WIRES Wildlife Rescue (NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) is the largest wildlife rescue & rehabilitation charity in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation providing rescue and rehabilitation for all native Australian fauna. All animal rescuers and carers are volunteers. It is funded by public donations and operates throughout the most populous Australian state, New South Wales. During the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires WIRES received $102,478,085 worth of donations from the public and celebrities. Aims WIRES mission statement is to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and to inspire others to do the same. The main activities of WIRES is to respond to individual public reports of sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife. If necessary, trained WIRES volunteers will rescue (collect) the animal, foster it (provide treatment and care until it is healthy), and release it back into the wild. WIRES operates under an authority from a government agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, allowing it to rescue and rehabilitate native animals, a practice which is generally forbidden by law in Australia. WIRES offers a short rescue and immediate care course that equips people to work with common species. Volunteers of WIRES can choose their level of commitment to the organization. Some of them also take extra training to handle certain species, as Koalas, snakes, possums, or gliders. The organization has 28 branches across Australia, being the biggest volunteer group in the country. In addition to the rehabilitation of individual animals, WIRES aims to improve native animal welfare generally through: Raising awareness in the community and government of threats to native wildlife Educating the public about habitat requirements, and encouraging preservation of the natural environment Encouraging and undertaking research relevant to the conservation of wildlife and habitat History and background WIRES was established in 1985, when an injured Australian white ibis was found in Hyde Park, Sydney. No organisation, government or conservation group could be found to take responsibility for its care. Other animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA, were not experienced with the needs of native animals, while the only suitable government agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, did not have the funding and staff levels needed to cope with injured fauna. A small group of private citizens formed to take on this responsibility and, by learning from one another, built up the knowledge and experience to meet the unique needs of Australian wildlife. The network