Wildlife Drinking Stations

In 2019, after a long drought, Australia had its hottest and driest year on record. Then the Black Summer Bushfires hit, igniting millions of hectares of tinder-dry forest, farmland, wildlife habitat, and even urban areas. Many lives and homes were lost, and it is estimated that up to three billion animals were killed during this catastrophic event.

During the drought, and in the aftermath of the fires, koalas were presenting to our Hospital with severe dehydration. They usually get the hydration they need from the leaves they eat, however, drought conditions reduced the moisture content in their food trees. Koalas were coming into urban areas and drinking from lawn sprinklers, street gutters, and anywhere small amounts of water had pooled, further increasing the risk to their lives.

We knew we needed to supply water to wildlife in local areas in need, so we investigated a water dispensing system designed by industrious Northern NSW engineer Greg Buck. We called them Wildlife Drinking Stations (WDS).

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to fund the production of the Wildlife Drinking Stations strategically positioned around Port Macquarie. The generosity of our supporters saw the GoFundMe campaign well and truly surpass our modest goal. We replanned the scope of our project and reached out to other wildlife rescue organisations, private landowners with large forested parcels, and Forestry Corporation NSW to help facilitate spreading the WDS’s further afield.

Led by KCA volunteer Steve Withnall, we built and deployed an astounding 150 Wildlife Drinking Stations, which were delivered across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland.

We still receive images from the owners of WDSs across the country showing the wildlife that drink from them daily!