Treetops News - Friends of the Koala Inc. · Treetops News Autumn/Winter 2019 The world is their oyster for mum and bub, Pearl and Oyster ... that she had a young, male joey in the

Please help us to prevent a local extinction. Find out how from our stories insid e

Please help us to prevent a local extinction. Find out how from our stories inside

Volunteers working for Koala Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release Research Advocacy Education Habitat Restoration

Treetops News Autumn/Winter 2019

The world is their oyster for mum and bub, Pearl and Oyster by Linda Swankie, Volunteer

After 6 weeks in care, Pearl and Oyster are now out in

the wild, but like many of our koalas, it wasn’t always

smooth sailing for this mum and bub.

At 11:30pm in early August, we received a call from Tracy,

a member of the public, who reported a blind koala

bumbling around on her porch. A washing basket was

placed over the koala which not only kept it safe but

ensured it didn’t disappear while we were on our way.

When we arrived, it was clear the koala was suffering from

severe conjunctivitis as both eyes were sealed shut. Her

pouch also had a slight bulge, suggesting she may have

been carrying a little joey. The koala was named Pearl after

Tracy’s grandmother and despite her severe conjunctivitis

and ‘poor’ demeanour, she was in relatively good

condition. After being placed in a rescue cage, Pearl was

taken to the Care Centre in East Lismore where she was

given plenty of fresh leaf to eat until morning.

The next day she was weighed and taken to Keen Street

Vets where she was anaesthetised so a full health

assessment could be carried out. Vet Ray took bloods for

analysis, checked her overall condition and performed an

ultrasound to check for internal signs of disease, such as

cysts on her ovaries. From the amount of wear on her

teeth, he aged her at around 3 years old and confirmed

that she had a young, male joey in the pouch, possibly

around 4 months old, so too young to have emerged yet.

Pearl’s eyes were bathed regularly with warm saline to

remove all the pus and crusty discharge and treated twice

daily with an antibiotic. She also had weekly visits to the

vet for injections to treat chlamydia, which was the cause

of the conjunctivitis. During her time at the care centre, her

little joey, aptly named Oyster, began to show signs of

emerging from the pouch. First an arm was seen sticking

out, then a head, until Oyster finally made his debut, much

to the delight of the volunteers who all stopped work to

catch a glimpse of the cutest koala ever.

We were keen to release Pearl as soon as possible as she

had a young joey so, once her treatment was complete,

blood tests were taken to ensure she was finally clear of

chlamydia. As her conjunctivitis had been so severe when

she was rescued, the vet also removed some of the swollen

tissue around her eyes to enable her to see better and be

more comfortable. After all this, she was ready to be

released back home! While Tracy was so excited to have

her back, it was a bitter sweet moment for us. (Cont’d. page 4)

Oyster makes an appearance.

Call Koalas-in-Trouble 6622 1233 24hr Rescue Hotline Report sightings online at www.friendsofthekoala.org

Treetops News Page 2 Autumn/Winter 2019

No silver bullet for koalasby Lorraine Vass, Patron

Milestones in State-wide koala

conservation are not only few and far

between; they’ve never achieved koala

recovery. So, is optimism for a secure

future for koalas in the wild completely

misplaced?

In 1903 the NSW government enacted the Native Animals

Protection Act to protect the koala from hunting but

shooting continued for another 30 years. It only stopped

when the USA banned the importation of koala fur in 1930

and the Australian government banned the export of koala

skins in 1933.

Surveys undertaken in 1949, 1967, 1975, 1986-87 (part of

the National Koala Survey) and 2006 identified where

NSW’s remaining koalas are and the 1988 Koala Summit

explored the complexities of managing them.

Vulnerable listing under the NSW Endangered Fauna

(Interim Protection) Act 1991 (later the Threatened Species

Conservation Act 1995) and the introduction of State

Environmental Planning Policy 44 – Koala Habitat

Protection (SEPP 44) in 1995 upped the ante on state and

local governments’ protection obligations but koala

habitat continued to disappear.

