Healesville Sanctuary’s Australian Wildlife Health Centre allows visitors to see first hand the veterinary care provided to injured wildlife. At the centre, visitors are able to follow the progress of our furry, scaly and feathered patients from rescue to release.

The centre is a purpose-built veterinary care facility with all activities and procedures on view for visitors. Visit on any given day and you are likely to see a vet explaining a surgery or post-mortem as it happens, with only a pane of glass separating you from the operating table.

The centre embraces the essence of Healesville Sanctuary’s work, which over 70 years has encompassed breeding and conservation, as well as the treatment of orphaned and injured Australian wildlife. Every year more than 1,500 native animals in need of specialist veterinary care arrive on the Sanctuary’s doorstep, brought in by members of public, wildlife and land managers, researchers and wildlife shelters. In total the Sanctuary’s veterinary team performs close to 5,000 procedures annually, from simple check-ups to major surgery.

The centre also has its own website. Here you can check up on a patient’s progress, find out more about the centre, or become a vet detective and investigate your own case.