Many years ago, before roads, houses and large groups of humans appeared, Western Australia was somewhat of one big wetland!  

Today, only 10% of the original wetlands remain.

Wetlands are home to plants, flowers, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and all kinds of invertebrates.

Lots of species rely on wetlands as a safe and secure place to eat, sleep, and breed!

This World Wetlands Day, we’re reminding everyone that the future of our wetlands is in our hands.

While human actions have impacted the rare ecosystems, the good news is we can work to restore and protect them with a few small changes.  

Come along, as Keeper Nicole share some wise ways you can watch over your local wetlands!

Reduce your rubbish

A little bit of litter can cause a lot of problems.

Animals can get stuck in rubbish, try to eat it or even get injured if it is left behind.

Unfortunately, we see this firsthand with wildlife brought into our vet hospital, and even hen one of our Blue-billed Ducks in the Australian Wetlands was found trapped in a rubber band last year!

The easiest way to keep wildlife well and wetlands safe is take your rubbish home or use the bins provided.

Sharing is (not) caring

You might think you’re being kind, but sharing your human food with the wetland animals will do more harm than good!

Animals aren’t built to digest human food, so feeding them or leaving your scraps behind can make them very sick.

Bread is especially bad news.

It can make the animals who eat it unwell, but it also pollutes the water and effects the whole ecosystem.

On your next wetland visit, let the wildlife enjoy their own natural tasty treats and you enjoy yours!

Keep your furry friends close

Keeping dogs on leads and cats indoors can protect our wetland wildlife.

Cats are excellent hunters and can prey upon native species and dogs can be a little destructive to the plant life!

By keeping your paw-some pals in check, your local wetland can thrive in peace.

Enjoy and educate

Spending time at your local wetland is a great day out for all ages!

You can learn about all the cool creatures and living in your community.

If you look up, down, and all around you never know what or who you will see while out in nature.  

And the best bit is you can share your discoveries with friends and family. The more people know, the more people care!

Let’s look after our wetlands

This World Wetlands Day, join us and be a wetlands hero!

If we all do our small part in keeping our wetlands well, the ecosystems will remain for future generations to come.