People are urged to help report and rescue injured, displaced or orphaned wildlife as unprecedented flooding impacts New South Wales.
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The record-breaking and relentless deluge has flooded towns in northern New South Wales with heavy rains now hitting other parts of the state with more areas likey to be affected.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare has warned that during this wet weather period, animals will try to escape floodwaters or will be displaced as they search of food and shelter.
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The full extent of the impact on wildlife won't be known for weeks after the floodwaters subside but it is expected that there will be an influx of displaced, injured, and orphaned wildlife.
IFAW warns that burrowing animals such as wombats and echidnas are expected to be the most heavily impacted as their homes are filled with floodwaters and mud.
People can help rescue wildlife by downloading the IFAW Wildlife Rescue App before heading out onto the roads.
This free app, which was developed in partnership with the NSW Wildlife Council, will put people directly in touch with the nearest wildlife rescue group to report an injured animal.
The user will then be guided on the best way to help support the injured animal, saving lives.
IFAW Animal Rescue Officer Nicole Rojas-Marin said wildlife had been through a lot in the past two years - catastrophic drought, bushfires, and floods.
"Anything we can do to help is vital because every individual animal counts," she said.
"The IFAW app empowers everyday people to be a part of the solution by helping get injured animals the immediate treatment they need for the best chances of survival.
"We simply can't afford for our native wildlife to be impacted any further."
Before you head out on the roads, make sure you download the free IFAW Wildlife Rescue App.
The app also allows the user to report deceased animals, allowing wildlife rehabilitators to accurately monitor the cause of local deaths and identify danger zones and road-kill hotspots.