Good prognosis for wildlife hospital

Image: Andrew Webb, WD Architects

Plans for Moreton Bay’s new $18 million wildlife hospital - which will plug a “concerning gap” in Queensland - are taking shape.

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

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

This includes “possible milestones and progressive funding arrangements”.

The funding follows Moreton Bay City Council’s decision to allocate a flat 1.6ha site for the hospital, close to Old Gympie Rd, Boundary Rd and the Bruce Highway.

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 Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital at Beerwah, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and the RSPCA hospital at Wacol.

MBWHF says wildlife the number of patients needing care in South East Queensland has risen from 6000 to more than 27,000 a year at Wacol alone during the past decade.

One in three koalas admitted to South East Queensland’s wildlife hospital network come from the Moreton Bay region.

About 7000 animals from the Moreton Bay region are admitted and treated every year – and that figure is rising.