Victorian regulations
In the state of Victoria you must link to a wildlife shelter and be mentored by them for a minimum of 18 months.
This is a huge commitment, so it should not be entered into lightly.
Depending on where you live, will determine who your shelter might be however- this is not always the case.
Because you will need to spend a considerable amount of time learning from your shelter. you should be comfortable with them.
Your shelter will guide and teach you for the rest of your life as a carer/shelter.
What to expect
You will learn each species one at a time, this takes time (years) and is a natural progression. Just because you might help with the care of a particular species, doesn't mean you are trained to care for them.
Shelters such as Animalia have been caring for wildlife in excess of 30 years and have accumulative knowledge. Having dealt with so many cases across time and needing to understand the presentation of each individual species it's medical requirements, natural requirements and stress reduction requirements along with disease control considerations
You will be required to bring your new animals your mentor to be checked daily then eventually weekly.
If this appears excessive to you, then you are probably not realising the sheer amount of knowledge you have to learn regardless of ANY previous training you may have.
Think carefully before taking this step
Check list for a good shelter to be mentored by
A minimum of 36 - 48 hours training is required prior to you taking even your first animal.
This is usually done over a few months or more giving you time to digest the information and training offered.
Your training does not stop there, as most carers learn through practical learning you will always be learning for your time in wildlife care.
A foster carer is only of benefit to a shelter if they are prepared to help the shelter by taking on multiple animals once they are trained.
PLEASE NOTE
You can not care for wildlife until you have been approved by the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning known as DELWP.
Wildlife is highly stressed when it comes into care and as such has completely differing needs than family pets.
Wildlife carers rescue, raise, rehabilitate and release all wildlife back to the wild
In the state of Victoria you must link to a wildlife shelter and be mentored by them for a minimum of 18 months.
This is a huge commitment, so it should not be entered into lightly.
Depending on where you live, will determine who your shelter might be however- this is not always the case.
Because you will need to spend a considerable amount of time learning from your shelter. you should be comfortable with them.
Your shelter will guide and teach you for the rest of your life as a carer/shelter.
What to expect
You will learn each species one at a time, this takes time (years) and is a natural progression. Just because you might help with the care of a particular species, doesn't mean you are trained to care for them.
Shelters such as Animalia have been caring for wildlife in excess of 30 years and have accumulative knowledge. Having dealt with so many cases across time and needing to understand the presentation of each individual species it's medical requirements, natural requirements and stress reduction requirements along with disease control considerations
You will be required to bring your new animals your mentor to be checked daily then eventually weekly.
If this appears excessive to you, then you are probably not realising the sheer amount of knowledge you have to learn regardless of ANY previous training you may have.
Think carefully before taking this step
Check list for a good shelter to be mentored by
- A good shelter is easy to talk to, gives you clear direction, assesses your progress.
- Does not berate you or make you feel stupid if you ask a question and will inform you of further training opportunities.
- You should feel comfortable to ask them anything in relation to wildlife care.
- Has a sound knowledge of most species you will come in contact with
A minimum of 36 - 48 hours training is required prior to you taking even your first animal.
This is usually done over a few months or more giving you time to digest the information and training offered.
Your training does not stop there, as most carers learn through practical learning you will always be learning for your time in wildlife care.
A foster carer is only of benefit to a shelter if they are prepared to help the shelter by taking on multiple animals once they are trained.
PLEASE NOTE
You can not care for wildlife until you have been approved by the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning known as DELWP.
Wildlife is highly stressed when it comes into care and as such has completely differing needs than family pets.
- If you already have lots of pets then wildlife care is probably not for you, because most of your pets are perceived as predators to wildlife.
Wildlife carers rescue, raise, rehabilitate and release all wildlife back to the wild
