Do you know what to do when you come across an injured animal? Or when you hit one on the road? Bonorong run free courses for people who wish to learn the basics of wildlife first aid and rescue. These are important life skills that everybody can and should learn; we teach many of the skills to children during our school talks.

Learn more and sign up!

It is estimated that up to half a million native animals are killed by cars each year in Tasmania, making Tasmanian roads deadlier for wildlife, per capita, than anywhere else in the world.

Vehicles do not discriminate between species, so all wildlife are at risk.

According to our friends at Roadkill Tasmania, 50% of roadkill happens where vehicles travel over 80 km/hr. The vast majority of animals are hit between dusk and dawn – we ask everyone to please slow down at night. If you drive below 80 km/hr you will be half as likely to hit an animal. Plus it’s safer for you and yours.

Tasmania is home to many species of marsupial (including possums, wombats, and Tassie devils) who keep their joeys safe inside a pouch. When marsupials are killed by cars, these joeys are often uninjured and able to be hand raised to adulthood.

If drivers find a marsupial on the road, the pouch should be checked for joeys. If a joey is found, the 24-hour Bonorong Wildlife Rescue Service can be called on 0447 264 625 (0447 ANI MAL) for advice.

Scavengers such as Tasmanian devils are attracted to the roads by the availability of food. To prevent these animals from being hit by cars themselves, road kill should be moved several metres off the road.

This should only be done if it is safe to do so! You can't help if you are the one in danger.

Tasmania’s island status makes our environment and wildlife unique and something to celebrate. But it also means we have a delicate balance to maintain, which can be easily upset. Invasive species such as foxes, cats, dogs, ferrets and some parrots pose the number one threat to our native species.

You can educate yourself on which animals are not meant to be here by reading the Feral Animal brochure from the Tasmanian Government. If you see animals in Tasmania that you don’t think belong here, contact Biosecurity Tasmania immediately on 03 6777 2200.

There are so many things people can do in their own backyards to help protect our native species.

Lawnmowers and whipper snippers

Many native animals, like blue-tongue lizards, like to hide in long grass or next to fences. When lawns are mowed or edges trimmed, these animals are often left with serious injuries.

Walk through the back yard before mowing and check for hidden animals.

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Baits

The baits that we use to control pest species, such as snails or rats, can find their way to other animals, such as blue tongue lizards and birds of prey and our pet dogs, and poison them just as effectively as the intended target.

If you must use baits, use multiple dose types so that predators do not receive a large amount with their meal.

Cats

According to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy every cat allowed to roam outside kills approximately five native animals each night. With one in four households owning a pet cat, and an estimated 15 million feral cats in Australia, the pressure on wildlife is immense. Domestic cats will act on instinct and continue to hunt even after being fed.

In addition, cats are also a prime carrier of the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Wildlife suffering from ‘toxo’ is frequently reported to Bonorong but the condition causes irreversible central nervous system damage and is always fatal.

Keep cats contained inside or in a secure cat run – this will reduce the potential for cats to be injured by cars or in fights with other cats, and will prevent them hunting and spreading toxoplasmosis.

Put two bells on cat collars to provide a warning to prey.

Domestic cats can go ‘feral’ or mate with feral cats – desexing is important in order to prevent the wild population booming.

Unwanted cats should be surrendered to the Ten Lives Cat Centre so they have the chance to be adopted to another home.

Many people consider feeding human food to animals an act of kindness. However, many of our foods can cause wildlife to become ill or injured. Further, long-term feeding can encourage animals to live close to humans where there are other dangers such as cats and cars.

Don’t feed human food to wild animals – it is always best to let them remain healthy and wild.

Never throw litter in the street as it will wash into storm water drains and end up at sea.

Do not leave litter behind at the beach as rain, waves and tides can wash it out to sea.

Try to use products that do not contain ‘microbeads’ as these cannot be filtered out and end up in the ocean.

Worldwide, it is thought that about 7 billion tonnes of debris enters the oceans each year. The majority of this marine debris is plastic, due to its versatility and use in a wide range of products. Plastic items can last in the marine environment for decades, meaning that remote corners of the world that were once pristine are now being touched by our litter.

Plastics are becoming stronger, cheaper, more buoyant and more durable, leading to an increasing amount of plastics in the marine environment worldwide. These properties also increase the likelihood that they will be discarded, and mean that they take longer to break down once in the water.

Further, the invention of ‘degradable’ plastics has not assisted the problem, with plastics now simply breaking down into smaller particles which can better infiltrate the food chain. Similarly, a range of personal care products can have plastic microbeads in them that can be mistakenly eaten by a range of small marine species.

Australia is not immune to this problem, as a recent study by the CSIRO showed. Major results of their study found that:

In Australia, approximately three-quarters of the rubbish along the coast is plastic.

Most is from Australian sources, not from overseas, with debris concentrated near urban centres.

Litter impacts wildlife directly through entanglement and ingestion and indirectly through chemical effects.

Globally, approximately one third of marine turtles and nearly half of all seabird species have likely ingested debris.