Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue

04/09/2026

Thank you so much to Golden Plains Times for the article and to our amazing donors.

Pictured are rescuers Beckie, Angela & Sarah 💚

🦘 Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue has had a memorable month helping local wildlife and receiving support. Full story 👉 bit.ly/4cX8frS

01/09/2026

Join Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue!

We’re a registered not-for-profit charity urgently looking for more active volunteers. With only a small portion of our team currently hands-on, the rest of us are stretched thin. If you have a big heart, some spare time, and the resilience to handle the real (and sometimes tough) side of wildlife rescue, we’d love to have you.

~ What we do ~
We focus purely on frontline rescue. We’re out on the roads and in the field every day responding to emergencies involving sick, injured, or orphaned native animals - especially kangaroos in our area.

We don’t have a shelter or facility, and we’re not carers. Our role is to get out there quickly, safely contain the animal, and transport it to authorised carers or vets. We don’t perform first aid. In severe cases involving macropods (kangaroos, wallabies, etc.), if the animal is suffering irreparably, we humanely euthanise on site.

A big part of the work involves road trauma. That means heartbreaking situations and carefully checking the pouches of deceased females for any joeys that might still be alive. Outcomes aren’t always positive, but every pouch check gives those tiny ones a chance and we’ve saved many that way.

~ Why join us?~
• Fully registered and properly insured as an organisation
• Most members are also registered with Wildlife Victoria (opening up even more coordinated cases)
• Flexible - respond to calls when you can
• No experience needed - we’ll show you the ropes and pair you with experienced rescuers whenever possible
• Basic rescue kit supplied (pouches, towels, blankets, gloves, etc.)
• Membership fee: **$50 for the first year, then $25 each year after that** (renewal in July each year - non-refundable)

~ How it works ~
Cases are posted in our private Messenger group. If you’re free and able, just reply and head out. It’s completely volunteer-driven and flexible around your life.

~ Ready to get involved? ~
Message the page with a little bit about yourself and we can go from there.

If this doesn’t sound like the right fit after reading, that’s completely okay. No hard feelings at all.

Every rescue, every pouch check, every drive counts. Let’s save more lives together 🦘🐨

31/08/2026

🐍 Snake season is here

As the weather warms up, snakes are becoming more active around Bannockburn and the wider Golden Plains area.

Just a reminder - Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue does not offer snake relocation.
We are not licensed for this work. If you find a snake on your property, please contact a licensed snake catcher.

In the past, several of our members have needed snakes relocated and have used Nate from Snake Relocation Lara. He’s been their go-to, which is why we now refer public enquiries to him.

Nate is one of the most affordable options in the area (that we’re aware of) at $80 with no call-out fee, and he’s available 24/7.

📞 Nate - 0447 001 312

Covering Lara, Golden Plains, Geelong, the Bellarine & the Surf Coast.

Please keep a safe distance, keep pets and children away, and never attempt to catch or kill a snake.

29/08/2026

Yesterday Rachael contacted us about a post on one of the local pages reporting a joey grazing next to the road at the corner of Clyde Rd & Midland Hwy.

Our team headed out and spotted her straight away. She was far too young to be on her own, so we knew we had to get her to safety.
We weren’t able to secure a darter to sedate her, so as a team - with the assistance of Rachael, Stacey, and the local police who slowed traffic - we decided to try and catch her by hand.

A huge thank you to quick-thinking Emily, who went for the grab and successfully captured her!
She was taken to a vet for sedation to calm her down and check for any injuries, then transported out to a carer 🙌

Thank you to BWR team members Emily, Sarah, Rebecca, Beckie and Angela who were able to help out. It was a great result.

Even better, we were meant to meet a reporter at 3pm who is doing a story on Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue and the amazing donation we received from Leanne and Brendan (which was thrown out by this rescue), but the reporter came to us instead and got to see us in action - and exactly why we do what we do.

Thank you to everyone who slowed down while our rescuers were roadside trying to stop her from running onto the road before police arrived.

