wildlifefriendlyfencing, wildlife friendly fencing

The wildlife friendly fencing project is raising awareness of the impact of barbed wire and netting on Australian wildlife, especially bats, birds and gliders, and developing guidelines for good practice. More than 70 wildlife species have been identified in Australia as occasional or regular victims of barbed wire fences. Each year thousands of these animals face a cruel death or permanent injuries from entanglement. Many of the survivors are euthanased as they are unreleasable. Barbed wire is both an animal welfare and conservation issue, as it is now being recognised as a threatening process in the draft / recovery plans for a number of species. These include the Yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), the Magogany glider (Petaurus gracilis), the Spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) and Grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalis).

Many people have sought local solutions to the problem, but the issues are too big to tackle alone. A grant from the Threatened Species Network of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 2006-8 provided the opportunity to introduce the concept of wildlife friendly fencing, develop resources, and encourage on-ground changes to fencing. With this funding assured, other organizations were approached to boost the support base and breadth of the project. Co-sponsors included Bat Conservation International, Australasian Bat Society, Australian Ethical Investments, and RSPCA Queensland .

The project continues despite acquittal of the WWF project in April 2008. The outcomes we seek require a fundamental change in approaches to fencing; a change that considers the welfare of wildlife in the landscape. The WWF funding was granted to Tolga Bat Hospital, who are leading the project. Bat Rescue Inc and Bat Care Brisbane are partners taking the project into south-east Queensland, and there are many other organisations promoting the project all over Australia eg NRM groups, conservation groups, wildlife rescue groups etc

We need your help

1. Familiarise yourself with the project through this website. Tell others.

2. Each time you rescue an animal from a barbed wire fence that is not our our list of species already reported as victims of barbed wire, go to the website and submit a rescue form - and pelase send us photos.

3. Give us your ideas on wildlife friendly fencing, especially if you are landowners with fencing responsibilities.

4. Help introduce wildlife friendly fencing into your community through appropriate channels eg Landcare or NRM groups. Please contact us for brochures to distribute.

5. Support us by making a donation, or purchasing WFF promotional products - tshirts and cat stickers.