Looking after Liverpool’s feathered friends

Wildlife volunteer Luke Williams and his team have received more than 1,800 calls for assistance and released more than 1,150 rescue animals back into the wild in the past two years.

The Bundjalung man from Horningsea Park is the Avian Coordinator for the Cumberland Branch of WIRES whose love for nature started early.

“I’ve had an affinity for our land and animals my entire life,” Mr Williams said.

“Even as a young boy, I was always finding animals, injured or sick and my parents would tell me ‘you can’t keep them in the house, they need to go back to the wild’. My folks were always driving me to the vet to drop off animals and I always had an interest in looking after them.”

Like the animals he cares for, Mr Williams has had his own ups and downs over the past 24 months, losing his job to COVID-19 after a previous injury. But his work with WIRES has helped provide him with a sense of purpose and motivation.

Mr Williams is the first point of contact for people reporting injured birds in the south west Sydney area. From ducks, tawny frogmouths and owls to rainbow lorikeets, cockatoos and magpies. If you can name a bird species that nests in Sydney’s west, he’s helped identify and care for it.

One of his most memorable rescues was an emu found wandering down a footpath in West Hoxton after escaping from a nearby property. When Mr Williams arrived on scene with local police following the animal down the street in front of amazed locals.

He and another WIRES volunteer then kept the emu calm as they waited for a special response team from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to attend.

Without the support of WIRES’ Cumberland Branch’s 86 members and partnerships with local veterinary clinics, Mr Williams says their work wouldn’t be possible.

“I love being able to help nurture and rehabilitate our animals, and I love seeing them being released, after they’ve been in care. It’s very rewarding to see their transformation,” Mr Williams said.

Member for Holsworthy Melanie Gibbons thanked Mr Williams and his team for their ongoing work.

“Volunteer-driven organisations are the backbone of our communities, making them safer and stronger and help build a more resilient and inclusive NSW,” Ms Gibbons said.

“Groups likes WIRES contribute so much and play a vital support role not only protecting our wildlife, but improving people’s wellbeing too by creating the connections so necessary to building our communities.”

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