Introduction to Tasmanian Mammals Course

Thousands of animals need rescue and rehabilitation assistance in Tasmania every year, and more wildlife rehabilitators are needed to help with the increasing numbers of calls in Tasmania, to assist sick, injured and orphaned native animals.

To help improve wildlife rehabilitation outcomes and help more animals faster, WIRES has worked closely with Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, and The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) to launch this introductory training program for wildlife rehabilitators.

If you are interested in volunteering to rescue wildlife in Tasmania, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary regularly run free rescue training courses.

To begin volunteering to care for wildlife enrol below and complete the Introduction to Tasmanian Mammals Course.

Who can enrol?

Participants must be aged 18 years and over to register for the training.

Participants must have a permanent residential address in Tasmania, Australia.

Participants would ideally have their own transport in order to collect animals coming into care, and to transport animals to/from vet appointments and to approved release sites post rehabilitation.

What species can I help with?

This course is designed to train new rehabilitators in the essential skills they need to begin caring for fully furred Brushtail Possums, Bennett's Wallabies and Tasmanian Pademelons. For rehabilitators wanting to care for other animals, more experience and advanced training is needed. Please contact the Department in Tasmania to find out more.

What's involved?

• After enrolling below participants will be given access to the online theory component within 2-3 working days.
• Students are provided with personalised training credentials where they can access the online theory modules. Upon completion of the online theory, students can then book into a practical workshop.
• After course completion (online course + workshop) you can apply via NRE to become a rehabilitator.
• The enrolment period for this course is 12 months.

Course Delivery

The course consists of an online theory component and a practical face-to-face workshop. The online theory takes roughly 6-8 hours to complete.

Once you have completed the online theory you will then be able to complete the workshop component of your training. The online component must be finished before you can book into a workshop. The workshop component is a 3 hour practical session.

Click here to view the workshop schedule

Course Fee

The course fee is $125

Course Refund Policy

View the course refund policy.

Get Started

Fill in the enrolment form below to get started. If you need any help with the form, please contact training@wires.org.au