Cooraka Native Wildlife Rescue & Rehab Centre - Auburn SA

01/09/2026

Congratulations to D'Aguilar Wildlife on their new EV (electric vehicle) wildlife van.

Having a good reliable van is so important when transporting Australia’s precious wildlife.

25/08/2026

What It Costs to Care

They call us carers.
First responders.
Volunteers.

As though those words could ever explain
what it costs to answer the phone.

It costs fuel.
Milk.
Medicine.
Bandages and bedding.
Kilometres on cars already falling apart.
Vet bills we cannot afford
for animals that were never ours
until the moment somebody called.

But money is the cheapest part.

It costs dinners left cold on the table.
Birthdays arrived at late.
Plans cancelled.
Children who learn that Mum might have to leave
when the rescue phone rings.

It costs sleep.

Two a.m. feeds.
Midnight rescues.
Driving dark country roads
looking for eyes in the headlights,
knowing that somewhere ahead
something is hurting.

It costs pieces of your family life
you don’t get to ask for back.

It costs relationships with people
who don’t understand why
“just one animal”
couldn’t wait until morning.

Because we know why.

We have seen what morning can mean.

It costs the memory
of every animal we couldn’t save.

The ones that died in our arms.
The ones we found too late.
The mothers on the roadside
with babies still alive in their pouches.
The tiny bodies we carried home
already knowing how the story would end.

We remember them.

Every single one takes something with them.

And then the next phone call comes.

So we wipe our faces.
Wash the blood from our hands.
Change the bedding.
Warm another bottle.
Start the car.

And go.

People tell us,
“I could never do what you do.”

Sometimes we wonder
how much longer we can either.

Because compassion has a cost.

It is paid in exhaustion.
In missed moments.
In empty bank accounts.
In grief swallowed quietly
because another animal still needs feeding.

It is paid in pieces of ourselves.

Until some days
you reach inside
and wonder how there can possibly
be anything left to give.

And still—

a frightened animal settles against your chest.

A joey takes its first bottle.

An animal you were told wouldn’t survive
takes one more breath,
then another.

A cage door opens
and something you fought for
runs, climbs or flies back
to where it belongs.

And for one beautiful moment
the weight lifts.

That is why we answer.

Not because it doesn’t cost us.

But because somewhere
on the side of a road,
caught in a fence,
or lying beneath a tree,

a life is waiting
for someone to come.

And we know what it costs
to be that someone.

We also know
what it would cost us
to turn away.

Tennille Bankes

24/08/2026

The Government’s attitude towards the animals who are suffering from Bird Flu is absolutely disgusting.

*This is an animal welfare / animal cruelty situation.*

Here in SA, the Government is relying on the Biosecurity Act that was updated only last year. This is how they are “authorised” to tell everyone not to touch sick/dying or dead birds.

I am not a lawyer and it is only my generalised understanding from what I have read, but to me the Biosecurity Act 2025 in South Australia does not explicitly contain a provision granting the SA government general authority to "override" the Animal Welfare Act. However, during an authorized emergency response or biosecurity control action, the operational powers executed under biosecurity legislation to contain pests or diseases (such as mandatory culling or movement restrictions) legally supersede ordinary handling rules required to manage the threat.

How is this humane?

From what I have seen elsewhere, a person on the Fleurieu Peninsula rang the “Bird Flu Hotline” about a sick and dying crested tern in their back yard. There was no ‘help’ offered. Only instructions to leave it alone. They couldn’t even tell the person what to do with the body once the poor bird had passed. Just a “Let us know when it has died”.

This really is disgusting. Can you imagine having children witnessing this and trying to explain why you can’t help it. Why the Government wont help it or allow anyone to help it?

This is causing so much PTSD to Wildlife Carers, vets and many others who care about birds, or any living creature. Can you imagine what it would be like to be laying there, having trouble breathing, your head so painful and swollen because your brain is swelling, and people are just looking at you, not offering any help at all. No help to end your suffering.

Wildlife Carers (and vets) see and deal with a lot of injured and suffering animals. It is not a matter of us toughening up and being cold towards pain and sickness. We TRY VERY HARD to compartmentalise and deal with what we see as best we can. We are wildlife carers because we have empathy, we care. So many of us are already dealing with PTSD from previous cases. This PTSD is going to overspill into the general public though. It will fester and grow as the public are made to stand back and watch pain, suffering and death. The Government has taken away the ability to allow anyone to legally assist in any way.

Totally unacceptable. Totally disgraceful.

29/07/2026

This is great news. Definitely a start. A start in the step towards the right direction.

Even better news will be that the NSW government is adopting the suggested reforms and that other states and territories are following suit.

Too much to hope for, you think?

BREAKING: A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has recommended reforms to the state's wildlife licensing system, after a staggering 485,668 permits were issued in 2025 to kill native animals including kangaroos, wombats, possums, galahs and welcome swallows.

