Darling Range Wildlife Shelter WA

Darling Range Wildlife Shelter WA Darling Range Wildlife Shelter (DRWS) is a volunteer run and not-for-profit organization.
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DRWS treats, cares and rehabilitates Australian native wildlife - including joeys and juvenile kangaroos, numerous birds, possums, bandicoots and shingleback lizards also being nursed. Our objective is to work towards their release, back into their natural environment. Our volunteers work hard establishing and confirming safe and suitable release sites for all our wildlife.

We are running out of time to show the WA State Government that Western Australians want wildlife rehabilitation include...
08/09/2026

We are running out of time to show the WA State Government that Western Australians want wildlife rehabilitation included in the next State Budget.

There are two key ways people can support the campaign:

Sign the petition – The survey link takes around 30 seconds to add your name to the campaign.

www.change.org/stepupforwildlife

Write to your local Member of Parliament – This will have an even greater impact. We have provided letter templates that can be personalised and formally sent to local MPs by email or post. It should only take around five minutes. www.wragwa.org/step-up-for-wildlife

We need all petition signatures and letters submitted by the end of September so they can be included as evidence of community support in our funding submission to the State Government.

🌿 SPRING IS HERE: PLEASE SLOW DOWN 🖤Spring has arrived, and our wildlife is on the move.Across the South West, black coc...
02/09/2026

🌿 SPRING IS HERE: PLEASE SLOW DOWN 🖤
Spring has arrived, and our wildlife is on the move.

Across the South West, black cockatoos are actively moving and foraging, often coming down to feed along roadsides and verges. These large, heavy birds can be slow to take off and gain height, leaving them particularly vulnerable to passing vehicles.

Sadly, we are already beginning to see black cockatoos arriving at our wildlife hospital following vehicle strikes.

One recent arrival never got that chance.
A responsible driver stopped after finding a female black cockatoo on the road and took the time to collect her and seek help. Unfortunately, she had already died from her injuries. 💔

As we head further into spring, we're asking everyone to take a little extra care:
Slow down when you see black cockatoos feeding near the road.

Give them space. Give them time to move.
Give them a chance to get home. 🖤

A few seconds off your journey could mean an entire lifetime for them.

Recently, Volunteer Bec and our Wildlife Rehabilitation & Development Officer, Kira, headed down south to Porongurup and...
31/08/2026

Recently, Volunteer Bec and our Wildlife Rehabilitation & Development Officer, Kira, headed down south to Porongurup and surrounds for a well-earned getaway.

While there, they had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Karen from Healing Hands Wildlife Care, a dedicated regional wildlife carer doing incredible work for wildlife in her community. 🦘🦜

Opportunities like this are about so much more than simply saying hello. Connecting with other wildlife carers gives us the chance to share knowledge, swap experiences, discuss different approaches to rehabilitation and husbandry, and learn from the challenges faced by carers in different parts of WA.

Wildlife rehabilitation is always evolving, and some of our greatest learning comes from each other. Building strong relationships with carers and organisations across regional Australia helps us continue to grow, improve and ultimately provide better outcomes for the wildlife that comes into our care. 💚

And, of course, when you're in the Porongurups… it would be rude not to sample a local w**ery together! 🍷😂

A beautiful afternoon of wildlife talk, knowledge sharing, good w**e and plenty of laughs.

Thank you Karen for taking the time to catch up with us we loved meeting another one of WA's wildlife heroes! 🐾💚

💚 And this is what it was all about.Over the past few weeks we've talked a lot about art, artists, auctions, exhibitions...
29/08/2026

💚 And this is what it was all about.

Over the past few weeks we've talked a lot about art, artists, auctions, exhibitions and everything that went into our first Wild for Art.

But behind all of it was one very simple reason for doing it.

Wildlife.

Wild for Art raised funds that will help DRWS continue rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.

So, as we wrap up our very first Wild for Art, one final thank you to everyone who entered, donated, volunteered, visited, shared, voted, sponsored, supported or placed a bid.

