The Kindness of strangers who we now call friends

Update: We've added and updated some animal stories below - follow this link to jump straight to the animal stories

It has been a trying and stressful time for many Victorians. They have had to come to terms with grief, loss and the daunting prospect of rebuilding their lives in the wake of Australia's most devastating fires.

Amidst the strain and hardship, there has emerged a collective humanity that has not just come from Victoria or Australia but from across the world with offers of support flowing to many affected communities.

Healesville Sanctuary has come under threat a number of times, but our staff and the Country Fire Authority have worked long and hard to keep us safe from harm. We are very grateful, especially to the fire fighters who have advised and protected us.

We have been heartened by the support and well wishes from across the globe. We have marvelled at the courage of people who have lost everything in the fires, yet still brought in native animals or cared for injured wildlife on what remains of their properties. We have also been grateful to our wildlife carers and the many vets who have stepped in to treat the sick and injured as well as those who have set up and run the wildlife triage points in fire-affected areas.

The staff at Healesville Sanctuary would like to thank you all for your support, compassion and humanity. While many of you may have been strangers before, today we count you as friends.

Staff at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre continue to work hard treating and caring for sick, injured and displaced wildlife. While it is still early days there are encouraging signs from some of our patients. Read a few of their stories.

What happens now?

We are dealing with an increased number of injured wildlife due to bushfires and expect to see more with the fire activity remaining in the Yarra Valley and other areas of the state. We will also help other triage points when roads reopen and public access is restored.

While the full extent of the impact of the bushfires is still unknown, there is still much work to do.

It is unlikely that the surrounding unburnt bushland will be able to support remaining and displaced animals - so we will begin to see malnourished wildlife as well as those suffering burns going back into areas that are still smouldering.

We have also seen a number of animals that have been hit by vehicles - this will become more common as wildlife return to damaged areas or try to find new homes.

Many of the animals that survive will need long term care - possibly months, and some may never be able to return to the wild - which will further stretch our capacity and resources.

Our experts in Australian native wildlife are also providing a telephone advisory service for other triage centres and vets in the assessment and treatment of injured native wildlife.

Donations have allowed us to allocate additional resources to our wildlife response and we expect that demand to grow particularly with the long term care and wellbeing needs of the many injured animals.

Please donate to the Australian Wildlife Health Centre Bushfire Appeal