Emergency Rescue

Firstly, do not panic if you encounter an injured animal or an orphan. It is important to remain as calm as possible. If you need to move an animal from a road, please ensure that your car is parked safely on the side of the road. MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T THE NEXT VICTIM.

If you encounter a dead animal on the road, please move it off the road for the safety of others.

Improper rescue can hurt both the animal and the rescuer. LAOKO has specially trained volunteers to deal with all situations. Wild animals are suseptible to stress and can therefore injure themselves whilst trying to escape a stressful situation. Our aim is to minimise the stress to the animal, allowing it a better chance of survival and re-habilitation.

DO
Move the animal off the road if this is the case. Do not endanger your life doing so. Make sure the road is clear of traffic, if you can't do this, please call our Emergency Rescue line, local Police or National Parks & Wildlife for assistance. Ensure the animal is not at risk of attack from domestic animals such as dogs or cats, by locking them up until a rescuer arrives and takes the animal.

You can minimise stress to the animal by placing a towel or blanket over it, then place in a box (if it is a small animal or bird). Kangaroos, wombats ets, should calm down if the towel or blanket is placed over their head. Try not to disturb the animal and wait till a rescuer arrives.

As soon as possible, contact LAOKO's Emergency Rescue line, your local Police or National Parks & Wildlife. You will be advised what action to take.

DON'T
Try to feed the animal until you have spoken with someone who is qualified in native animal rescue. Marsupials are intollerant to cows milk. Water is better than trying to feed cow's milk.

Remove an animal from a pouch or take it away from it's mother because you think the kids would love to hand raise it. Too many animals have died slow and miserable deaths due to parent's thinking it would be good to teach their kids the responsibility. Native animals aren't like kittens and puppies and need specialised care.

Don't forget : It is illegal to keep native wildlife without a licence, they must be passed on to a licenced carer or Wildlife Rescue Organisation. As cute and cuddly as the animal may appear, it's unfair to give them nothing but the best possible chance of survival

NPWS have recently issued a statement on the illegal practice of keeping native wildlife without a licence. More info here.....