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West Gippsland Wildlife shelter

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West Gippsland Wildlife shelter

West Gippsland wildlife shelter is a small Two person operation specialising in reptiles.

West Gippsland Wildlife shelter is run by Terri and Bec in Yarragon, Victoria. WGWS specialises in the rehabilitation of native reptiles as well as rescuing and rehabilitating birds and small mammals as needed. WGWS is fully self funded and relies on the wages from our day jobs and the occasional grant to keep running. If you wish to make a one off or ongoing donation to the care of animals and th

e improvement of facilities, these can be made to -

West Gippsland wildlife shelter
bsb- 303 092
acc- 7359116

25/08/2026

While we are often quiet on social, you can be assured we are always working hard in the background.

With the warmer weather comes reptiles from their winter brumation. This often sees troubled individuals who had a rough winter coming into care.

17/08/2026

A massive thank you to Warriors 4 Wildlife, their supporters and families for their continued support of shelters and carers.

07/08/2026

𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲: 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗲

Australia has a reputation as a continent where everything wants to kill you....and a lot of things DO kill us, but snakes bite related deaths barely make up 2 per year.....

Snake bite death statistics tell a different story..... and here's how snake bite deaths stack up against the everyday risks Australians face.

On average, only 1-3 people die from snake bites in Australia each year.....

- 3,000 snake bites recorded annually

- 500 result in hospital admission

On average, around 2 deaths per year.

Modern day snake bite death stats are down from around 13 deaths per year in the 1940s and that's because antivenom was developed, and we also saw the development of the pressure-immobilisation bandage.

𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵.

𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀
- 1,300/yr (2024, worst in over a decade)

𝗗𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
357/yr (2024-25, 27% above 10-yr average)

𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀
50-80/yr (farming is the most dangerous industry in the country)

𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰/𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 (𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘀)
100+ murder victims /yr
Intimate partner homicide alone averages approx 40/yr

𝗘-𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 (tracking fragmented)
2020-21: 1-2
2020-25: 37

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗻-𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻)
7-10/yr

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀/𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 (𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗲𝘁𝗰.)
- 34/yr

𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀
Average 20/yr

(Over 200 deaths across a recent 20yr coronial study)

𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀
- 33 deaths total since 1979 (well under 1/year on average)

𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀
- 1-3/yr

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲.....

• Cars
• Water
• Domestic violence
• E-scooters
• Farm machinery

In short.....snakes get the reputation, but cars, water, farm machinery and family violence are what actually claim Australian lives every year, and THIS is worth keeping in perspective.

🐍

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀
ABS: Causes of Death, Australia
ABS: Deaths from External Causes, 2024
BITRE / CarExpert: Australia's 2024 Road Toll
Royal Life Saving Australia: National Drowning Report 2025
Farmsafe Australia: Safer Farms Report 2026
AIHW: Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Summary
Australian Institute of Criminology: Intimate Partner Homicide
University of Melbourne (Pursuit): E-Scooter Fatalities in Children
Kidsafe Victoria: Driveway Run-Over Statistics
Dogster: Dog Bite Statistics Australia
University of Melbourne: Australian Venomous Injury Project
PMC: Snakebite in Tropical Australia study

06/08/2026

Multiple cases of H5 Bird flu have now been confirmed in Victoria and has also begun to infect our native bird populations, currently affecting Crested Terns. Unfortunately, this will have a significant impact on our native wildlife populations. 😭

If you find a sick or deceased bird, please:
• Do not touch or approach the bird
• Keep pets and children well away
• Note the location, species (if known) and number of birds
• Take a photo from a safe distance if possible
• Report it immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on ☎️ 1800 675 888

Keep your pets safe:
• Keep dogs on a lead in areas where wild birds gather (beaches, parks, wetlands) 🐕
• Do not let pets approach, touch or scavenge sick or dead birds
• Keep pets indoors or safely contained where possible 🐓🐈‍⬛🦜
• Minimise or Stop feeding local wild birds
•Regularly clean water bowls/bird baths
• Wash your hands thoroughly after any outdoor activity before handling pets.

The team at W4W are on alert and will be contacting the appropriate authorities if we receive any calls about sick birds so they can respond appropriately.

30/07/2026

The high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 strain (H5 bird flu) has been detected in Victoria.

A single greater crested tern was found in Portland and was reported on 27 July 2026.

We know many Victorians care deeply about our wildlife and may be concerned about what this means for native bird populations.

If you encounter sick or dead birds or wildlife, do not touch them. Instead, record the exact location, take photos if it is safe to do so, and report it online or by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Early reports help wildlife and animal health experts monitor disease activity and determine where action may be needed.

Your observations can make a real difference in helping us understand and respond to impacts on Victoria's wildlife.

Find out more: 🔗 agriculture.vic.gov.au/birdflu

23/07/2026

A massive thank you to all those that donated PPE toward our H5N1 preparedness plan.

🙏

We are fully stocked and ready to go if/when we need to.

09/07/2026

We are seeking donations of PPE as we prepare our biosecurity plan in the event of an H5N1 outbreak in Victorian Wildlife.

Do you have any of the following lying around in the garage or cupboard from the Covid days?

Coveralls - small and medium, disposable hooded ones or machine washable.
Surgical Gowns - disposable or machine washable.
N95 masks.
Face shields x2.
Size small and medium nitrile gloves.

Or do you have the ability to purchase and donate.

Please share this post so we can reach as many people as possible.

🙏

07/06/2026

One of our captive lizards (pets) had an accident leading to visit with our wonderful friends at Moe Veterinary Centre recently. We cannot rate the staff their highly enough for their care of both captive and wild animals 🩷🩷

31/05/2026

A couple of over winter residents here at the shelter

27/04/2026

We’ve had a number of people reach out recently about getting involved in wildlife rescue. This is the best way to get started- by completing a workshop and volunteering with wildlife Victoria you will learn how to get hands on and complete rescues and transports that are vital to get wildlife into care appropriately.

Address

Yarragon, VIC

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