23/08/2026

Out of the blue on Saturday we were contacted by Leanne & Brendan. They asked how we went with our GoFundMe (the one raising funds for darting equipment and other gear) and said they’d love to come and meet me (Angela) to talk about a possible donation to Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue.

I’m always happy to sit down with anyone who’s willing to listen about why we do what we do, and why it matters.

We met on Sunday at our local café… and hit it off straight away. A lovely, wildlife-loving couple who clearly care deeply about the world we live in and the creatures we share it with.

Then they shared the news that left both Leanne and myself in tears:
"We want to donate $6,000 to Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue". Instant tears.

This is a truly incredible opportunity for us. It means we can finally get essential rescue gear that will improve safety for our rescuers and help us respond better when animals need us.

Every one of us has a “wish list” of things we’d love to have if money wasn’t an issue… but those things usually get pushed to the back burner. Not this time.

I am completely mind-blown by the generosity of Leanne & Brendan. Genuine, good people who care about our environment and our wildlife, and who can see the difference we’re trying to make.

Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts. 💚

23/08/2026

Today was a genuinely good day.

Sunshine on a crisp winter morning, our local plover family wandering the street with their babies, and coffee with a beautiful couple who’ve just made a seriously generous donation to BWR (more on that tomorrow - it deserves its own post).

Then we drove past Bannockburn Lagoon and saw the last remaining duck sign was gone. Same quiet vanishing act as the one before it.

It’s not enough to ruin a good day, but it’s still a proper kick in the guts. We’re just trying to do a bit of good for the local wildlife, and yet the signs keep getting ripped out. We can’t keep justifying the cost of putting up a $20 stand/sign only for it to disappear a few days or weeks later.

To whoever has taken them - bad karma’s coming your way.

*Super cute Plover babies in comments 😍*

17/08/2026

We've been out and about putting up more signs for Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue!

A big thank you to everyone who has kindly allowed us to put a sign on their gate or fence – your support means a lot.

If anyone knows a good spot where one of our signs could help (busy road, local shop, community board, etc.), please let us know. We'd love the suggestions.

Just a heads-up: the Duck and Cape Barren Goose signs are still being made and will be out soon.

Thanks everyone for the ongoing support! 🦆🪿

14/08/2026

Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue is a charity & not-for-profit. We don’t charge a call-out fee; we do this because we care.
The hours, petrol, wear and tear, and most of our gear come out of our own pockets unless donations allow the charity to cover them.

We purchased custom sign holders and coreflute (a small double-sided sign costs our charity around $18, a large single-sided around $21.50). A lovely local couple, Scott and Renee, generously donated the printing.

I put two of these “Slow Down - Ducks Crossing” signs up at Bannockburn Lagoon on Sunday.
I just drove past… and one is already gone. Misplaced, moved, or stolen 🤷‍♀️ $18 gone within just 5 days, maybe less as one of our rescuers doesn't think it was there on Wednesday night.

It’s so frustrating to put time, money and care into trying to keep wildlife (and motorists) safer, only to have that effort - and the charity’s money - wasted so quickly.
I’d love to believe someone moved it to another duck hotspot with good intentions… but right now I just don’t know.

Please, if you’re driving around Bannockburn and the lagoon area, slow down and keep an eye out for our feathered friends. They don’t understand roads the way we do.

A huge thank you to Scott and Renee for donating the printing, and to everyone who supports our little charity. We won’t stop trying. 💚🦆

09/08/2026

Bannockburn Wildlife Rescue is seeing a big increase in calls about Masked Lapwing (commonly called Plovers) and their chicks right now.

These birds are nesting - many have eggs or tiny chicks - and people are deliberately interfering with them. They’re tormenting the parents, who go into full protective mode and will dive-bomb anyone who gets too close to their nest or babies.

We know they sometimes choose what look like silly nesting spots to us, but it’s only for a few weeks.
• Please give them space.
• Walk a different route.
• Teach your kids to leave them alone
They’re just being good parents.

Right now there is a family of Plovers around Ewart Drive in Bannockburn that is being monitored.
Local kids have been tormenting them.
Plovers are a protected species - anyone found interfering with them can face fines of around $4,000 under the Wildlife Act.