WIRES, NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, aims to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and inspire others to do the same. WIRES has been helping the community assist native animals in distress for 30 years and their rescue office operates 365 days a year. WIRES receive hundreds of rescue calls and every year, with the help of many volunteers, WIRES assist with the rescue and care of thousands of native animals.

As part of the Spirit of the Bush collection, Shapes in the Sand  has designed an exclusive print, using an Eco dying method, with the natural dyes drawn from eucalyptus leaves. Reflective of the Australian Eucalyptus forests, home to many colonies of Koalas the design titled ‘Scribbly Gum’ brings the Spirit of the Bush to life.

We dedicated our donations towards the build of a koala care enclosure for WIRES, to help care for and rehabilitate koalas in need. We hope to inspire you and others to raise awareness for this campaign, as we continue to spread the Shapes in the Sand message for a more sustainable future through our collections and projects. 

The enclosure was built in 2020. The pre-release facility was built in the beautiful Hawkesbury region of NSW and is situated on a WIRES carer’s property. The 3X4 metre enclosure has been incredibly helpful and has assisted in the recovery of many koalas already.

When these Koalas are in their last stages of rehabilitation, they will enter this enclosure which has climbing branches, and an open top so that they can readjust to the sounds and smell of their native habitat. This step is crucial to ensure the koalas are strong climbers and in their best possible condition on release.

Rescue story.

Huntress was one of the koalas rescued in January near the fire affected areas in the Blue Mountains and she was looked after in the Hawkesbury facility until she was released - she was in care for 127 days.She is two years old and was originally rescued by an office duty police officer and she was very sick when she first came into care. We didn't know if she'd be strong enough to recover but thankfully she did and was able to be released back into the wild when she was well again.