Construction of a new rescue shelter in Randwick to rehabilitate injured and sick wildlife will start by early April 2024.

The new purpose-built facility for volunteer organisation Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) will replace an existing shelter in Randwick Environment Park that is more than two decades old and has deteriorated.

The new facility will be built in Randwick Council’s sustainability education ‘hub’ on Munda Street, adjacent to the Environment Park.

Randwick Mayor Philipa Veitch said: “The important work that WIRES volunteers do every day to keep our native animals and birds safe and healthy helps sustain the rich biodiversity that we have in Sydney’s east and the beautiful environment that we all enjoy.

“Randwick Council is proud to support WIRES with the construction of a new, custom-built facility that will be safer and easier for volunteers to work in and care for injured and sick wildlife,” Mayor Veitch said.

Animals cared for at the Randwick facility include ringtail and brushtail possums, rainbow lorikeets, currawongs, cockatoos, galahs, magpies, plovers, kookaburras, and blue-tongue lizards.

WIRES East Branch Chair Eliana Leopold said the new facility would help volunteers provide the best possible care for rescued wildlife. “We’re very excited about this dedicated facility,” Eliana said. “This new rehabilitation centre will make a huge difference and an invaluable resource for both our wildlife and our volunteers.”

WIRES CEO Leanne Taylor said: “With available land at a premium in the eastern suburbs this new facility will guarantee a permanent native animal care and rehabilitation solution. WIRES believes it will be seen as a flagship model for those councils around Australia who along with their communities are also seeking to protect and preserve their local unique and much-loved wildlife.”

“WIRES is delighted to be involved with the project and we thank the team at Randwick Council for all their tireless efforts in securing the stakeholder support needed to make this happen.”

In 2022-23 the WIRES 24/7 Rescue Office received more than 5,700 reports about wildlife in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The WIRES facility in Randwick carried out about 75 per cent of the rescues resulting from those reports.

The new WIRES facility will include:

• Eight possum pens that can be converted to smaller cages to accommodate smaller animals;
• Two bird cages;
• One flight aviary;
• Equipment storage space.

This project has been jointly funded by the NSW Government, Randwick City Council, and WIRES. The NSW Government contributed a $400,000 grant under its Metropolitan Greenspace program.

Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by the end of November 2024.