Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital has marked its fifth anniversary – and treatment of more than 10,000 wildlife patients – with the launch of a permanent hospital facility and a refreshed mobile hospital ready to tour nationally in 2026.
Under its parent organisation, Wildlife Recovery Australia (WRA), the charity now operates three state-of-the-art treatment and rehabilitation centres for sick, injured, and orphaned native animals: Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital HQ, Wildlife Recovery Australia Hospital, and the Byron Bay Raptor Recovery Centre.
Founder and CEO Stephen Van Mil said the milestone reflected the charity’s growth from a regional initiative into a national service network.
“These facilities allow us to treat more wildlife locally and extend our capacity nationally through our mobile operations,” Van Mil said.
A long-standing partnership with UD Trucks Australia continues to underpin the group’s mobile capacity. The new facility ensures that the purpose-built mobile hospital – now operating under the name Wildlife Recovery Australia Hospital and affectionately known as Matilda – can be deployed for clinical outreach, research, field operations, education, and rapid disaster response.
“With our fixed-location hospital now established, the mobile unit can focus on being proactively mobile –going wherever wildlife populations are under threat,” Van Mil said.
To mark five years of collaboration, the organisations unveiled a new vehicle livery featuring a panoramic Australian wildlife scene, designed to highlight the partnership between transport innovation and conservation science.
Philippa Wood, Vice President of UD Trucks Sales and Marketing, said the new UD Quon GK17460 prime mover represents the next generation of the partnership.
“Our relationship with Wildlife Recovery Australia continues to evolve as they grow into national leaders in wildlife conservation,” she said. “This Quon is more than a truck – it’s a moving symbol of purpose. It represents what transport organisations and conservation groups can achieve together when driven by compassion and capability.”
The upgraded 6×4 Quon, which replaces the original 2020 model, incorporates advanced safety and efficiency technologies – including vulnerable road user detection and improved fuel economy –aligning with UD’s Better Lifesustainability mission.
Wood said the partnership demonstrates how transport engineering and veterinary expertise can combine to deliver direct outcomes for animal welfare.
“With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, the role of Australia’s first mobile wildlife hospital has never been more critical,” she said.“UD Trucks is proud to keep powering that mission – now and into the future.”
Photo James D Morgan
