Do you remember what you were doing on Tuesday 6 May 1997?

That’s the day Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services commenced operation at the historic Jenkins Kitchen in Lane Cove National Park with approximately 300 experienced wildlife volunteers.

25 years on, we celebrated our milestone birthday on Friday 6 May 2022, that’s a quarter of a century and well over a quarter of a million injured, orphaned native birds and animals rescued and a huge number rehabilitated and released across the greater Sydney Metropolitan Area.

During the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020, a number of Sydney Wildlife Rescue volunteers hit the road in our purpose-built Mobile Care Unit to help affected wildlife whilst others facilitated the establishment of wildlife triage centres, distributed vital medical and rehabilitation supplies and participated in rebuild programs to assist devastated carers on the south coast.

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_{Video credit: Sonja Elwood - Sydney Wildlife Rescue was a finalist for the 2021 Australian Government Partnership for Landcare Award}

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Many responded again recently to assist waterlogged wildlife impacted by the recent flooding across the greater Sydney area.

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On the occasion of Sydney Wildlife Rescue’s silver anniversary, we thank our members (currently 418 including 16 life members) and their families (past and present); our 24/7 rescue line team; our generous network of volunteer vets and vet nurses; our fundraising and community education teams, our species coordinators, our sponsors; our supporters; and our wildlife partner organisations; but most of all, the members of the public who have reached out to us, to give native birds and animals a second chance at life.

We marked the event with a BBQ picnic at the Lane Cove National Park on Sunday 29 May 2022 where members and their families checked out the impressive facilities of our Mobile Care Unit. Memories were shared, speeches were toasted, a cake was cut, and 25th anniversary caps were distributed.

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We hope you’ll join us for the next phase of our journey and consider enrolling in an upcoming Rescue & Care Course, making a donation or supporting our work through a sponsorship package.

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