For too long it has been too easy for landholders to get permits to kill wildlife when they are causing problems. Thanks to an inquiry led by Chair Emma Hurst MLC and Deputy Chair Bob Nanva MLC, reforms to the current outdated system have been recommended which include the need to:

- Prioritise humane, non-lethal solutions before killing wildlife is considered.
- Require proof of damage before a licence to harm native animals is granted.
- Improve transparency by publicly reporting how many animals are killed and why licences are approved.
- Strengthen oversight with better inspections, audits and enforcement.
- Invest in research, education and funding for effective non-lethal alternatives.

Killing should not be the default to dealing with wildlife conflicts. It's time for a licensing framework that prioritises humane strategies for coexistence.

Urge the NSW Government to take action and deliver these reforms here - https://takeaction.humaneworld.org/page/186199/action/1

20/07/2026

A message from Eddie (aka The Piddler) ❤️

31/05/2026

HAPPY WORLD PARROT DAY! 🦜🌍

Today, we join friends, partners, supporters, and parrot lovers around the world to celebrate these extraordinary birds and shine a light on the challenges they face.

From the rainforests of South America to the islands of Oceania, parrots fill our world with colour, personality, intelligence, and life. But behind all that beauty lies a sobering truth that nearly 1 in 3 parrot species is threatened with extinction.

The World Parrot Trust founded World Parrot Day in 2004, to celebrate parrots, raise awareness for the challenges they face, and inspire action to protect them.

Every day, together with our partners around the world, we're working to conserve wild populations, restore habitats, support communities, tackle the illegal wildlife trade, and improve the lives of parrots in human care.

At the World Parrot Trust, every day is World Parrot Day. But today is a chance for all of us to come together and celebrate a world full of parrots.

Make a difference this World Parrot Day by:
📢 Sharing our posts
🗳️ Voting for Parrot of the Year: https://parrots.org/poty/
🎁 Supporting parrot conservation: https://parrots.org/donate/
👕 Wearing your support with a World Parrot Day t-shirt: https://parrots.org/shop/
📚 Learning more about parrots and the work being done to protect them: https://parrots.org/

Because a world full of parrots is a world worth protecting.

Happy World Parrot Day from all of us at the World Parrot Trust.

26/05/2026

The simple old fashioned CAUSE and EFFECT!

Please STOP 🛑
🛑 stop watching cute bird videos
🛑 stop making and uploading cute bird videos
🛑 stop sharing cute bird videos

Please 🛑 stop sending and sharing them with me.

If this helps save one bird from being poach, illegally caught, trafficked, death from the cruelty of being smuggled, not being cared for properly, not being loved, not being given the respect and life it deserves, then I can easily go without watching something I think is cute or funny, or gives me a giggle or puts a smile on my face for a few seconds.

That is nothing compared to the cruelty and sadness felt by each and every bird illegally trapped and sold.
🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑🦜🛑

The recent Rolling Stone article on African grey parrots examines how viral social media content can unintentionally fuel demand for the illegal wildlife trade…

Silly, sweet, talking parrots that dance and snuggle. Millions of views. But behind many of these videos is a more difficult reality: wild birds are still being trapped, trafficked, and sold to meet the demand created by exotic pet fascination online and the romanticized idea of living with parrots rather than the challenging reality of their lifelong care. 💔

There *has* been progress. Stronger international protections and trade restrictions for African greys have helped bring more attention and regulation to the species, making legal importation and trafficking more difficult than they once were. That matters. But enforcement is still complicated, illegal trade still exists, and social media can drive demand faster than education can keep up.

As a shelter and sanctuary, this creates a moral dilemma that we here at The Gabriel Foundation think about often when posting videos and social media content of our own birds. We love sharing their extraordinarily unique personalities, educating the public about them, and helping parrots that come into our care find incredible adopters and lifelong homes. But we also sometimes worry about contributing to the romanticized image of parrot ownership that social media can create easily…

A short clip can immortalize a funny or affectionate moment that many people naturally want to experience for themselves. What it *cannot* capture is the full reality: the decades of commitment, emotional complexity, noise, destruction, behavioral challenges, and specialized care these highly intelligent animals require.

We hope sharing both the joy and the reality helps create more informed, compassionate relationships with parrots, while reminding people these birds are far more than entertainment or “content.”

Behind every viral parrot video is a real animal with real needs, and often, a species paying the price for our fascination.

⬇️⬇️⬇️Full article in comments.

18/05/2026

2.47am. Somewhere in South Australia, a carer is up doing exactly this.

This week is National Volunteer Week. Wildlife rescue runs on a village of people who show up, day after day, night after night, without anyone asking them to.

To every rescuer, carer, and sanctuary volunteer in South Australia - we see your work. Thank you.

Tag someone below who deserves to be seen. 🦘🫶

13/05/2026

22/04/2026

Thank you California. 🥰
Gradually more and more of the world are waking up to the atrocities the Australian government is allowing to continue to these beautiful spiritual sentient beings.
I just wish more Australians would wake up to the propaganda they are being fed with false facts, false data, false information by those that either make money from the murdering of these culturally important and sentient creatures or those that have their heads stuck in the sand and don’t want to admit they have been fooled for so long.
California, thank you for putting your foot down and saying No! ❤️🦘