Protecting our wildlife

The right plants provide food and shelter for many animals. But why not go a step further and install habitat boxes for animals such as possums, birds, bats and gliders?

Talk with your local nursery for ideas. If your property is suitable, think about becoming a member of Gympie’s Land for Wildlife program (www.gympie.qld.gov.au/land-for-wildlife).

Wildlife are prone to injury from cats, dogs and vehicles. Help keep them safe by keeping cats inside at night and keeping dogs secure in your yard. Take notice of wildlife signage while driving in wildlife hotspots.

It’s a great idea to keep a box and towel in your car in case you come across injured wildlife, such as birds or lizards. Don’t handle snakes, flying-foxes, microbats, koalas, kangaroos or wallabies as they may injure you. Contact a local wildlife care organisation, such as ANARRA, for help. 

Please don’t feed bread to wildlife. And please don’t pour water straight into the mouths of native animals. This may cause their lungs to fill with water and they may drown. Instead leave water dishes out for them. 

Please don’t drive on sand dunes or along river banks because these are where turtles nest. Please stop your dogs from disturbing the migratory birds found in Tin Can Bay and around Rainbow Beach.

This region is very fortunate to have connected habitat for our wildlife. This means it’s possible for the animals to move safely throughout our region.

The region has high numbers of koalas and is home to many rare and threatened species. It is more important than ever to do what we can to protect these species and their habitat.