The 2008 [NSW] Recovery plan for the koala set out a

landscape-scale conservation frame-work focused on

localised recovery efforts which if nothing else, eventually

resulted in most councils in the Northern Rivers taking on

(or resuming in the case of Lismore) preparing

comprehensive koala plans of management, encouraged

by financial incentives offered under the 2012-2015 Saving

Our Species program. The Koala Priorities Action

Statement was adopted in mid-2014.

Meanwhile, high hopes for Federal protection with the

vulnerable listing of the combined koala populations of

Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital

Territory under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, in 2012, were short-

lived. Indeed, there is still no sign of the national recovery

plan the Act requires.

The NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer’s Independent Review

into the Decline of Koala Populations in Key Areas of NSW,

an amended Koala Priorities Action Statement and the

Saving Our Species Iconic Koala Project, Securing the koala

in the wild in NSW for 100 years released at the end of 2016

and funded for implementation from 2016-17 to 2020-21,

paved the way for the ‘whole-of-government’ koala

strategy. It was finally published in May 2018, nearly 12

months overdue.

The NSW Koala Strategy sets out a 3-year state-wide action

plan (2018-19 to 2020-21), the first phase of a longer-term

vision to stabilise and increase koala populations across the

State. The Government has committed $44.7m for its

implementation: $20m to acquire land to protect koala

habitat and $24.7m to implement actions ($4m for the

Saving Our Species program, $1m for local community

action, $10.8m for koala care and $8.9m for a koala habitat

information base).

The Strategy has copped a lot of flak, basically that it’s

addressing the symptoms of koala decline, rather than the

cause: habitat loss and fragmentation. Government is

accused of abrogating its responsibility of legal protection

having weakened a range of already imperfect legislation

aimed at protecting koalas and their habitat on private and

public land. A recent critique describes it as ‘ineffective,

inadequate and expensive’1.

The Strategy is by no means a silver bullet for koala survival

in NSW; no government initiative has been.

I urge you to read it and to consider the extent to which

the action plan helps our work. We have yet to see a

balanced report on implementation progress. Regrettably,

the WWF assessment does not deal knowledgably with the

section of the Chief Scientist & Engineer’s review on the

contribution of the scientific and broader community (i.e.

recommendations 8 to 11) that include koala health and

safety and community action. In my view, developments in

these areas over the past 6 to 12 months have been

impressive; both encouraging and exciting for koala

conservation in the Northern Rivers.

1 Blanch, S., Sweeney, O. and Pugh, D. (2018). The NSW

Koala Strategy: ineffective, inadequate and expensive. An

assessment of the NSW Koala Strategy against

recommendations made in the Independent Review into the

Decline of Koala Populations in Key Areas of NSW. Report

produced by WWF-Australia, National Parks Association of

NSW and North East Forest Alliance. Sydney, WWF-

Australia.



President’s Report So far, this year has again been busy,

and it seems we will admit as many, if

not more, koalas than last year, which

was already the second busiest year on

record for us with 368 admissions.

Since 1 July last year we have admitted

328 koalas and there are still two

months before the end of our financial year.

This period has been extremely difficult for koalas, due

largely to climate change, which has brought its

devastating consequences across Australia in droughts,

fires, floods and heatwaves. In this Region, which is

frequently the only place in NSW not subject to drought,

over the past 6 months we have experienced a long

drought, which was the first ‘brown drought’ in parts of our

Region. For most of us living in the Region it was a

devastating experience of the extreme weather conditions

as a result of climate change.

Coinciding with the koala breeding season, it created

challenges for koalas and of course for us. In the height of

the drought, in a 2-week period every koala we rescued

was in a shocking state, and when taken to the vet, was

immediately euthanased. Calls to our Rescue Hotline often

reported koalas sitting on the ground and very ‘flat’. It

seemed to us that some, if not most, were already diseased

and the extreme heat was the final factor causing them to

come to the ground.

The drought made it testing for our leafers, who travelled

large distances to find the best browse for our koalas in

care when so many eucalypt trees were dry and in some

cases dying. As usual our volunteer carers made sure the

sprinklers were on in our rehabilitation runs to ensure the

koalas were as cool as possible, and bowls were placed

under koala food trees outside the runs so that koalas

passing through also had access to water.

