{"id":462605,"date":"2026-06-05T16:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/462605\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:02:17","slug":"discovery-in-aussie-shopping-centre-car-park-sparks-call-for-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/462605\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery in Aussie shopping centre car park sparks call for help"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside Australian shopping centre car parks, you’d expect exhaust fumes, screaming kids, and tooting horns, but surprisingly, they also provide shelter for a tiny protected species.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the natural world, welcome swallows<\/a> would nest on rock faces, caves, and hollow trees, but these spaces are exceptionally hard to find in cities and suburbs, and so the birds have to get creative.<\/p>\n

Veteran WIRES animal rescuer Inga Tiere<\/a> explained that “many animals are much more adaptable than people think”.<\/p>\n

When building their nests out of mud, swallows search out a sheltered spot so it isn’t destroyed by rain.<\/p>\n

“Pretty much every shopping centre has welcome swallows in its car park,” she told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

Other species like snakes<\/a> or lizards are also sometimes discovered inside<\/a> as they’re known to hitch lifts inside cars.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

In 2025, a Sydney dad was unloading groceries from Woolworths when he spotted something staring out of a hole in the car park wall.<\/p>\n

(Chris Williams)<\/p>\n

This week, she was called to assess a nest after a passing shopper, with a love of wildlife, noticed a dead chick on the ground.<\/p>\n

Luckily, the parents were still nearby, and the other youngsters appeared in good health, meaning the fatality was likely just a sad accident.<\/p>\n

Yahoo News has opted not to disclose the nest’s location to keep it safe from harm.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Swallows have been seen. making their homes in increasingly creative places.<\/p>\n

(Getty)<\/p>\n

Swallow poo building up on the ground frustrates some Australian business owners<\/a>, who illegally destroy nests or apply for permits to cull the birds.<\/p>\n

But Tiere notes that if the ground wasn’t covered in concrete, the poo would be absorbed into the ground as fertiliser.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

This snake likely hitched a ride from a forested area inside a car.<\/p>\n

(Urban Reptile Removal)Ibis and flying foxes maligned for surviving urbanisation<\/p>\n

Cities like Sydney are home to native species<\/a> that often aren’t appreciated by the general public, like brushtail and ringtail possums.<\/p>\n

Ibis moved to the city after their wetland homes were largely destroyed, and rather than being celebrated as survivors, they are commonly dismissed as “bin chickens”.<\/p>\n

“People complain that they stink,” Tiere said.<\/p>\n

“Yes, they do, but it’s only because they’re eating rubbish \u2013 if I have ibis in care, they smell of the fish I feed them.”<\/p>\n

In 2024, several ibis chicks were killed<\/a> after contractors trimmed trees in which they were nesting at a Sydney business park.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ibis were forced to move into Sydney after their wetlands were destroyed. With little natural food available, they’re often dependent on scavenging for rubbish.<\/p>\n

(Getty)<\/p>\n

Tiere argues it’s a lack of education that leads Australians to fear wildlife living in their suburbs.<\/p>\n

“There are over 50,000 flying foxes in Harrington Park<\/a> because it’s breeding season,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Everyone is worried they’re going to catch a disease, and they say they shouldn’t be there, even though they’ve been there before people lived there.”<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n