Did we choose this?
We’re often asked, “Well, it’s your choice, isn’t it?” As if we chose the heartbreak. As if we chose the exhaustion. As if we chose to bury another joey who didn’t make it.
Did we choose the 3-hourly feeds, the sleepless nights, the trauma of roadside rescues, the financial drain, the relentless grief of those we couldn’t save? Did we choose to educate people who don’t want to be educated, to fight for animals others call pests, to keep going when our hearts are already broken?
Or did it choose us?
Did this calling—this fierce, aching love for wildlife—choose us? Did God place this work in our hands, knowing we’d carry it even when it crushes us?
This week, the news broke that two wildlife sanctuaries in Western Australia are closing. Lisa’s Kangaroo Retreat in Port Hedland and Derby Native Wildlife in the Kimberley—both run by brilliant, devoted carers—have reached breaking point. Burnout. Compassion fatigue. Financial collapse. These aren’t buzzwords. They’re the reality behind the scenes of wildlife care. Wildlife rescue centres in WA's outback close due to lack of funding – ABC News
And they’re not alone. We’re all struggling.
We are told the government is responsible for wildlife. Yet we receive no operational funding. We are expected to comply with permits, licensing, and reporting—often with no time, no admin support, and no training. We are carers, not bureaucrats. Most of us don’t have time to sit behind a computer, even if we knew how to navigate the systems.
Grants? They’re rare. And when they do exist, they’re usually for infrastructure. But we need Milk, Food. Supplements. Bedding. Vet bills. Fuel. We need support to keep the animals alive—not just to build the walls around them.
This week, I had a visit from my new wildlife officer. A genuinely kind man. He wants to help. But he has no budget. No resources to offer. Just more paperwork. More compliance. More pressure.
So where do we go from here? What happens to those of us who keep doing this work until we can’t?
We see it all around us—suicide, burnout, bullying, and the hatred of kangaroos that seeps into every corner of our work. And still, we keep going. Not because we chose the suffering. But because we can’t look away.
Because someone has to care. Because someone has to show up. Because someone has to hold the joey who’s just lost her mother and whisper, “You’re safe now.”
So no—we didn’t choose this life in the way people think. But we choose it again, every day. Until we can’t.
And when that day comes, we hope someone else will be there to carry the torch. Because the kangaroos still need us. And they didn’t choose this either.
What the WA Government Says
In response to the closure of two wildlife sanctuaries, the WA Government stated:
"The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions does not employ staff to collect and rehabilitate native fauna and is greatly appreciative of the great work fauna rehabilitators do."
"Staff can assist with triage and prioritisation of fauna to appropriate facilities and people."
"The government values the work of wildlife rehabilitators and will continue to support grant applications."
The Reality on the Ground
While the WA Government has offered Animal Welfare Grants of up to $50,000 through the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), these grants:
Are highly competitive and infrequent (only four rounds since 2021)
Primarily fund infrastructure, not ongoing operational needs like food, milk, fuel, or vet care
Require time-consuming applications and reporting that many carers simply don’t have the capacity to complete
Not wildlife-specific – Wildlife carers must compete against desexing and vaccination programs for cats and dogs, abused horse rescues, rabbit shelters, and other companion animal initiatives
So while the government says it “values” wildlife rehabilitators, the funding system does not reflect that. The burden of care still falls on the shoulders of unpaid, unsupported volunteers—many of whom are now walking away, not because they want to, but because they can no longer survive doing this work alone.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) does not provide direct funding or staffing for wildlife rescue or rehabilitation. Their role is limited to licensing, compliance, and occasional triage support.
What This Means
Despite kind words and public appreciation, wildlife carers are still left to fund and manage the entire burden of care—physically, emotionally, and financially. The system relies on volunteers to do the work of government, without the resources or recognition they deserve.