We recently reviewed our Strategic Plan in the context of a

changing climate, as we know that unless our governments

at all levels protect wildlife habitat then preventing the

extinction of many species, including koalas, will be that

much harder if not impossible. As Professor Woinowski,

Deputy Director of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub

says, ‘We can strengthen environmental laws and policies,

such that they are not set aside or abused when humans

face their own crises due to climate change. We can

establish more precautionary buffers for use of natural

resources such as water, to ensure that our resource use,

particularly in periods of stress, does not lead to irreversible

collapse of the environmental systems on which we

depend’ (13 March 2019).

In a period of some despair, a most pleasing outcome is

that our release rate has now reached 25% whereas before,

regardless of how many koalas we admitted, only 15% were

released. The reasons for this are complex. There is greater

community awareness now of the challenges facing koalas

and their health, due largely to educational workshops

around the Northern Rivers Region through our Koala

Watch project funded by the NSW Environmental Trust and

supported by the six local Councils we service. Improved

awareness leads to earlier reporting of koalas to our

hotline, which increases the potential for successful release

to the wild.

However, another reason can be found in Marley Christian,

who has volunteered with us for over three years and was

recently selected as our first employed Vet Nurse. Some of

you may have seen Marley in Bringing Pip Home produced

by the Nature Conservation Council emphasising the

impact of loss of koala habitat

https://www.nature.org.au/get-involved/take-action/save-

our-koalas-like-pip/. Marley has been carrying out the dual

roles of Care Coordinator in the absence of Susannah

Keogh and Rescue Coordinator as well as being one of our

go-to rescuers. Since completing her Vet Nurse training

late last year she has been attending six days a week

working with our Shift Supervisors and utilising equipment

now available in our Triage, Treatment & Pathology Clinic

to ensure the koalas receive early and consistent clinical

supervision. We’re hoping that over the next year we can

increase that to 30%! Whilst we have been fortunate to

receive some funding through the NSW government’s

Saving our Species project and the International Fund for

Animal Welfare, this is a huge commitment for a voluntary

organisation.

We do punch above our weight, taking in about 50% of

koalas rescued in NSW each year, and we’re proud of the

fact that we’ve

been able to

fund our

activities from

donations and

successful

grant

applications,

but we need

that to

continue so we

can prevent

the extinction

of koalas

around the

Region.

Marley our new Vet Nurse, pictured with Triumph the koala she hand raised.

https://www.nature.org.au/get-involved/take-action/save-our-koalas-like-pip/

https://www.nature.org.au/get-involved/take-action/save-our-koalas-like-pip/



Community partnerships needed to restore koala habitat by Julie Reid, Project Coordinator Without community partnerships

there is little hope of moving

forward in the battle to protect

and enhance koala habitat.

Friends of the Koala (FOK) have been

successful in establishing and

maintaining strong partnership

bonds with private and public land

managers throughout the Lismore

region. There are still areas where

koalas are at risk that the group

needs to address, Ruthven/Tatham

locations have been identified as a

priority.

It is only with the support and drive

of private land managers in

Monaltrie and financial assistance

from Lismore City Council that FOK

was able to secure funding through

the NSW Environmental Trust to

restore koala habitat and strengthen

connectivity along Wilson River’s left

bank, at Monaltrie south of Lismore.

This $100,000 project is funded for

three years to address the koala

crisis that is becoming evident in the

Monaltrie area.

Landowners will work with bush

regeneration contractors to replace

woody weeds with koala food trees

and more importantly to provide

paddock trees that will act as safe

islands for koalas that are forced to

cross vast open areas of grazing

land to reach food trees.

It is only with the commitment and

enthusiasm of Monaltrie landcarers

that this vison can be realised. These

landowners will give their time and

expertise to ensure the projects

success.

