Wildlife: I'm sure you know that Australia is in one of the biggest droughts of our history, therefore water resources for our furry friends are scarce. Please leave containers of water on your property and in local parks for the birds and other wildlife to ensure they have drinking and bathing water. If an animal wanders on to your property, please do not approach it – leave a large enough tub of water for the animal to bathe in and keep it cool. If you approach the animal, you may stress the animal and it will be frightened to use the water you have provided.
If you see sick or injured wildlife that you don’t know how to help, call your local wildlife group, RSPCA, or vet (some are listed below). Also see information on Wildlife First Aid.

Companion Animals: Make sure you constantly refill their water bowl with cold water - put ice cubes in there to help keep it cool. Before you head out each day, if you know it’s going to be hot, give them a quick bath or pour some water over them to keep them cool while you’re not home (unless they’re cats!). If your family allow it, let them inside with the air conditioning with you. If they live outside, make sure there is plenty of shade (such as trees, building shadows, sail shades) for them because the sun moves throughout the day and UV rays can hurt our little ones, and the pavement can become extremely hot. If you have fish in a fishpond, make sure it’s out of direct contact with the sun as the water can heat up rapidly and literally boil them alive! And never leave a dog in a hot car.