Currumbin Wildlife Hospital sees busiest year on record
2019 was the busiest year on record at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital. The total admissions for 2019 were 12,198, compared to 11,082 the previous year. The hospital located at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a National Trust property and is one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world with the mission to treat, rehabilitate and release native wildlife.
The most common admission was the Rainbow Lorikeet, with over 2,000 patients admitted. However, the hospital treats a whole lot more than common species with the last year seeing 256 different species admitted! Below are some of the more unusual patients, which appeared on the admissions list just once through the year.
Unusual Patients
Australasian Grebe, Australian Hobby, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Black Kite, Black-Striped Wallaby, Brown Booby, Common Noddy, Dwarf Crowned Snake, Eastern Sedge-frog, Eastern Tube-nosed Bat, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Golden-Crowned Snake, Gould's Goanna, Grey Goshawk, Grey-Tailed Tattler, Hawksbill Turtle, Latham's Snipe, Marbled Frogmouth, Nutmeg Mannikin, Pallid Cuckoo, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl, Striped Marsh-frog, Tawny Grassbird, White Striped Freetail Bat, White-Bellied Sea-Eagle, White-Browed Scrubwren, White-Throated Nightjar, White-Winged Triller, Yellow-Bellied Glider, Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, Yellow-Footed Antechinus.
Koalas
In 2008, the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital treated just 27 koalas. This year they treated 577 koalas, over 100 more than last year. As a threatened species, koalas are of particular interest to the team at the hospital. Chlamydia is the main reason for koala admissions, whilst they also see many victims of vehicle strikes, dog attacks, as well as those affected by bushfires or displaced from their habitat. Ember the koala pictured here is not only a chlamydia patient but a New South Wales bushfire survivor as well.
Wildlife Ambulances
The team at the hospital were fortunate to receive a second wildlife ambulance this year, and it was certainly needed! The two ambulances rescued over 1,500 animals, delivered over 500 animals back to the wild in their home range or to a foster carer and travelled over 70,000km!
Volunteers
The Currumbin Wildlife Hospital are blessed to have an amazing team of volunteers at the wildlife hospital, and in 2019 over 24,000 volunteer hours were worked over 5,076 shifts. It is through the support and dedication of these individuals that the hospital can continue to do the amazing work that it does.
Phone Enquiries
The hospital received over 24,000 phone calls, and spent 928 hours on the phone assisting members of the public, veterinary practices and wildlife carers with their wildlife enquiries during 2019. This service is provided free to our community.
How can you get involved
You can support the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital by visiting https://currumbinsanctuary.com.au/hospital
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital is owned and operated by the National Trust of Australia (Queensland).
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