Australian Wildlife Week: Every Day Is a Wildlife Day at Amaris
Australian Wildlife Week, celebrated annually during the first week of October, was established by the Australian Wildlife Society in 2019 to raise awareness and appreciation for our country’s incredible native species. In 2025, it runs from Wednesday, October 1 to Monday, October 6—but here at Amaris Wildlife Sanctuary, we live it every day.
Australian Wildlife Week was created to spotlight the incredible biodiversity of Australia—from kangaroos and wombats to gliders, echidnas, and endangered possums—and to inspire individuals, schools, and communities to take action. It’s a time to celebrate the beauty of our native species and reflect on the threats they face, including habitat loss, climate change, and human impact.
This week is a chance to spotlight the stories of resilience and healing that unfold quietly and powerfully across our sanctuary. Stories like Cherish, who arrived sick and fragile but found safety and strength in the arms of her carer. Now she has a beautiful baby named Carys, a living symbol of hope. And of course, there’s Jaffa, whose gentle spirit reminds us why we do this work.
At Amaris Wildlife Sanctuary, every week is wildlife week—but this one is special. Australian Wildlife Week, held during the first week of October, is a national invitation to pause, reconnect with nature, and reflect on the extraordinary creatures that share our land.
Australia is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Did you know that:
87% of our mammals,
93% of our reptiles,
94% of our frogs, and
45% of our birds exist only here? These aren’t just numbers. They’re a reminder of how rare, how precious, and how deeply vulnerable our wildlife truly is.
At Amaris, we see this vulnerability every day. We cradle orphaned joeys whose mothers were hit by cars. We nurse ringtail possums back to health after habitat destruction. We watch echidnas shuffle through burnt soil, searching for life in landscapes changed by fire.
And yet, despite the odds, they survive. They adapt. They trust. That trust is sacred—and it’s why we do what we do.
The Power of Connection
Australian Wildlife Week isn’t just about awareness. It’s about connection. It’s about remembering that kangaroos aren’t just symbols—they’re sentient beings with families, routines, and personalities. That black cockatoos don’t just fly overhead—they mourn their lost nesting trees. That every creature, from the smallest gecko to the largest wombat, plays a role in the delicate web of life.
When we connect with nature, we begin to care. And when we care, we act.
The Challenges We Face
Our wildlife is under siege—from climate change, land clearing, invasive species, and increasingly, from well-intentioned but destructive practices like spring prescribed burns. These burns, often carried out without ecological surveys, can devastate breeding populations and destroy critical habitat. We’ve seen it firsthand. We’ve held the survivors. We’ve buried the ones who didn’t make it.
This week, we ask: What kind of future are we building for our wild ones? Will we be the generation that watched them vanish—or the one that stood up and changed course?
But wildlife care isn’t just about the carers—it’s about community. And there are so many ways you can help:
How You Can Make a Difference
Find a carer nearby and offer to wash and fold pouches—they’re used daily and always in demand.
Pick up shopping for a carer who’s too busy or tired to get to the store.
Collect browse (native foliage) for possums and joey’s—it’s their comfort food.
Add a bag of apples, carrots, or sweet potato to your weekly shop and donate it.
Offer to joey-sit so a carer can visit a friend, go to the hairdresser, or simply breathe.
Sew pouches or liners, knit beanies for carers, or donate fuel vouchers.
Help with admin—grant writing, social media, or record keeping.
Share stories of wildlife care to inspire others and raise awareness.
Nominate carers for local awards to honour their unseen work.
Celebrate the makers—those who craft, donate, and support behind the scenes.
At Amaris, we say every day is Wildlife Day. And yes—some days feel like a week. There are feeds to prepare, medications to administer, wounds to dress, and hearts to hold. But there’s also joy: the first hop of a healed joey, the sleepy blink of a possum in a pouch, the quiet gratitude of a carer who knows they’re not alone.
So this Wildlife Week, let’s celebrate not just the animals, but the entire circle of care that surrounds them. Let’s honour the carers, the donors, the makers, the storytellers—and you.
Because when we all do a little, wildlife gets a whole lot more love.
Meet Lyla Flung from her mum’s pouch when a car struck them on a country road, Lyla was spotted by the driver behind—rescued, cradled, and given a second chance. This Wildlife Week, we honour the quiet heroes who stop, care, and choose compassion. Every joey matters. Every life is worth saving.