Updated 6th Feb

During the worst drought on record, catastrophic fires have ravaged Australia for months. Over 4.9 million hectares of land has been burnt in NSW alone, over 80 fires are still burning and surviving animals are facing dire food and water shortages and loss of habitat.

The situation for wildlife is devastating and it will be months after the fires before the full implications on wild populations can be understood. There have been estimates by ecologists at the University of Sydney that over 1 billion animals have already been affected in Australia since September.

WIRES is rescuing and caring for as many sick, injured and orphaned native animals as possible. In January WIRES 1300 line received over 28,000 calls and volunteers accepted over 3,800 rescues.

TO HELP RESCUE AND CARE FOR WILDLIFE THE BEST WAYS TO GIVE ARE BELOW

WIRES is a wildlife charity that relies on community support to operate our rescue and care services for wildlife 365 days a year and we are extremely grateful for your support at this difficult time. Thanks to outstanding support from the community WIRES is now able to offer national assistance to help wildlife. If you would like to read about first round funding allocations please read the release

Donations via Visa, Mastercard & AMEX can be made on WIRES website: https://donations.wires.org.au/

For those wanting to use the Paypal Giving Fund which is a donation to PPGF who then take care of the receipting and grant the funds to us without normal Paypal fees: https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/112574447199339912/charity/3562115

For those wanting their donation to WIRES to be tax-deductible in the UK or US: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-rescue-and-care-of-australian-animals/

For those wanting to donate by Bank Deposit please use the details below:

When donating this way please use your name or organisation as the reference code and notify via email to data@wires.org.au. Due to the overwhelming workload at the moment and the large number of donations received, a tax deductible receipt will in most cases not be able to be issued if you are making a donation through direct deposit. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has advised it is not necessary to issue a tax deductible receipt and you should be able to claim the deduction as a donor. 

Your bank statement or internet banking printed copy of the transfer details is sufficient evidence of your donation for taxation purposes. Advice from the ATO is available here. Please note that WIRES has DGR status.

WIRES Mailing Address is PO Box 7276 Warringah Mall, NSW, 2100, Australia.

If you would like to donate over the phone please email support@wires.org.au to let us know and we will call you, or you can call 02 8977 3396 within Australia or +612 8977 3396 internationally to speak with our team. Over the weekend and during peak times if your call is diverted to voicemail please leave a message with your name, contact number and donation details and our team will call you as quickly as possible.

The scale of the current emergencies are unprecedented and the impacts will be felt long-term by surviving wildlife and volunteers working hard to assist them. It is an extremely challenging time for native animals and we are deeply appreciative of the community support we are receiving for sick, injured and orphaned animals. 

Thank you for your support of wildlife at this difficult time, it is extremely appreciated.

#fires #nswfires #wildliferescue