Until next year, Wild for Art. 🎨🦘

💚 And the gratitude keeps coming (as there were really a LOT of people who helped make Wild for Art happen) 💚One of the ...
29/08/2026

💚 And the gratitude keeps coming (as there were really a LOT of people who helped make Wild for Art happen) 💚

One of the really cool things about putting together our first Wild for Art was discovering how many people were willing to help us along the way.

Some gave time, some shared skills, some donated prizes or refreshments, some lent us things we needed — and quite a few simply said “yes” when we asked for help!

Our three $500 competition prizes were generously sponsored by .dorn.ajp , Cr Daniel Newman JP, Heron Ward Councillor and Steve de Gruchy, both DRWS Committee members.

We were very lucky to have Dr Allison Bell and Kelly Pilgrim-Byrne of 7 to 1 Photography as our judges. Both wonderful supporters of DRWS over the years, and we really appreciated them giving their time and expertise — and taking on the not-so-easy job of choosing our winners!

A big thank you also goes to the Armadale Camera Club, who took on the huge job of photographing our auction collection. The images made such a difference to the way we were able to present the artwork online.

Opening Night was made that little bit more special thanks to Found>Lab, Byford, who generously donated the b**r, Cellarbrations at Hills Emporio in Karragullen, who donated the w**e, and Excuse My French, who kept everyone very happily supplied with crêpes. 😊 Thank you for helping us create an amazing evening.

And if you look at these photos from Wild for Art, the display frames holding our artwork came courtesy of St Christopher's Anglican Church, Roleystone. They also loaned us crockery for our Supporters Evening and exhibition signs — all those practical things that made our first exhibition that much easier to put on

There were many others who helped, and we hope we've managed to acknowledge everyone along the way.

To everyone who gave us their time, expertise, products, prizes, equipment or simply helped when we needed it — thank you.

For something we'd never attempted before, we had a pretty wonderful group of people around us :)

🎨 A very big thank you to our artistsOne of the things that surprised us most about our first Wild for Art was just how ...
29/08/2026

🎨 A very big thank you to our artists

One of the things that surprised us most about our first Wild for Art was just how generously the art community got behind it.

We approached artists, photographers, art groups and creatives with a new idea from a wildlife shelter — and so many simply said yes. 💚

Some donated original works or limited-edition pieces for our auction. Others entered our competition, shared our posts or encouraged friends and fellow artists to become involved.

The result was a wonderful mix of paintings, photography, sculpture, glass, pottery and more — and an exhibition that was probably even better than we'd imagined when we first started planning it.

We know how much time, skill and work goes into creating a piece of art, which makes that generosity even more appreciated.

So to everyone who created, entered, donated, shared or supported Wild for Art — thank you.

You helped us fill a room with some pretty amazing wildlife-inspired art, while raising funds to help care for the real thing. 🎨🦘💚

🦇 It’s International Bat Night! 🦇This weekend, 29–30 August, is a global celebration of bats — a chance to shine a littl...
28/08/2026

🦇 It’s International Bat Night! 🦇

This weekend, 29–30 August, is a global celebration of bats — a chance to shine a little light on some pretty amazing (and often underappreciated!) little mammals.

We don’t see many bats come through the doors at Darling Range Wildlife Shelter, but as luck would have it, we had a tiny bat visitor just this Tuesday. After assessment at DRWS, it was transferred to Kanyana Wildlife for further treatment.

And while we may not see them very often, there are plenty of bats quietly going about their business after dark.

Nine species of microbat are found in south-west WA — including Gould’s wattled bats, southern forest bats and the rather fabulous-sounding chocolate wattled bat. 🦇

These little guys are nocturnal insect hunters and play an important role in keeping insect numbers under control. Some are incredibly small, and you could quite easily have them living and feeding around your neighbourhood without ever knowing they’re there.

Unfortunately, like so much of our wildlife, bats are affected by the loss of natural habitat and tree hollows.

That’s where habitat boxes can lend a helping hand. 💚

DRWS has microbat habitat boxes available for sale, providing an alternative daytime roost where suitable natural hollows are limited. So if you have room for a little extra wildlife real estate at your place, pop in and have a look at our boxes.

