Australian bushfires: Midhurst vets send help for wildlife

A group of vets in Midhurst is sending donations to support the wildlife affected by the Australian bush fires.

Springfield Vets in Lamberts Lane is sending various bandaging materials and other forms of help to groups in Australia working to save the wildlife.

An estimated 1billion animals have already died in the fires.

Staff are also encouraging other surgeries to follow suit.

Robyn Hibberd is a veterinary nurse at Springfield Vets.

She said: “We have been collecting a range of donations to send out to Australia to send out to all the wildlife casualties that have occurred through all the bush fires. What we would really like to do is to encourage other practices as well if they are able to send whatever they can.

"Obviously we are governed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate so we have to stay within the law and make sure that we are not sending anything that is restricted.

"We are not sending any drugs but we are sending good things like bandage materials, cotton wool, towels, pillow cases, which they use for joey pouches, baby bottles and the teats and lots of other stuff that I’m sure they will make good use of. So all of these bits that we are sending are going to a place called the Rescue Collective.

"Their main headquarters is based in Queensland and what they do is they work with lots of different wildlife organisations across Australia, including the bat conservation, they work with Wires and all sorts of other important rescue centres. If you are interested in sending out anything send it to them because what they do is distribute it out to all the places in need of it most and they will be very grateful.

"If you haven’t got anything that you could send then they will be very grateful for a monetary donation as well.”

Anyone looking to donate can send equipment to Unit 4, 55 Tenby Street, Mount Gravatt, Queensland 4122 Australia.