Centennial Parklands is a sanctuary for a wide variety of native wildlife. Knowing how to help injured animals can make all the difference in preserving and protecting the park’s delicate ecosystem.
Visitors can expect to see a variety of native animals at Centennial Parklands depending on the time of day and season. However, it's important to remember that these animals are wild and should be observed from a safe distance.
On this page we'll cover some essential information on what to do if you find an injured animal in the parklands.
Finding an injured animal
If you come across an injured native animal, please contact your local wildlife rescue organisation. The following organisations have local volunteers on hand to rescue and care for injured wildlife.
Sydney Wildlife Rescue
Tel: 02 9413 4300
www.sydneywildlife.org.au
WIRES (Wildlife Rescue & Information Service)
Tel: 1300 094 737
www.wires.org.au
You can also use the IFAW Rescue App to locate your nearest rescue group.
Reporting the injured animal
When reporting an injured animal, it's essential to provide specific details.
Location
In many cases, injured animals are young and may still reside in a nest with their mother. By providing the exact location of the injured animal, the rescuer can ensure that the infant is returned to the nest once it’s healed.
Extenuating circumstances
Visitors should also report any extenuating circumstances that may have led to the injury, such as rubbish, dogs, foxes or cars. If possible, you should avoid removing obstacles from animals, as this can sometimes make the injury worse. Instead, leave it to the experts if it doesn't seem life-threatening.
To touch or not to touch?
Not all injured animals should be approached by humans, and where possible you should not attempt to handle or touch the animal. By contacting one of these rescue organisations, you can ensure that the animal receives the appropriate care and treatment.
If you need to handle an injured animal
If you do need to handle an injured animal, it's essential to take some precautions to ensure that your intervention is a help and not a hindrance to the animal's health. By wrapping the whole animal in soft material and placing it in a carton or container, any damaged limbs are immobilised and the animal is protected from further injury.
- Towels are the most appropriate material, but any soft cloth will do.
- Remember to cover the head as well, as this will often calm and relax the animal.
- Make sure the carton or container is soft and won't damage the animal, and be careful not to bump the box when transporting it.
Helpful do's and don'ts
Don't:
Don't feed animals bread. While you may enjoy feeding bread to ducks and other wildlife, you may not realise that this is causing them harm. White bread has limited nutrients, and birds and other animals will continue to feast on this easy meal, ignoring their natural food sources and causing an imbalance in the ecological food chain. The bread can also contribute to water pollution, endangering the native aquatic life of the many ponds in the parklands.
Don't feed the pigeons. Pigeon populations, particularly near Duck Pond, are on the rise and are a very real pest. They can spread diseases among humans and animals and cause chemical deterioration to the parklands buildings and infrastructure with their droppings.
Do:
You can help protect the wildlife and environment of Centennial Parklands by cleaning up any rubbish you see, particularly plastic products. Every plastic bag is capable of killing a whole range of native wildlife, and its removal will reduce injury to animals.