🌙 Want to learn a little more about local bats?

has put together a great resource — including the species we have locally, where they live, the threats they face and how we can help:

👉 Bats – https://www.ccwa.org.au/bat_monitoring_program

So this International Bat Night, head outside around dusk, look to the skies and spare a thought for the tiny night shift heading out to work. 🦇💚

Happy International Bat Night!

💚 Well, there goes Wild for Art!We’ve had a little time to catch our breath after our very first Wild for Art, and there...
27/08/2026

💚 Well, there goes Wild for Art!

We’ve had a little time to catch our breath after our very first Wild for Art, and there’s really only one place to start — with a thank you.

We went into this event not quite knowing what to expect. It was something completely new for DRWS and, as the idea grew, so did the number of people who put their hands up to help make it happen.

Artists trusted us with their beautiful work. Individuals and businesses donated prizes and auction items. Our judges generously gave their time and expertise. Community groups offered their skills. And behind the scenes, our volunteers did an enormous amount of work to somehow turn all the different pieces into an exhibition, auction and Open Day.

Then, of course, there was everyone who came along.

You wandered through the exhibition, voted for your favourites, joined us on tours, chatted with our volunteers, shared our posts, placed bids and supported the event in so many different ways.

For a first-time event, we couldn’t have asked for much more.

There are plenty of individual thank-yous still to come because so many people deserve to be acknowledged properly. But for now, to everyone who contributed, visited, bid, shared, helped or simply cheered us on — thank you.

Wild for Art was created to bring together two things we love — wildlife and creativity — while raising funds to help DRWS continue caring for wildlife.

And we're pretty excited about the result.

While we're still finalising the numbers, Wild for Art has generated more than $18,000 in fundraising income — an incredible outcome for our very first event. 💚

Every dollar raised will help support the rescue, rehabilitation and release of wildlife.

Seeing so many people get behind that idea has been pretty special. 💚

And yes... we’re already thinking about next year. 😂🎨🦘

🩷 A GALAH, A 3-METRE POLE & SOME SERIOUS TEAMWORK 🩷Sometimes wildlife rescue requires a little creativity… and sometimes...
25/08/2026

🩷 A GALAH, A 3-METRE POLE & SOME SERIOUS TEAMWORK 🩷

Sometimes wildlife rescue requires a little creativity… and sometimes it requires finding the tallest volunteer you have! 😅

After falling inside a 3+ metre pole, this poor Galah found itself trapped at the very bottom, where it had been stuck for at least an entire day.

A concerned member of the public reached out to our friends at WA Seabird Rescue, who then contacted us to see whether any of our volunteers could assist, as we were local to the area.

Within no time, a group of volunteers had sprung into action. 💪

Thankfully, volunteer Brady was tall enough to reach the top of the pole and carefully lower a rope down inside, with a small branch secured to the end. The hope was that our trapped little friend could grab hold and make the long journey back to the top.

After some patience and creative problem-solving, the sound everyone had been waiting for finally echoed from inside the pole…

Happy Galah screams! 🥹🩷

Our feisty patient wasn't quite finished with the rescue team, though. Upon reaching freedom, the Galah launched itself towards the ground, and promptly tore up the hands of one of our volunteers before being safely secured in a carry crate. 😅

The poor bird was saturated, exhausted and incredibly stressed after its ordeal, and was in desperate need of some rest and care.

Our own hospital was absolutely swamped that afternoon, so our wonderful friends at Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre stepped in and took over the Galah's care.

From the member of the public who raised the alarm, to WA Seabird Rescue coordinating help, our volunteers getting creative on scene, and Kanyana providing ongoing care, this rescue really was a team effort.

It just goes to show: teamwork really does make the dream work. 🩷🦜

Thank you to everyone who played a part in getting this little Galah out of a very deep predicament!

23/08/2026

This is the reality OUR CHILDREN now face because the wildlife rehabilitation sector is at breaking point.
Wildlife admissions are rising by 10-15% every year, while wildlife hospitals and rehabilitators continue to rely on volunteers, donations and fundraising to survive.
Without sustainable government funding, wildlife will continue to suffer.
Sign the petition and help us demand change:
www.change.org/stepupforwildlife
Our wildlife needs us to step up!

Address

Lot 801 Hayward Road
Martin, WA
6990

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Sunday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+61893940885

Website

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