South Island Wildlife Hospital

22/06/2026

Modern x-ray software allow our vets to manipulate images to focus on different tissues. Altering the contrast or viewing a negative image can help identify subtle problems, or highlight density changes.
Which native species do you think this might be? (Hint: they love their summer fruits!)
Can you spot the asymmetry between the left and right shoulders?

15/06/2026

UPDATE: DUE TO INTEREST LEVEL, APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
🐦 Volunteer opportunity

We're currently looking for committed volunteers to join our Wildlife Hospital team.

This is a physical, hands-on role that would suit someone who is proactive, flexible, and has an interest in New Zealand's native wildlife. Preference will be given to applicants with prior bird handling experience and/or experience working in a clinical or veterinary setting.

Volunteers must be able to commit to one shift per week for a minimum of six months.

To express your interest, please email [email protected] by 5:00pm on 20 June. Successful applicants will be invited to attend an induction the following weekend.

Join us in making a difference for native wildlife—we'd love to hear from you!

12/06/2026

Last month, we received a white-faced heron that had gotten entangled in fishing nylon. Human-related rubbish is one of many environmental pollutants that impact our wildlife. In this instance, the nylon had caused a cut and bruising to the leg of the matuku moana which was able to heal, allowing for a successful recovery and release a few weeks later.
Not all entanglements end so well - wildlife of all taxa are at risk of limb loss, gaping wounds, or life loss from getting caught up in rubbish of various materials. As frustrating as littering is, it is not always deliberate. Picking up litter, and especially fishing gear can be an important aid in prevention of injury.

04/06/2026

Could you help man our phone line? We are looking for a volunteer phone coordinator to share the load of answering the hospital phone. This is a remote (off-site) position. Our phoneline is the first port of call for people reporting found injured wildlife. Full job description in comments. Email [email protected] to express an interest.

01/06/2026

One of our vets is giving a talk this Sunday 7th about the work of the hospital. Free to attend, come along to the Mt Pleasant Community Centre for 10.30am.

29/05/2026

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360985849/wildlife-rescuers-horrified-after-mass-pukeko-poisoning

Wildlife staff were confronted with a distressing scene of dead and dying pūkeko beside Willowbank Wildlife Reserve this week.

27/05/2026

🔊 The trills of the kea. We currently have 8 kea under care at present. Kea are incredibly intelligent and combating their boredom is just as important as the medical care they need to treat their health conditions. Our aviary space offers them the opportunity to fly, forage, and play while keeping them accessible for regular treatments.
Supporters like Topflite through their Soar Initiative, help us care for these and other native birds.
Demands on the hospital continue to grow and our longterm goal includes a larger hospital and more aviary spaces. If you, or your organisation can help support our work and goals, head to https://wildlifehospital.co.nz/become-a-sponsor/

26/05/2026

The good people of Hot Water Shop Christchurch will be donating $10 to the hospital for every environmentally friendly heat pump system they install.

Our friends at Gree New Zealand donate $10 to Birdcare Aotearoa each time they sell a WHIO heat pump system. The whio is the native duck on our $10 bill!

So, we've decided to match this by donating $10 to South Island Wildlife Hospital with every environmentally-friendly heat pump system we install! The SIWH do great work here in Canterbury!

19/05/2026

Ruru or Chewbacca? 🤔
This Morepork arrived at the hospital in April with injuries to their eyes and cloaca. The cloaca is the bird equivalent of the a**s, although it is really a combined opening that serves the ge***al tract and the digestive tract.
It is not clear how the bird came to be injured but they were found at the side of the road, so being hit by a car is a possibility. Although initially there was great concern for the ruru's vision, after 6 weeks of care, the morepork was confirmed to be able to hunt and fly well. The manu was able to be released back into the wild at the weekend.

14/05/2026

Thanks to supporters like Forest & Bird - North Canterbury we have been able to take care of multiple kea that have presented over the last few months with the effects of lead poisoning. Kea are intelligent birds that love to explore novel items in their environment. For birds, this often involves eating things they shouldn't.
Despite a ban on lead in many commercial products, historic sources such as paints and fixtures still exist in the backcountry. Thanks to the efforts of organisations such as Kea Conservation Trust , Backcountry Trust Aotearoa/New Zealand , and Department of Conservation , environmental lead is being targeted to help keep these charismatic birds safe.
Our patients may undergo several procedures to help us diagnose their illness, such as blood tests and x-rays. The latter requires an anaesthetic to allow positioning which in this case, shows off the beautiful green and orange colour combo that this species is famous for.