As temperatures continue to hover in the high 30s and early 40s, WIRES is appealing to locals to keep an eye out for distressed animals and do what they can to provide water and a way to cool off.

Gunnedah WIRES volunteer Martine Moran said sprinklers under trees, water bowls and bird baths were all helpful but it's important to place them away from dogs and cats.

For those on the road, Mrs Moran urges motorists to slow down in the mornings and evenings because koalas and other wildlife are on the move looking for water. There are already kangaroo corpses evident on busy roads and "a lot more will be hit".

Dianne van Os has been filling water containers in her yard on Wandobah Road and birds have flocked to them on hot days.

She even had a visit from a female kangaroo and her joey on the weekend.

Mrs van Os spotted the pair from a window and took a quick snap of them enjoying a brief respite by standing in a shell pool full of water in the shade.

Two new cages from Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group are already getting a good workout at Mrs Moran's as she fields calls left, right and centre about dehydrated and distressed koalas around the shire.

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Mrs Moran was in Tamworth with a koala when the NVI spoke to her on Monday.

"I haven't stopped. At one stage, there was one koala coming in about every day," she said.

"These were drought-affected animals - very thirsty, very thin. Some have a terrible tick burden, gunky eyes and wet bottoms."

Koalas in the poorest health have moved into Mrs Moran's bathroom to avoid the worst of the heat and the outside koalas are misted and have their own personal cold packs - frozen water bottles.

She said they don't appear to be too stressed but it's a different story for koalas in the wild.

If locals find a stressed koala, Mrs Moran suggest putting a bowl of water at their feet to see if they will drink. If they look really unwell, she urges them to call WIRES or take them to a vet.

She said it's common for koalas to sit at the base of trees when they are feeling hot, but if they look unwell or stay there for more than a day, they needed help.