How to report an animal emergency

To report an act of cruelty or neglect, or if you’ve found an injured, sick or trapped animal in need of rescue, please phone our hotline on 1300 4 777 22. Alternately, fill out an online cruelty report form.

Please note that RSPCA SA inspectors are on duty between 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays, 9am and 5pm on weekends and public holidays.

RSPCA SA rescue officers are on duty between 9am and 5pm, 7 days a week.

Please refer to advice below if it is an emergency situation outside of these hours.

An emergency can include:

  • Physical injuries (e.g. Hit by a car, injuries from another animal, profuse bleeding)
  • Poisoning (e.g. Chocolate toxicity, ingesting poisonous plants, rat poison)
  • Snake bites or suspected snake bites
  • Difficulty breathing, lethargy, lack of appetite and generally unwell.

What to do when you find an animal in distress

Approach the animal carefully, putting your safety first

If you find an injured, sick or trapped animal, it’s important to approach carefully – and remember to place your own safety first.

Speak in a quiet tone and try not startle the animal. Remove any other animals or stressors, such as children, cars and pets. If it is safe to do so, cover the animal with an old towel or blanket to help reduce shock. Only move the animal if absolutely necessary, being careful not to cause any further injury, and place it in a dark, warm and quiet place.

Check for identification – contact the owner first if possible

Check if the animal has some visible form of identification, such as a collar tag. If they do, it’s important as a first step to try to contact the owner before contacting RSPCA South Australia.

If there is no identification, call RSPCA SA on 1300 4 777 22

If the animal is not wearing identification and/or the owner is unavailable, please call RSPCA South Australia on 1300 4 777 22. Please note – while the RSPCA call centre operates 24-hours, RSPCA rescue officers are only available to assist animals between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm.

If immediate medical care is required, and it is safe to do so, take the animal to an emergency vet

If the animal requires immediate veterinary care outside of these hours and you are able to safely transport it, there are two emergency vet clinics in metro Adelaide and one at Roseworthy (north of Adelaide) that are open 24-hours. Always phone ahead so the staff can prepare for your arrival and advise on how best to transport the animal.

Emergency Vet

Address

Phone

SASH – Small Animal Specialist Hospital 99 Rundle Street, Kent Town (08) 8125 7132
AAERC – Adelaide Animal Emergency and Referral Centre 119 Anzac Highway, Kurralta Park (08) 8371 0333
Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital 1454 Mudla Wirra Rd, Roseworthy (08) 8313 1999

If your own animal is sick or injured, and you fear you may not be able to afford vet bills, we urge you to take a look at both VetPay, a service helping finance vet treatment, and Pawssum, a home-visit vet service.

How to help injured and distressed native wildlife

RSPCA South Australia works with a number of partner organisations to rescue and rehabilitate injured native wildlife, including:

  • Fauna Rescue SA, a volunteer non-profit organisation caring for sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife. Fauna Rescue carers are specialised in a number of native species, including koalas, kangaroos, possums, echidnas, bats, reptiles, tortoises, pelicans, birds of prey, magpies, ducklings and nectar feeding birds, such as honeyeaters and lorikeets.
  • The Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO), a dedicated marine wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisation. AMWRRO is South Australia’s only organisation licensed to rescue, rehabilitate and release all seals, all seabirds and all sea turtle species. They also work closely with other departments to rescue and release dolphin and whale species found entangled or beached.

Organisation name

Region covered

Species

Phone

Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation South Australia Marine wildlife and seabirds (08) 8262 5452
Fauna Rescue SA South Australia All wildlife (08) 8289 0896
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network Kangaroo Island All wildlife 1300 549 453
Wildlife Welfare Organisation SA Fleurieu Peninsula All wildlife, specialising in marine wildlife and seabirds 0434 114 628

If you are unsure who to call, please call our 24-hour hotline on 1300 4 777 22, and we will connect you to the best organisation to help.

What to do when you find a stray animal

Please note that only councils have powers relating to most stray animals in South Australia. So, if you find an uninjured stray animal, you should immediately contact the local council that has jurisdiction over the area where you found the animal. If that council is unresponsive, you can call RSPCA South Australia and we will do our best to help you make contact.

However, if the animal is injured, please immediately call our hotline on 1300 4 777 22, noting that rescue officers are only available between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm.

Outside of these hours, injured animals requiring immediate veterinary attention should be taken to the nearest available vet clinic. Clinics open 24-hours are listed above, and some clinics also have extended hours. Contact the nearest clinic in the first instance, and always phone ahead so the staff can prepare for your arrival.

Please also note that RSPCA does not have jurisdiction over animal-related nuisance complaints, such as dogs barking. Instead, please contact your local council for assistance.

How we help during emergencies and natural disasters

RSPCA South Australia is often called to assist animals in need during times of emergency. This includes responding to bushfires and floods, and to road accidents involving animals on a large scale, such as livestock truck accidents.

As pet owners, there are several key steps you can take to help keep your animals safe during emergencies. For full details on how to prepare your Pet Emergency Plan, please click here.

Providing lifesaving rescue services to animals in need

Our dedicated rescue team is South Australia’s frontline emergency response for animals.

Every day, our small team of rescue officers are out on the road, saving injured, sick, trapped and distressed animals – often from rather precarious situations.

From birds and rats to goats and koalas, no job is too big, too small or too hard. Our determined rescue officers have plucked animals from hot cars, narrow chimneys, deep drains, raging floodwaters and busy roads, to name just a few. Read some of our animal rescue stories here.

Our Animal Ambulance is also sometimes called out to pick up injured dogs and cats for South Australia’s councils, before delivering them to a veterinarian for care.

Incredibly, these services are entirely funded by community donations. It’s only thanks to our supporters that we can keep our rescue officers and ambulances on the road, and be there when animals need us most.

Interested in volunteering with our rescue team? Read the position description below to learn what’s involved, and if that sounds like you, we’d love you to apply!