Volunteer wildlife carers say the West Australian government has let them down as they front the state’s response to the deadly H5 bird flu, with a lack of protective clothing and funds putting them and animals at risk.
There are currently eight confirmed cases of avian influenza in Australia, with the first case found in the state’s Great Southern region.
On Wednesday, WA recorded two new suspected H5 cases in dead petrels found in the Perth metro area and north of Geraldton.
A southern giant petrel is the second bird to test positive in a preliminary test for avian influenza. (Supplied: Lori-Ann Shibish/Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary)
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has said that for now, PPE was only being supplied to wildlife carers taking part in surveillance sampling or carcass collection.
“In the longer term, PPE will be made available to wildlife organisations if the disease spreads, on a risk assessment basis,” they said.
Wildlife groups, however, want protective equipment distributed more widely.
Calls for critical resources
A week ago, WA’s Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis insisted PPE had been allocated to wildlife carers.
Wildlife carers say they are working hard to prevent the deadly flu strain from making its way into threatened native bird populations. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
ABC South West spoke with several major wildlife care organisations that all said no equipment had been provided.
WA Seabird Rescue volunteer Rachel Olsen said government resources were critical to managing bird flu in wild birds.
“We need to set up external facilities, we need to have quarantine, we need to have PPE, we need to be adequately resourced,”
she said.
Rachel Olsen says if the state government plans to rely on wildlife carers, it should fund them appropriately. (Supplied.)
“All of our wildlife rehabilitation hospitals in Western Australia are completely funded through donations and fundraising, and there is no government funding for any of them.
“[The state government] have openly said to us that they’re planning on relying on the existing infrastructure with these volunteer groups, then they need to fund them so that they can operate safely.”
The wildlife carers say required PPE includes:
- N95 or P2 mask
- rubber gloves
- PVC gloves
- water-resistant gowns
- boot covers/gum boots
- hair covers
- goggles/face shields
Carers say PPE supplies are running low as they ramp up infection risk protocols in the wake of H5 bird flu in WA. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
Ms Olsen said it was not clear how wildlife carers could access resources.
“There’s been a really big breakdown in communication between agencies,” she said.
“It’s really, really disappointing.”
‘Heartbreaking’ suffering
Across the South West, many private veterinary clinics no longer treated wild birds brought in by members of the public and wildlife volunteers.
Suzanne Strapp, president of major South West wildlife organisation FAWNA, said this often meant wild birds were being left to suffer.
“To see animals wait all day to die in pain is heartbreaking and it’s unacceptable,”
she said.
“Whether it’s euthanasia or whether it’s a treatment plan for that animal, we need it swiftly. You’d expect that for your golden retriever.”
Wildlife carers say they have been left to foot the bill for enacting proper bird flu infection risk protocols. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
Last week, FAWNA rescued a wedge-tailed eagle from a property in Brookhampton, 208 kilometres south of Perth.
Wedge-tailed eagles are Australia’s largest bird of prey and are a protected species, but Ms Strapp said she struggled to find a vet who would perform an X-ray on the raptor’s legs.
“It seems to be a soft tissue injury, which we wouldn’t have known,” she said.
“We would have just had to assume they had a broken foot, and, in an eagle, it is the end.”
Without an appropriate quarantine facility in the region, the injured eagle is being kept in a makeshift enclosure. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
Ms Strapp said she did not blame vets for shutting off services.
“The vets aren’t being selfish here, they are being serious,”
she said.
“But it leaves us in the South West, where we don’t have a wildlife hospital … with nowhere to take our birds.”
Suzanne Strapp tends to the injured eagle inside its makeshift quarantine enclosure. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)
The ABC has contacted the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), which is also managing influenza resources, for comment.
