Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Red Box Wildlife Shelter

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (19:10): (1781) I rise to bring the attention of the Minister for Environment to the incredible work being done at the Red Box Wildlife Shelter vet clinic in Elphinstone and to extend a warm invitation to the minister to visit this truly special place. On Friday 11 July I had the privilege of visiting Red Box Wildlife Shelter and the state-of-the-art veterinary clinic run by the remarkable duo Nikki and Scott Medwell. These two have poured their hearts and their own money into building what is now one of the most advanced wildlife vet clinics in regional Victoria. Red Box is not just a shelter, it is a lifeline for our native wildlife, particularly kangaroos, who are often the forgotten victims of car collisions, dog attacks or shooting injuries.

One of the most inspiring parts of my visit was learning about their monthly wildlife consulting day, a volunteer-led initiative where Dr Mark Sayer drives down from New South Wales to offer free veterinary consults to wildlife carers across Victoria. He drives all the way across the border every month on his own time to provide free specialised treatment to our state’s most vulnerable animals. These consult days are incredibly popular, with wildlife carers travelling from all corners of Victoria to have their animals seen. Dr Sayer brings with him not just years of experience, but a deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of vets. I met second-year veterinary student Tom, who is currently being mentored by Dr Sayer and is already embedded in the clinic’s hands-on approach to wildlife medicine.

Red Box have big dreams to expand this work to bring in more students like Tom and to offer broader services to the wildlife rescue community in coming years, but they cannot do it alone. These are passionate volunteers stepping up where the system falls short, and they deserve recognition, support and investment. The action that I seek is for the Minister for Environment to visit the Red Box Wildlife Shelter vet clinic and to see firsthand the profound impact this place is having on wildlife welfare, regional veterinary education and community care. Their model is one that could and should be replicated across the state.