Wildlife Victoria, the only statewide wildlife rescue organisation, will begin an urgent review of operations after receiving only five per cent of annual operating costs in the state budget.
The charity needed to seek government clarification after the announcement, with budget papers unclear on what funding was being allocated for environment and wildlife groups.
Wildlife Victoria has operated the state’s largest wildlife emergency response service since 1989, providing the Victorian public with a free 24/7 wildlife rescue service for sick, injured and orphaned native animals.
Despite a 204 per cent increase in call volume over the past five years and over 189,000 reports in 2025 alone, the charity — which outlined the need for $4 million over two years in its pre-budget submission — received only 12.5 per cent of sought funding.
Wildlife Victoria CEO Lisa Palma said they could not continue to meet the increase in demand for services without funding that reflects the scale of the service it provides.
“We now start the difficult process of reviewing our operations to determine what services we may need to reduce, begin charging for, or cease altogether,” Ms Palma said.
All of Wildlife Victoria’s services are currently provided free of charge to the public, with its Emergency Response Service operating 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, ensuring Victorians always have somewhere to turn for wildlife in distress.
In 2025, the charity responded to over 14,000 calls between 9pm and 6am, but Ms Palma has warned overnight operations were now at risk, potentially leaving tens of thousands of native animals without urgent care.
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