TigerLodge WildCare

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Speewah, QLD
TigerLodge WildCare

For emergency native animal rescue in Cairns and the Northern Tablelands please call 4093 0761.

TigerLodge Wild Care is located on the Northern Tablelands in Far North Queensland on a 5-acre property with dedicated pens and enclosures for the rehabilitation of native wildlife. Established in 2012 by owners Wilf and Patty, TigerLodge Wild Care is a sanctuary for injured and/or orphaned native species to recover and rehabilitate before being released back to the wild. The relief and recovery w

ork is ongoing, with Wilf and Patty attending rescues day and night and dedicating many hours to the treatment and rehabilitation of animals in care largely at their own cost. Wilf holds current wildlife permits under the 'Nature Conservation Act 1992' for “Species of least concern”, “Seabirds” and “Raptors” which covers most species of birds, mammals, and macropods. These permits are renewed every three years through the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and are issued based on current training and care practices. A purpose-built flight aviary for raptors was completed in August 2021. This page is to recognise and thank those who have gone out of their way to help wildlife that has come into care at TigerLodge. We have met many people who have gone over and above to help an injured animal either by making a special trip to get the animal to care or through donations of goods, services or funds to help support them whilst in care. Should you have any questions, please feel free to message

02/06/2026

The cooler change in weather is not only felt by humans but also by our macropods.

This morning I came out to their enclosure and 8 little ones were catching the warming sunlight. I guess the others were still holed up in their overnight pouches.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

29/05/2026

Yesterday we had a call from outside of Dimbulah that a Wedge-tailed Eagle was found on the ground. When we got out there the bird was in bad shape and by the looks had been down on the ground for a few days.

We bandaged the obvious wing injury and administered some fluids before taking the bird for x-ray to Kuranda Veterinary Surgery.

Sadly the ulna shows a double fracture and the radius a single one. After consulting with Fight 4 Flight N.Q. Birds of Prey it was determined that euthanasia was the only kind solution for the bird as the chance of ever flying again was very minimal even with extensive surgery.

RIP you magnificent animal.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

10/05/2026

This Black Kite sat on the side of the road near Burketown when a truck driver noticed it hadn't moved since he last drove past. He picked him up and took him to Amanda who is known in the area to help injured wildlife. As the bird suffers from a vision problem Aviation flew it to Cooktown and Aviation flew it to Cairns where we picked the bird up.

I know I've said it before but it is so heartening to see what length people go to, to help injured wildlife.

Collectively we can achieve wonderful things!!!!!

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

03/05/2026

Cockatoos 1 : Agile 0

If you look closely, you will see there is a bandage at the end of this joey's tail! But what happened????

This little girl was minding her own business munching away on some sweet potato and roo pellets when a cockatoo decided that it wanted the food. In order to get what the cockatoo wanted, it bit the joey's tail so hard that it crushed the bones and needed to be amputated at that point.

We've observed this behaviour previously when cockatoos took on a fully grown male wallaby. One of the birds went and hopped in front of the wallaby drawing all attention to it. In the meantime, a second cockatoo snuck up from behind and bit the wallaby's tail so hard, blood oozed out of the wound. Needless to say, the wallaby had such a shock it took off and left the cockatoos to eat what they so badly wanted.

A massive big THANK YOU to Dr Adrienne from & Mareeba Veterinary Services who did the operation to give this joey another chance.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

01/05/2026

Here we go again!!

This male Northern Quoll made quite a ruckus when it appeared in the Mitre 10 in Mareeba. Not only did the little rascal set off their alarm but also "rearranged" some stock on the shelves.

We received the call for assistance and advised best course of action to capture this intruder and a trap was set. A couple of days later he couldn't resist the temptation of some dog food in the trap.

We went to Mareeba and picked up the quoll and took him to a much more suitable location for him to live his life.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

22/04/2026

Last week was not a happy week for a number of pademelons.

