Rescue and Rehabilitation capacity boosted for WIRES in Sydney’s southwest

The Southwest Koala Project has delivered a major upgrade to wildlife rescue efforts in the Wollondilly and Macarthur regions, donating new Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to both WIRES networks — and providing Macarthur WIRES with a replacement thermal monocular after their previous unit failed. For the volunteers who respond to emergencies across the fast‑growing southwest Sydney corridor, these tools arrive at the most critical time of year.

The Campbelltown koala colony is one of the last chlamydia‑free koala populations in New South Wales. Their biggest threat isn’t disease — it’s the roads that carve through their habitat. Wildlife vehicle collisions are now the leading cause of death for local koalas, and most animals don’t survive. When females are hit, their pouch young are often lost with them. But sometimes, a joey clings on.

This is where the new ICUs will transform care. These specialised units provide stable heat and controlled conditions for the youngest joeys — tiny, fur‑growing infants who cannot regulate their own body temperature. They’re equally valuable for other species too: baby birds, kangaroos, wombats, bats, reptiles. For WIRES carers, they’re the difference between “trying” and truly giving an animal a fighting chance.

The thermal monocular will also sharpen rescue response. WIRES volunteer Tracey Maguire explained its impact: “This thermal monocular will assist with wildlife rescuing. It allows us to pick up the heat signature from the animal, where we can go directly to it instead of trying to search and walk around in circles, possibly missing the animal that needs immediate veterinarian attention.”

Right now, koalas are on the move. It’s breeding season, which means last year’s juveniles are dispersing to find their own territory, and adult males are roaming widely in search of females. Movement equals risk. In just one week recently, three koalas were killed crossing Appin Road — including a mother with a joey.

For volunteers, these losses are devastating. But the moments of success keep them going. As Tracey put it, “Releasing the animals that we have successfully rehabilitated is really, really rewarding… just leaves a fuzzy warmness in you, knowing that you have done this correctly and successfully.”

With new equipment, WIRES teams are better equipped than ever to protect the southwest’s koalas, and to give every rescued animal its best chance at returning home.

Volunteer for Bushcare in Campbelltown

If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Campbelltown LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.