FOK members and the community

who are interested in joining the

group for planting sessions would

be welcomed. All we need at this

stage of our Year 1 activities is some

rain. Members who have indicated

their willingness to be involved in

planting will be contacted when we

have a suitable date in mind.

For more information contact Julie

Reid, FOK Project Coordinator

[email protected] or leave

contact details with Claire at the FOK

office; 6621 4664.

(Pearl and Oyster’s story cont’d) Although our whole purpose is to return koalas to the wild,

we can’t help worrying when we release them, as they have

so many things to contend with. We released Pearl back

to the tree she had regularly used before being rescued,

but little Oyster decided to ride on her head instead of her

back making the climb a little difficult! She finally made it

though, quickly making herself at home, munching on leaf

before we left.

We rarely hear about our koalas after we release them, but

Tracy promised to keep an eye on Pearl and Oyster and let

us know how they were doing. After a couple of weeks, she

sent a message to say that she had seen Pearl, back in the

same tree, but there was no sign of Oyster. With him being

so young he was probably in the pouch but that didn’t stop

us from thinking the worst. But a couple of months later

much to our relief, Tracy saw the two of them together and

reported they both looked well and that Oyster had grown

a lot bigger. Such a relief to know it all turned out so well

– and thank you so much to Tracy for keeping us updated.

Six weeks in care and now released back home. Oyster making the climb a little difficult for Pearl!

mailto:[email protected]



Bending Bamboo, Changing Wind by Mark Ambrose, Training Coordinator

I have borrowed this title from a favourite book of

mine (by Eva Kipp) which tells the story of the lives of

women in Nepal and how they are changing their

communities for the better through activism,

persuasion and moral conviction.

So, what does this have to do with Friends of the Koala?

Whilst a key part of our role is the physical care of

individual koalas, we have also played a huge part in raising

awareness in our community of their plight. In the short

time that I have been involved with FOK, I have noticed a

real increase in knowledge of members of the public that I

have encountered through tours of the Centre, on rescues,

and socially. We are also starting to see the threat to koalas

raised on local, State and National political stages, so our

message is slowly filtering its way up (yes, that probably

does defy the laws of physics!) to the decision makers.

So how has this been achieved? In short, by bloody hard

work on the part of you, our members! Our people are out

there speaking at schools, community groups, public fora,

and presenting formal training to volunteers. The latter is

key to ensuring that FOK volunteers have the opportunity

to continually develop in their vital roles.

Over the years, FOK has grown dramatically in terms of the

number of koalas we care for and the number of people

involved in all facets of the organisation’s activities.

Keeping pace with this has been a challenge for all of us,

however we are working hard to ensure that we stay at the

forefront of koala care and conservation. One of the ways

we are achieving this is through developing and

implementing a Volunteer Development process that sets

out clear pathways by which volunteers can progress within

FOK as well as the training that will be provided to enable

this. Also, in line with sector best-practice, we are

introducing competencies for each role. This will give

volunteers a clear indication of what is required to perform

their role, as well as what will be required for them to

progress further (if that’s what they wish). These

competencies will also provide evidence that we are

providing our koalas with the best possible care. These

changes were rolled out at our recent Shift Supervisors’

Workshop and progress will be monitored and discussed

at our monthly Supervisor meetings.

In the past 5 months we have had a Basic Education course

run by Susannah Keogh with 18 participants, an Advanced

Koala course run by Dr. Robyn Stenner from Currumbin

with 20 participants and a Rescuer training course run by

Karen Scott from Wildcare with 21 experienced and

potential rescuers attending. Several more workshops are

planned for over the next few months and will be

advertised on our website under Events tab and on our

Facebook page.

The coming months and years will be an exciting time for

FOK as we further develop as an organisation and it’s vital

that we keep up the good work we are doing in developing

our own skills as volunteers and continuing to get out there

and educate, persuade, cajole and agitate. This will ensure

that koalas remain at the forefront of public consciousness

and, importantly, in the minds of politicians.

If you would like to get involved, please get in touch, we’d

love to hear from you. My email address is

[email protected].

Basic Education Workshop facilitated by Susannah Keogh .

