Birds

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0435 056 252

✳︎

We are accepting Injured & Orphaned

Birds ✳︎ 0435 056 252 ✳︎ We are accepting Injured & Orphaned

H5N1 AVIAN BIRD FLU

While the focus is on bird flu, the everyday emergencies haven’t stopped.

While much of the current focus is understandably on sick birds and the threat of avian influenza, the everyday incidents affecting our wild birds continue. Birds are still being attacked by other animals, struck by vehicles, caught on fishing line, trapped or entangled, injured, orphaned and found as vulnerable fledglings needing help.

At the same time, with many veterinary practices now unable to accept wild birds, the options available to these animals have become increasingly limited. For an injured or vulnerable bird, this can mean there are very few places left to turn.

At SKER, we don't turn our back on an animal in need.

We continue to respond to the everyday emergencies alongside the challenges presented by bird flu, providing assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and support wherever we can. Because while the headlines may change, every injured bird still deserves a chance.

  • Two baby masked lapwings with fluffy brown and white feathers, standing on a textured white towel.

    Orphans

  • Person holding a black and white bird, a juvenile magpie, with the person wearing a dark hoodie that has blue text that reads 'Southern Koala & Echidna Rescue'.

    Animal attack

  • A barn owl standing inside a blue and black enclosure, with a mesh window behind it and a piece of wood in the foreground.

    Vehicle Strike

  • A person wearing a yellow protective gown and green gloves holding a bird of prey with tan and white feathers and large yellow eyes indoors.

    Injured

A portable building with an air conditioning unit on the side, along with a green Ausco sign and a metal security door. In front of the building, there are two blue canopies set up, surrounded by a metal fence. The area is outdoors with trees and power lines visible in the background, on a cloudy day.

What we are doing….

We have set up a separate triage centre on a different part of the property for birds, with purpose built quarantine cages, husbandry materials, and PPE dedicated to this area.

All birds we rescue are quarantined for the appropriate amount of time as per PIRSA regulations, and remain in this separate triage centre for the duration of their stay.

*We have done all of this of on our own with no support from the government we are doing this because if we don’t animals are left to suffer.

At Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue, we operate South Australia's only dedicated wildlife veterinary clinic.

And we are feeling the pressure more than ever .

As veterinary clinics and wildlife rehabilitators turn to us for help providing appropriate veterinary care for injured and orphaned birds, our workload and costs continue to grow .

We want to help.

But we cannot do this alone.

There comes a point where goodwill, volunteer hours and community donations simply cannot continue filling the gaps left by government.

Wildlife veterinary care and rehabilitation need to be recognised as essential services that require meaningful, sustainable government investment.

Until that happens, we need our community behind us.

Please help us fight for Australia's wildlife

South Australia has been described as the epicentre of Australia's H5 avian influenza wildlife crisis, yet the organisations and veterinary professionals on the frontline of wildlife care are still being expected to shoulder an enormous burden.

What you can do to help wildlife….

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP

Write to your local State and Federal MPs and ask what they are doing to ensure veterinary clinics and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisations are properly supported.

South Australia emblem featuring a black swan in the center of a circular badge with the words 'SOUTH AUSTRALIA' around it. 
SA Members of Parliament directory

DONATE TO SKER

A person wearing blue gloves holding a young King penguin on a brown towel in a vet clinic or laboratory setting.

Become a regular donor to SKER. Even a small monthly donation gives us reliable funding to keep our veterinary clinic operating and our rescuers and rehabilitators on the frontline.

DONATE HERE

SHARE TO SOCIALS

A baby koala sitting on a colorful blanket with a black tablet in front of it.

Follow us and Share The more Australians who understand how wildlife care is actually funded, the harder this issue becomes to ignore.

Government advice

Australian government poster about H5 bird flu with illustrations of dead and sick birds, a hotline number, a QR code, and instructions for reporting and avoiding sick animals.

Signs to look for

Wild birds

Possible signs include:

  • difficulty standing, walking or flying

  • droopy or puffed-up appearance

  • breathing problems, including panting or sneezing

  • unusual head or neck posture

  • sudden death, especially in large numbers.

Other wildlife

Possible signs include:

  • weakness or tiredness

  • trouble walking or breathing

  • seizures, tremors or walking in circles

  • drooling or a runny nose

  • sudden illness or death.

Advice for the public

Do

  • report sick or dead birds or mammals to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888

  • keep children and pets away from sick or dead wildlife

  • avoid contact with bird droppings, feathers or contaminated water

  • wash your hands if you have been near wildlife areas.

Do not

  • touch, move or collect sick or dead birds

  • touch, move or collect sick or dead mammals

  • let pets approach sick or dead wildlife

  • attempt to rescue wildlife showing signs of disease unless you are authorised and it is safe to do so.

H5_bird_flu_FAQs

For the most up to date government information relating to Bird Flu go HERE