As warmer weather arrives, it helps to think about wildlife before a very hot day. Clean drinking water, shelter and freedom from disturbance are useful starting points. Chasing an animal to give it a drink can make a difficult situation worse.
Plan what you can maintain, then let animals use it without an audience. A water bowl is a small responsibility: it needs checking, cleaning and a safe place to sit.
Set up water that animals can leave safely
WIRES recommends fresh water in shallow containers, ideally in shade. Use sturdy bowls on a firm surface so they cannot tip under an animal’s weight. A stable rock or heavy stick gives small visitors a way to reach the water and climb out.
Choose positions with nearby cover, and keep cats and dogs indoors during extreme heat. Change the water daily and clean the containers. If a bowl has become dirty, deal with it when animals have moved away rather than approaching them to hurry things along.
Water offered for animals to drink voluntarily is different from trying to treat an animal yourself. Never pour water into an animal’s mouth. Seek advice if an animal appears unwell.
Make maintenance part of the plan
The NSW Government’s drinking-station guidance emphasises simple, accessible equipment that is easy to clean and refill. Avoid sharp edges and anything that could entangle a visitor. An animal that falls into an open container needs a reliable way out.
Use plain water. Adding sugar or electrolytes can be harmful. More elaborate equipment is not automatically more useful than a shallow dish you can keep clean.
Think through the routine before setting anything up: can you reach it safely, check the water and notice who is visiting? The government guidance warns that a station can become a gathering point for feral animals. Its position may need reassessment if that happens.
That same advice treats drinking stations during drought or after fire as temporary assistance while natural water sources recover. Large properties and emergency-affected bushland need plans suited to the site; a backyard bowl is not a universal design for every situation.
Observe signs without trying to diagnose
WIRES lists confusion, lethargy and disorientation among signs that wildlife may need help during extreme heat. Birds may pant with an open beak or hold their wings out. An animal’s behaviour and circumstances matter, so ask a licensed rescuer or vet when you are concerned.
You do not need to establish the cause before calling. Describe the location, what the animal is doing and any obvious injury. Our injured-wildlife guidance and rescue contacts provide a starting point. Follow professional directions rather than attempting capture or treatment.
Give flying-fox camps space
Never touch a flying-fox or any other bat. If flying-foxes are panting or descending towards the ground, contact a licensed wildlife rescue group and keep people and pets away.
NSW’s environment agency explains that temperature alone cannot tell you how a camp is coping. Vegetation, shade and the conditions over preceding days affect the situation. Some movements, including wing-fanning, also occur for reasons other than heat stress.
Approaching a camp may force animals from cooler resting places into flight, weakening them further. Do not enter the camp to offer water or attempt cooling. Experienced carers and land managers need to assess whether intervention is necessary and how to avoid further harm.
This is also why shelter matters beyond a single bowl of water. The agency identifies dense tree crowns and vegetation below them as useful protection during extreme heat.
The bottom line
Prepare clean, shallow water with an escape route, maintain it and give wildlife space. Call for help when an animal appears distressed. Leave bat handling and heat-stress intervention to trained, licensed people.