March 7th, 2022Funding for wildlife carers

Local wildlife shelters and carers across Macedon will benefit from grants of up to $3000 thanks to the Victorian Government’s Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants program.
Local carers groups will receive funding under the program, including Red Box Wildlife Shelter in Elphinstone, Naturally, Native in Dales Creek, Dalli Wadthin Shelter in Woodend, Shamrock Wildlife Shelter in Woodend, and S. Anderson Shelter in Gisborne. In addition to the local groups, five dedicated animal foster carers across Macedon have also received funding.
Grants in this round have funded shade for recovering wildlife, rescue equipment, specialist native animal food, personal safety equipment and wildlife housing.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, said these grants are worthy recognition for the tireless and invaluable work of wildlife carers across the Macedon region.
These local grants are all part of the Victorian Government’s $292,000 of support to 122 hardworking wildlife carers across the state, including an extra $60,000 to support shelters impacted by the July storms.
Since 2008, a total $3.3 million has been awarded through the Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants program to assist authorised wildlife shelter operators, foster carers and key wildlife organisations.
To further boost support for native wildlife across the state the Victorian Government is also providing $870,000 to support 14 projects which protect iconic species, including the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby, Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Southern Bent-Wing Bat, Burranan Dolphin and Eltham Copper Butterfly.
As part of the Icon Species funding a Bogong Moth monitoring project will soon launch across the Victorian Alps to protect the vulnerable species, which is a key food source of the critically endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum.
The Icon Species Program has provided more than $2.6 million of support to 19 of Victoria’s native species in the past five years, helping to protect some of our most valuable wildlife.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “Congratulations to our local wildlife shelters and foster carers, they do a wonderful job protecting our local wildlife. This funding is recognition of their hard work and will ensure they can continue to support our environment and our native animals.”