Among other rescues, we were able to bring these three "velvet" joeys into care after their mum was struck by a car, mauled by a dog or attacked by a cat. All elements us humans expose our precious wildlife to.

Sadly there were 5 pademelons just here in Speewah, which were killed by a cat with the offender eventually being caught and since there was no microchip it could be brought to justice. Unfortunately, we hear it all too often when people proclaim their cat wouldn't hurt wildlife but reality is - it is in their nature. So please keep cats safely inside for their protection and that of other creatures.

As far as dogs are concerned - owners sometimes admit that their pooch may chase wallabies but would never hurt them. Whilst this may be true in certain cases, the mere chase can cause myopathy in macropods or cause them to drop their joey.

Car strikes are common and sadly too often drivers will not stop nor call for help. Accidents can and do happen - however if you continue driving this is a deliberate action on your behalf!!! If nothing else - call for help. You should have a wildlife rescue number in your phone.

You can always call us on 4093-0761

17/04/2026

Teamwork for wildlife!!

A member of the public spotted this young Little Red Flying Fox on the ground in Mareeba. He knew not to touch it and called us for assistance as he couldn't stay with the animal.

As the little tacker was still mobile, we called on Carlie from Agile Project Wildlife Rescue who lives in Mareeba to go and check on the animal that it was still there and put a little towel over it to protect from the elements. (We will always help wildlife in trouble but current fuel prices dictate how we go about our rescues covering the Tablelands and down to the coast).

Once we had confirmation where the animal was located, we left Speewah and headed for the rescue since we are vaccinated bat rescuers.

The animal was taken straight to Kuranda to the Save Our Flying-foxes, Cairns QLD team who triaged the youngster and are now providing the best possible care for it.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

13/04/2026

Under this ball of spines hides a young echidna who was found in the middle of Mareeba without a den or parents in sight. All surrounding properties have dogs and a busy road was right outside. So it was best to bring the animal into care for a while to ensure it is uninjured, feeding itself and gaining weight like it should.

Puggles (young echidnas) aren't fully weened until they are just short of 2kg and this little one weighs in at less than half of that weight.

The spines are actually specialised hair made of keratin (same as our fingernails) and harden as the animal gets older to provide maximum protection. Whilst the puggle's spines are certainly very pointy they are still relatively soft.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

12/02/2026

I think it is only right that we give credit where credit is due!!!

This barn owl was captured in Cooktown unable to fly. We made a call this morning at 8am to Aviation and by 10:45am the owl was on the flight to Cairns where we picked it up 45 minutes later.

There was no fuss, no umming and ahing! Only first class service and a total willingness to help our wildlife. This is not something we see too often in the corporate world.

A massive big thank you goes out to their crew of willing people.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

05/02/2026

Yes we are cute and cuddly and at our age we rely on humans to raise us when we have lost our mum.

Whilst we all have heard stories from non-permitted people that it is easy to raise joeys and it has been done many of times, you will never hear people admit to it when it all went wrong!!

If you love our wildlife and want to give them the best chance to be released back into the wild - please hand them over to a permitted carer!

We've seen children being left in charge of joeys because adults thought it was a hands-on way to teach them. Kids do NOT understand the needs of joeys because often their parents don't either.

We've seen joeys snuggling up to family pets - this is a sure sign this joey will never survive in the wild.

Remember joeys will grow and need the necessary and safe enclosures to spend time out of their pouch. Inside a house or an apartment will not teach them to dig up dirt or cope with uneven ground under their feet.

Whilst macropods seldom have twins, joeys enjoy the company of other joeys!!! Raising them in singles doesn't prepare them for life in the wild. They also cope so much better knowing they are not alone losing their mum when they can grow up together.

If you have done the most important step and stopped for orphaned joeys - please don't try to raise them yourself unless you are a trained carer.

For wildlife rescue call 4093-0761

Address

Speewah, QLD
4881

Telephone

+61740930761

Website

https://paypal.com/paypalme/tigerlodge

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