"Critical care" boost for Moreton Bay

Above: Moreton Bay Wildlife Hospital image by Andrew Webb, WD Architects

Funding for Moreton Bay’s new wildlife hospital - to plug a “concerning gap” in Queensland - is closing in on the $18million target.

The State Government has confirmed its election pledge of $15m for a “state-of-the-art wildlife hospital and education hub … providing critical care for Queensland’s native animals”.

“We are committed to ongoing work with the City of Moreton Bay and Moreton Bay Wildlife Hospital Foundation (MBWHF) to provide this funding,” a Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesperson said.

It includes “possible milestones and progressive funding arrangements,” the spokesperson said.

The funding boost follows Moreton Bay City Council’s allocation of a 1.6-hectare site, close to Old Gympie Rd, boundary Rd and the Bruce Highway, for the hospital.

Designs, by Andrew Webb of WD Architects, also show a facility for surgery, medical care, rehabilitation and eventually community education and training.

The triage will be prioritised in stage one of construction - slated to be within two years – followed by a $1 million auditorium in stage two.

MBWHF says the hospital will be a “beacon of hope for our precious native fauna” providing “best medical care and rehabilitation”.

It would employ two full-time equivalent (FTE) veterinarians, six FTE veterinary nurses and three FTE administration/leaf cutters.

Thousands of Moreton Bay’s native animals currently face a journey of an hour (and sometimes two hours) to wildlife hospitals beyond this region.

These include Australian Zoo Wildlife Hospital at Beerwah, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and the RSPCA hospital at Wacol.

MBWHF says in the last decade wildlife patients needing care in South-East Queensland (SEQ) have risen from 6000 to more than 27,000 a year at Wacol alone.

Around 7000 animals from this region are admitted and treated every year – and that figure is rising.

One in three koalas admitted to SEQ’s wildlife hospital network also come from the Moreton Bay region.