nestling VS Fledgling- knowing the difference! 🐣

Knowing if a baby bird should be rescued or reunited with its parents can be very tricky, so here’s the first thing to determine (click that save icon so you’ve got this on hand! 📲)
NOTE: These tips are for birds that nest in trees, not on the ground.

HATCHLINGS 🐣:
For birds that are fully dependent on their parents at hatching, most will emerge from the egg almost if not completely featherless. They will have closed eyes and be unable to stand. These newborns are unable to maintain their own body temperatures or self-feed. If found on the ground, especially without a nest, they should be taken to a wildlife hospital as quickly as possible.

NESTLINGS 🪹:
These are young birds that are still very young and unable to care for themselves. They have started developing feathers but these feathers are fluffy, downy, or pin-like. These birds are too young to be leaving the nest, but may have fallen out due to a misadventure or bad weather. They will not have fallen far from the nest and the parents may still be nearby. You can attempt to reunite the nestling if it does not appear injured or unwell, however if this fails after one hour or if you are unsure of its condition, you should take it to a wildlife hospital as soon as possible.

FLEDGLINGS 🐦‍⬛:
These birds have largely developed their flight feathers and are more independent. They will appear similar to adults, but may still have a layer of fluffy down feathering under their new sleek feathers. They are learning how to fly and leave the nest, and this often results in ground-landings. Reuniting or waiting for its parents to return is strongly recommended, and minimal contact should be made during this time. If you suspect the fledgling is injured, unwell, or the parents do not come back after 1-2hrs, it should be taken to a wildlife hospital as soon as possible.

If in doubt, call your local wildlife rescue organisation for assistance, and please remember that it is illegal and not in an animal’s best interest to keep wildlife for more than 24hrs before getting them to a wildlife hospital or local vet clinic 🩺.

05/12/2024

Watch out for wildlife 🚘️

This beautiful Pacific Baza was brought into the hospital after it had been hit by a car. Although x-rays showed no internal injuries, a conscious examination of its eyes revealed that it was blind in both eyes.

Unfortunately this is not a treatable condition, and the decision was made by our dedicated veterinary team to humanely euthanise this Pacific Baza.

With human habitat encroaching more and more on wild spaces, it is vitally important that we look out for our wildlife and ensure they are safe on and near our roads. Please keep a lookout for wildlife when driving, and slow down if you see an animal near or on the road.

05/12/2024

To our wonderful community,

In order to ensure the highest standard of care for both our patients and staff, our opening hours will be changing as of Friday 6th December 2024.

Monday-Friday: open for admissions 9am-4pm
Saturday-Sunday: open for admissions 10am-2pm

We appreciate your understanding and kindly ask that if you find injured or unwell wildlife outside of these new opening hours, please contact one of our incredible local wildlife rescue organisations or take it to your nearest vet clinic.

Thank you for your continued support,
The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital team ♥️