WIRES Central West is starting to see the devastating impact the bushfires burning outside of Bathurst have had on animals.
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The first of the animals injured in the fires started to arrive with WIRES volunteers on Sunday and more are likely to come in over the coming days.
On Monday, volunteer Marea Julian said there had already been one joey that had to be euthanised due to the extent of their injuries.
The same day, a ringtail possum was found in Lithgow and taken to a vet in Bathurst for assessment.
Ms Julian said that the challenge is that the animals can't be rescued and taken for assessment until it is safe to go into the area where fires have been burning.
For that reason, it's hard to know just how many animals may need care from WIRES volunteers.
"We anticipate there will be some, but we don't how many," Ms Julian said.
"We can't go into those firegrounds until it is safe."
The fires have added to what has already been a busy time for WIRES Central West.
Ms Julian said that the drought has led to an increase in animals needing care, many of them coming to WIRES due to heat exhaustion or being undersized.
"There are a lot of kangaroos that are suffering, wallabies, and in the last few months we've had a lot of sugar gliders come in, which is quite unusual for this area," she said.
Sugar gliders' food sources have been impacted by the drought and as a result many are being found underweight.
Animals coming from fire-affected areas to WIRES will be taken to vets, where they will be given fluids, pain relief and undergo assessment.
Depending on the extent of their injuries, they may then find themselves in the care of WIRES volunteers at their homes.
It may be some time before they can return to their home in the wild, if at all.
Ms Julian said that people who want to know more about the situation, or what they can do to help animals, can find information on the WIRES of the Central West Facebook page.
Those living in or near bushfire-affected areas can help wildlife by leaving water bowls outdoors.
No one should enter a fire-affected area to search for wildlife, but if you do find injured wildlife, the best thing to do is wrap the animal in a towel and place them in a secure box.
Only pick up the animal if it is safe to do so.
After collecting the animal, call WIRES on 1300 094 737 or take the animal to your nearest vet.
People can also support the work WIRES is doing with a Christmas donation to the WIRES Emergency Fund at https://wires.org.au. All donations $2 and over are tax deductible.