Unless you are a registered veterinarian, you require a Biodiversity Conservation Licence granted under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) to possess a sick, injured or orphaned protected animal for rehabilitation purposes.
In New South Wales, services are delivered mainly by wildlife rehabilitation groups, with volunteer members providing care from their homes or centre-based facilities. These groups and facilities provide the training, mentoring and supervision needed to support volunteers in applying our standards.
Animal display establishments such as Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo also provide crucial support through their wildlife hospital, pathology and animal rehabilitation facilities.
Some licensed wildlife rehabilitation providers specialise in certain species, such as koalas, flying foxes or marine wildlife, whereas others cover a wide range of species.
All participants in wildlife rehabilitation must meet the quality assurance standards listed in our Rehabilitation of protected animals policy. This will guarantee a consistent level of excellence in volunteer management and animal welfare outcomes across New South Wales.
Anyone who is considering applying for a licence should first read the Rehabilitation of protected animals policy, which outlines:
- who can conduct wildlife rehabilitation in New South Wales
- the type of activities you can undertake
- what is needed to meet our requirements.
Our objective is to have a small number of well-managed, well-trained and collaborative network of wildlife rehabilitation providers that provide high standards of care to the protected animals they are permitted to rehabilitate.
Quality assurance
Quality assurance is a method for the department to assess whether both prospective and existing wildlife rehabilitation providers can comply with our specified standards of operation. Our purpose is to give greater certainty to the community that wildlife rehabilitation services are being delivered in a consistent, reliable and credible manner that is in accordance with established standards.
All wildlife rehabilitation providers must meet the following 6 quality assurance standards. Further detail is available in our application form available from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Wildlife Licensing Team.
- Standard 1: The structures, activities and operations of a wildlife rehabilitation provider are in accordance with the principles of legal compliance, probity, transparency and accountability.
- Standard 2: Wildlife rehabilitation providers have a structured program of training and support in place that ensures wildlife rehabilitators are competent to effectively perform their role.
- Standard 3: Wildlife rehabilitation providers have a system of quality assurance for the management of animals in their care.
- Standard 4: Wildlife rehabilitation providers demonstrate an efficient phone rescue service and capacity to effectively respond to calls for assistance.
- Standard 5: Wildlife rehabilitation providers have quality systems in place to ensure data integrity in reporting and can demonstrate compliance with the department's reporting requirements.
- Standard 6: Wildlife rehabilitation providers have systems in place for ensuring they engage with veterinary practitioners in a consistent, structured and ethical manner.
Comply with licence conditions
Wildlife rehabilitation licences are granted under the BC Act with conditions. Conditions may differ between licences as considered appropriate by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department).
Under section 2.14 of the BC Act, it is an offence to contravene or fail to comply with a condition of your licence. The department may conduct random audits of licensees to ensure licence conditions are being met.
The following licence conditions are current at the time of publication and are subject to change at any time.
Licence conditions
Under section 2.14 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 it is an offence to contravene or fail to comply with a condition of this licence.
General conditions
- The licensee may issue an authority to a person to operate under this licence if:
- they are a member of the wildlife rehabilitation organisation listed on this licence, and
- they are at least 18 years of age (unless the group has adopted the lower permissible age of 12 years), and
- they meet the training standards outlined in the relevant department Code of Practice for the protected animals permitted on this licence.
- The licensee must ensure that active wildlife rehabilitators authorised under this licence:
- reside within the group’s allocated geographic zone of operation (Attachment A), or
- meet the department’s Rehabilitation of Protected Animals Policy requirements for persons who can participate in wildlife rehabilitation while residing ‘out of zone’.
- The licensee and authorised persons must comply with:
- the department’s Rehabilitation of Protected Animals Policy, and
- the standards in the department’s Codes of Practice for the protected animals nominated on this licence, and
- any directives issued by an authorised officer.
- The licensee and authorised persons must:
- produce this licence or evidence of their authority when requested by an authorised officer under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Where photo identity cards are issued by the group, these must include the expiry date shown on the licence
- permit an inspection of any equipment, facilities or records associated with the rehabilitation of protected animals nominated on this licence by an authorised officer under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
- The licensee and authorised persons must immediately notify the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) at [email protected] upon receiving knowledge of the location or the capture of a non-indigenous animal listed in Schedule 3 of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW).
Retention of protected animals
- The licensee can only apply to the department to permanently possess non-releasable protected animals when the animal:
- belongs to a species that needs to be rehabilitated in a social group and will serve as a companion under these circumstances or
- will be involved in community education activities or training programs for rehabilitators or
- will be used in a breeding program authorised by the department.
Management of escaped pets
- If there is strong evidence that the protected animal is an escaped pet (e.g. it was found well outside of its natural range), the licensee and authorised persons must take reasonable efforts to locate the owner and return it; for example, by taking the animal to a veterinarian to see if it is microchipped, or by calling the local herpetology group. If the animal cannot be returned to its owner, notify the NPWS Wildlife Licensing Team using the appropriate form so the animal can be rehomed.
Public exhibition of protected animals
- The licensee and authorised persons must not permit any public viewing, display or exhibition of any protected animals undergoing rehabilitation under this licence. This condition shall not apply to:
- the use of such protected animals for the essential demonstration of husbandry techniques at a licensee-sanctioned rehabilitation training course (except for un-furred mammals), and
- filming for promotional, educational or community interest purposes at a rehabilitation facility or, with the group’s committee or its wildlife welfare team’s consent, at any other location.
Record keeping
- The licensee must maintain an up-to-date record of all the protected animals reported or captured under this licence in compliance with the standards specified in the department’s Codes of Practice.
