Sharing your yard with hungry wildlife
With habitats diminishing across the country due to climate change and habitat destruction, it has never been a more crucial time to help protect wildlife – and our own backyards are a good place to start.
As more land continues to be cleared to make way for farming and urban development, safe habitat for our native wildlife is rapidly declining.
As well as this, extreme weather events and the worsening climate crisis are having a catastrophic impact on native animals’ homes and food sources.
Native wildlife who manage to survive droughts, fires, floods, and habitat destruction are hungry and may be looking for a new home.
Transforming your yard into a haven for wildlife is an impactful way you can help.
Providing food and shelter
You can provide important food and shelter for those who need it most simply by installing nesting boxes, and planting native species of trees, flowers, and shrubs in your yard.
Foster coexistence with pets
As animals wander into our yards, it is important to be mindful that cats and dogs we share our homes with can pose a risk to them. Consider installing a cat enclosure to keep your feline friends happy, and train your dog to resist barking, chasing, or confronting wildlife who pay a visit.
Providing a safe water source
Providing a safe water source to wildlife in shallow dishes in shade or high up in trees can also help spare animals from suffering heat stress in warmer months.
Sharing your backyard fruit trees with native animals helps to feed hungry little mouths, including babies who might be waiting for their parents back in a nest or hollow. Sadly, thousands of native animals become entangled in backyard fruit tree netting – sometimes suffering for days before eventually dying.
If you choose to use fruit tree netting, we suggest checking out our agricultural fencing and netting page to ensure the netting you buy is safe for hungry wildlife.
Make the pledge to become a Wildlife Defender today.
We will alert you to important actions you can take to protect Australian wildlife, and keep you up to date on our progress and campaigns.
Thank you for defending the wild with us!
