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Macropod Care for Beginners 

Your first steps to becoming a confident Macropod carer

Online Live Zoom Webinar: Saturday 22 August 2026 (recording will remain available for an additional two weeks)
Duration
 

6 Hours

Intensity
  

Introductory

Start Your Macropod Caring Journey

Caring for a macropod joey can be incredibly rewarding, but when that first joey comes into your care, there is a lot to learn. 

This Macropod Care for Beginners Training has been developed for new and emerging wildlife carers across NSW, giving you the practical foundation you need to begin caring for kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos safely, confidently and with their welfare at the centre of every decision.

This training brings together Wildlife Rescue South Coast, Saving Our Native Animals (SONA) and Australian Wildlife Hub in a collaborative approach to sharing knowledge, experience and resources, helping new macropod carers across NSW access consistent, practical training and the foundations they need to provide the best possible care for wildlife.

Sharing knowledge 

Throughout this interactive online training, experienced macropod carers will guide you through the essentials, from identifying species and understanding joey development, through to assessment, feeding, pouch setup, hygiene, handling, healthy development and recognising when something isn't right.

Just as importantly, you'll learn that good wildlife care isn't something you do alone.

We'll explore when to seek help, how to work with experienced carers, coordinators and veterinarians, and the importance of ongoing mentoring as you build your skills. 

The training is designed around the NSW Code of Practice for Injured, Sick and Orphaned Macropods and NSW macropod rehabilitation training requirements, with a strong focus on practical, welfare-led care.

Practical training

Whether you're preparing for your very first joey or are at the beginning of your macropod caring journey, this course will help give you the knowledge, support and foundations to get started.

Designed for new and emerging macropod carers across NSW, this practical training provides the essential foundations in care, rehabilitation and everyday care.

It will help new carers build their knowledge and practical skills, while understanding the importance of ongoing mentoring, support and learning as they gain hands-on experience.

Ultimately, the goal is to grow a stronger network of skilled, supported carers and improve outcomes for macropods across NSW.

Disclaimer:

Important: Completion of this training does not automatically provide authority to rescue, rehabilitate or care for macropods. Participants must be a member of an appropriately licensed wildlife rehabilitation organisation and meet their organisation’s requirements. Authority to operate and/or care must be approved by the participant’s local wildlife group and relevant coordinator before taking animals into care.

Your facilitators

Patrick Jones - Course author
MEET THE TRAINER

Leanne Cummins

Leanne Cummins is an experienced wildlife rehabilitator, educator and researcher with almost a decade of hands-on experience rescuing, hand-rearing and rehabilitating Australian wildlife, with a particular passion for macropods and wombats.

Her wildlife experience extends from home-based rehabilitation to regularly working alongside veterinary professionals as a veterinary nurse in a wildlife hospital, as well as travelling to Victoria to assist with the care of wildlife affected by bushfires. She combines this practical experience with more than 30 years in nursing and midwifery, a PhD, and extensive experience as a university educator.

Leanne is passionate about translating evidence into practical wildlife care and has developed macropod rehabilitation education, workshops and resources to build the knowledge, practical skills and confidence of wildlife carers. She is also involved in wildlife research, including as lead author of a peer-reviewed case report on distal digit regrowth in an Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

At the heart of her work is a commitment to improving outcomes for Australian wildlife through compassionate care, education, research and collaboration.
Patrick Jones - Course author
MEET THE TRAINER

Kerstin Schweth

Kerstin Schweth is an experienced wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator with more than 22 years dedicated to the rescue, care and rehabilitation of Australian native wildlife.

Kerstin co-founded Native Wildlife Rescue in the NSW Southern Highlands, where she has cared for and rehabilitated a wide range of species including kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, wombats, koalas, possums, flying foxes and other native wildlife.

Over the years, Kerstin has been involved in everything from hands-on rescue and rehabilitation through to coordinating veterinary care, wildlife placements and working alongside carers and wildlife organisations across NSW.

Recognised as a Southern Highlands Highlands Hero for her dedication to wildlife, Kerstin brings a wealth of practical, real-world experience to the training and a genuine commitment to helping the next generation of wildlife carers develop their knowledge and skills.

Brought to you by:

Wildlife Rescue South Coast (WRSC)

WRSC is a large and experienced volunteer wildlife rescue organisation that has been operating across south-east NSW since the late 1980s. Its extensive region stretches from south of Wollongong to the Victorian border, encompassing the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, parts of the Southern Tablelands, Kangaroo Valley, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Sapphire Coast.

WRSC’s volunteers rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned native wildlife, with the ultimate goal of returning animals to the wild. 

Save Our Native Animals (SONA)

SONA is a volunteer wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisation supporting native wildlife across the Snowy Valleys and surrounding areas of southern NSW. Its extensive region includes Batlow, Adelong, Tumbarumba, Tarcutta, Khancoban, Cabramurra, Rosewood and surrounding communities.

SONA’s dedicated volunteers work across wildlife rescue, transport, care and rehabilitation, with a shared goal of giving injured, sick and orphaned native animals the best possible chance of recovery and successful release.