- The licensee must also maintain an up-to-date record of all:
- persons who are authorised to operate under this licence including their full name and full street address
- protected animals transferred to other institutions, organisations or individuals (both in New South Wales and other state jurisdictions) that have the authority to possess them. This report must contain details of the protected animal and when and to whom it was transferred
- permanently held live protected animals including details of the approval granted by the NPWS Wildlife Licensing Team
- preserved specimens of protected animals held for educational purposes including details of the approval granted by the NPWS Wildlife Licensing Team. Each preserved specimen must be permanently marked with the reference number, and
- all persons authorised to implement a permit from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to undertake in-situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombats.
- Copies of all records must be submitted no later than 30 September each year in the standard report template provided by the NPWS Wildlife Licensing Team.
- All records required to be kept under this licence must be made available for inspection when so requested by an authorised officer under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Import or export of protected animals from/to NSW [delete if not required]
- This licence permits the licensee and authorised persons to transport a protected animal to and from New South Wales, or to another state or territory, to expedite its assessment, treatment, temporary care or meet the release requirements detailed in the department’s Codes of Practice, in accordance with the following conditions:
- the person or organisation receiving an animal is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation provider or veterinary hospital
- the import and export requirements of the other state or territory jurisdiction are met prior to the movement of an animal, and
- the authorisation of movement of protected animals out of and into New South Wales will not apply to healthy ‘catch and release’ animals.
In-situ treatment of free-living wombats affected by mange [delete if not required]
- A licensee who possesses a permit from the APVMA to undertake in-situ control of sarcoptic mange in wombats must:
- within 14 days notify the NPWS Wildlife Licensing Team that the permit has been issued, and
- maintain a current record of any authorised persons operating under this licence who will implement the permit (see condition 10e).
Catch and release of reptiles [delete if not required]
- This licence permits the licensee and authorised persons who are at least 18 years of age, and have at least 2 years of prior experience in handling of reptiles or have completed a practical reptile handling course with key skill areas including identification and venomous snake handling, to catch and release nuisance reptiles from a premise in accordance with the following conditions:
- they possess a current first aid certificate and carry first aid snake bite equipment to the site, and
- they hold healthy reptiles no longer than 3 days, and
- they release reptiles in an area within the species’ natural distribution within 20 km of the original capture site, as far away from human occupation as possible.
Catch and release of possums [delete if not required]
- This licence permits the licensee and authorised persons to catch and release nuisance possums from a premise in accordance with the following conditions:
- cage traps must be checked each day between the hours of 5 am and 10 am
- a possum must not be left in a cage for a period of more than 24 hours
- a possum removed from a roof cavity must be inside a cage covered with a permeable material
- a possum must be released after sunset on the property on which it was captured, within 150 m from the point of capture, and
- a possum must be released against a structure that it can immediately climb.
More information
Records, notifications and enquiries should be directed to:
Wildlife Team
National Parks and Wildlife Service
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124
Phone: 02 9585 6406
Email: [email protected]
Governance resources for the wildlife rehabilitation sector
Managing conflict in the wildlife rehabilitation sector
Conflict is a normal part of life and of working with others and will likely affect everyone at some time. For example, conflict may arise because of a difference in interpretation of guidelines, standards, rules or facts or a disagreement about personal performance or views. Sometimes, it may also involve inappropriate behaviours like bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Dealing with conflict can be uncomfortable and stressful. If allowed to escalate, it can be very destructive to people and organisations involved. For a wildlife rehabilitation group, conflict can affect its reputation in the community and result in volunteer burnout, loss of members and negatively impact the operation of the organisation itself.
The department has no authority under the BC Act to resolve conflicts in wildlife rehabilitation groups. Neither does it arbitrate such matters. Instead, we have focused on developing resources and tools to enable groups to deal with conflict if it arises. We want to ensure everyone in the wildlife rehabilitation sector can access the right tools to manage conflict within their organisations. So, in collaboration with Justice Connect, we have developed a Conflict management toolkit and a Conflict of interest policy for the wildlife rehabilitation sector in New South Wales.
The conflict management toolkit includes a package of resources to help wildlife rehabilitation organisations avoid and manage internal conflict, including:
- strategies for preventing, identifying and managing conflict
- governance considerations for committees dealing with conflict
- bullying sexual harassment and discrimination policy
- codes of conduct for committees and volunteers and a
- complaint form.
The conflict management toolkit should become an essential part of each wildlife rehabilitation organisation's governance policy and procedures.
If groups cannot resolve conflict using these tools, they may need to seek the assistance of independent mediation – for example, from a Community Justice Centre – or contact NSW Fair Trading or the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission if appropriate. Unresolved matters may require independent legal advice.
Developing these resources is an action in our Volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector strategy and a recommendation of the Independent Biodiversity Legislation Review Panel.
Training in leadership, train the trainer and conflict resolution skills
To help support licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitation organisations, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has worked closely with WIRES to create free online training courses in leadership, training and conflict resolution.
The courses have been created to assist organisations and individual volunteers wanting more support. They will assist new committee members and other volunteers who take on leadership and training roles in their respective organisations. See Governance courses New South Wales.
Health and safety
The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife's Wildlife Heroes program has created a booklet and pocket guide to highlight some key health and safety hazards of wildlife rehabilitation and common ways to minimise them. The Let's Make it Zero for our Wildlife Heroes booklet is designed to fit on a folded A4 landscape style, and the pocket guide is a small A6 size for your pocket.
Recruiting new volunteers
Finding new volunteers across all ages and demographics can be challenging for wildlife rehabilitation organisations. The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife Wildlife Heroes program has created a poster describing all the activities potential new volunteers can do with their local group. The Do You Want to Help Wildlife? poster can be downloaded and used at community events.