Cairns Wildlife Vet Services
Cairns Vet Clinic treats hundreds of wild animals annually, most at no charge.
Many of these have been injured by motor vehicles, pets or other human activities. By far the biggest group of wildlilfe we see are wild birds. Many of these have fallen from their nest or been attacked by cats.
We also see many feral birds such as pigeons and Mynah birds. Feral birds are generally euthanased. Likewise wild animals which cannot be rehabilitated are also euthanased.
Wildlife which has a good chance of making a full recovery and being returned to the wild are referred to qualified, registered wildlife carers at FNQ Wildlife rescue.
If you find lost, sick or injured wildlife, it is best to first contact FNQ Wildlife Rescue. In many cases if the animal is not healthy they will refer you to Cairns Vet Clinic.
WARNING: DO NOT HANDLE BATS OR FLYING FOXES.
We do not accept bats or flying foxes: If you find a sick or injured bat, do not touch it. Contact FNQ Wildlife Rescue or the Tolga Bat Hospital. If you are bitten or scratched by a bat you should thoroughly clean the area with a virucidal disinfectant like betadine scrub and seek urgent medical attention.
Sick bats may be infected with Australian Bat Lyssavirus which can cause fatal, untreatable infections in humans. Lyssavirus is a close relative of Rabies virus and vaccination with rabies vaccine is required to protect wildlife carers from Lyssavirus infections from bat bites and scratches. Bats also carry Hendra virus though no direct transmission to humans has been reported before.
