27/07/2025
Congratulations Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital !
NEW NORTHERN RIVERS LOCATION
The North Coast’s first all-species wildlife hospital will begin operating from a permanent, bricks and mortar veterinary hospital on Monday 11th August following the purchase of the Lennox Head General Practice Veterinary Clinic.
After almost five years as the first and only all-species wildlife hospital between Sydney and the Gold Coast, the move will give Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital (BBWH) significantly more facilities and capacity to provide expert care for more sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.
“As demand for our services continues to grow, we’ve simply outgrown our current space,” said BBWH General Manager Veterinary Services Dr Bree Talbot.
“With increasing wildlife admissions, we are now operating at full capacity. The new fixed location hospital will provide us with the additional room, resources, and infrastructure needed to care for more patients, more effectively, every day.”
The move will also free up ‘Matilda’, Australia’s only mobile wildlife hospital, for field work, research, community education and rapid response assistance to wildlife impacted by natural disasters.
The Lennox Head General Practice Veterinary Clinic will become a dedicated all-species wildlife hospital.
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital treated 141 patients directly impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, free of charge.
Photo: James D Morgan, Getty Images
“We are deeply grateful to the benefactors who have made this possible,” said BBWH Founder and CEO Dr Stephen Van Mil.
“Their faith and belief in our mission has sustained us through challenging times.”
Recently, BBWH treated its 10,000th patient, a short-beaked echidna found riddled with ticks, broken quills, hair loss and conjunctivitis. The veterinary team’s knowledge, skills and expertise in the unique physiology of a diversity of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians is instrumental in giving them a second chance at survival in the wild.
“We are truly indebted to our veterinary team, not only for their skills and compassion, but also their patience and endurance as we worked behind the scenes to secure our new home.
Under its parent organisation Wildlife Recovery Australia, Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital will operate across three dedicated sites in the Northern Rivers;
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital (HQ), Lennox Head
Byron Bay Raptor Recovery Centre (BBRRC), Ewingsdale
Wildlife Recovery Australia Hospital (‘Matilda’), Knockrow
From its new location, Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital HQ will provide expert veterinary care for wildlife rescuers and members of the public who encounter sick, injured or orphaned native animals free of charge, seven days a week.
ABOUT WILDLIFE RECOVERY AUSTRALIA
Wildlife Recovery Australia (WRA)’s mission is to conserve, protect and ensure positive welfare outcomes for Australian wildlife through provision of exceptional veterinary care, education, environmental stewardship and community engagement. It does this through building and operating wildlife hospitals, rehabilitation centres and specialist sanctuaries working collaboratively with wildlife rescue organisations and other hospitals to treat and recover sick and injured native animals, including hundreds of threatened species.
WRA operates and trades as Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital HQ, Byron Bay Raptor Recovery Centre and its mobile facility, Wildlife Recovery Australia Hospital.
Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital HQ is the first all-species wildlife hospital operating between Sydney and the Gold Coast. It provides expert veterinary services for wildlife using state of the art medical equipment funded through philanthropy, sponsorship, bequests, grants and fundraising activities.
Byron Bay Raptor Recovery Centre provides expert veterinary care and long-term rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey. Large round aviaries facilitate accelerated recovery by allowing birds of prey to fly continuously for extended periods. The Raptor Recovery Centre operates under the management of Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, increasing capacity to provide dedicated care for any species of Australian raptor.
Custom-built inside a 22-wheel semi-trailer and powered by a fuel-efficient prime mover, Wildlife Recovery Australia Hospital is Australia’s only Mobile Wildlife Hospital. Affectionately known as “Matilda”, it is able to go to the site of a natural disaster to facilitate immediate help for wildlife in need.
