To the rescue? A nationwide survey of the who, what, and why of wildlife rescue in Australia

Wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release is a global practice that generates significant public interest. Nonetheless, little is known about the people who choose to engage in or abstain from wildlife rescue. Here we present the results from the first nationwide survey in Australia ( n = 492) about peoples' knowledge, beliefs and practice of wildlife rescue. Sixty-three percent of respondents underestimated the scale of wildlife rescue in Australia, 68 % of respondents overestimated the survival outcomes of rescued wildlife, and 59 % of respondents reported rescuing a wild animal in the 12-months prior to taking the survey. Forty-four percent of respondents held self-contradicting beliefs, selecting answers that reflected a central concern for animal welfare while simultaneously prioritising or avoiding the rescue of particular species. We identified two beliefs significantly associated with differing odds of wildlife rescue: beliefs about the type of wildlife rescued and beliefs about how rescued wildlife should be prioritised for care. We identified similar significant associations with the sociodemographic characteristics of age, gender, and region of childhood upbringing. Of note, we found no significant associations with participation in wildlife rescue based on housing, rural/metro location, education level, political inclination, or religion. Our study serves as a step towards closing the knowledge gap about the people who engage in wildlife rescue – a key requirement to developing effective and targeted monitoring and communication about the practice.