Our latest Rescue Training Workshop presented by Karen Scott (Wildcare).



Koalas coming and going by Marley Christian, Acting Care Coordinator

As President Ros pointed out, the period since our last

Treetops Newsletter for us and koalas was dominated

by the drought and its devastating consequences.

The statistics of admissions to date for this year reflect the

drought’s impact in that our record of koalas admitted due

to disease jumped from 34% of admissions last year to

60%, whilst the number admitted due to dog attacks

remained about the same at 7% and those hit by cars

reduced from 29% last year to 22% so far this year. Of

course, we can’t accurately compare until all the data is in

for this year.

During the period from March to May 2019 alone, FOK had

30 admissions plus 5 koalas that were dead on arrival. Of

the 30 admissions, 24 were euthanased or died. Fourteen

were female, which is most troubling given they are the

breeders, they all had cysts and nearly all were wasted and

dehydrated. Sixteen were males, and 2 died from trauma,

1 from advanced kidney disease and the remainder from

being dehydrated and emaciated. We believe this is the

result of drought/climate change.

On the brighter side we released 10 koalas, with 4 of them

being orphaned joeys that had been hand-raised, including

Pip, the star in Bringing Pip Home. After being unable to

release him in the exact location where he had been

rescued, he was released with Opie and Eden after going

into soft release in Cawongla. They are now out in the wild

but have been sighted regularly with Pip and Eden still

hanging about together.

We currently have a male suffering wounds from a dog

attack and a female and her joey at Currumbin Wildlife

Hospital receiving treatment. Five joeys are in home care,

and of the 8 koalas at FOK, at least 3 of these are due to go

into species management as they have been deemed

unreleasable. Port Macquarie Koala Hospital are happy to

accommodate them, an option we will pursue with our

licensing body.

Reflecting the admissions, since March 1 there have been

30 rescues, with only 2 surviving, and 61 sightings. The

Rescue Hotline is relatively quiet now possibly due to the

end of the breeding season and the drought. After some

initial getting used to the new VOIP system through

MyNetFone is working well. We are looking for some new

monitors as at present it’s monitored by 6 volunteers over

14 shifts which means that some are doing it multiple

times. We also need more rescuers and will be hosting a

number of rescue training sessions run by Karen Scott from

Wildcare over the coming months.

Koalas’ future largely in our kids’ hands We know that kids are passionate about koalas and we have volunteers, including Lola Whitney,

Meg Cottee, Mark Wilson, Aliison Kelly, Marg Russell, Maria Mathes and Rachel Nolde, who take

every opportunity to connect with school children, either at their schools or special events, to

educate them about koalas. As is the case with many volunteer groups, we are most fortunate to

have multi-skilled volunteers who apply their skills in different ways. Yas Cabôt and Rachel Nolde

have taken on the responsibility for updating our Koala Kids page on our website. If you have

children or grand-children, take a look at Koala Kids at https://www.friendsofthekoala.org/kids-

corner/ where you will find colouring-in templates, quizzes, trivia and Find a Word puzzles and

can test your own knowledge about koalas.

Pip being released after 3 months in care.

https://www.friendsofthekoala.org/kids-corner/

https://www.friendsofthekoala.org/kids-corner/



Lauren’s Blog Hi there! I know you haven’t heard

from me in a while, but my name

is Lauren and I live permanently at

the Koala Care Centre in East

Lismore. Many of you probably

recognise me, as my photograph is

on the rear window of our van. It’s

obvious why I was chosen, I’m

gorgeous! Anyway, I thought it

was about time that I update you

with some of the goings on at the

Centre.

There has been so much coming

and going of koalas that I’m

finding it difficult to keep up. I like

to know what is happening all the

time, so always listen carefully

whenever the volunteers are

chatting in case they mention

anything important. Of course,

they rarely do. They seem

obsessed with poo and discuss

that a lot, or the state of the leaf,

or frequently compliment me on

my looks and gentle, caring

attitude (lol), but that gets boring

after a while. I like to sit up high

so I have a good view of

everything, but since two new

koalas have been put in my run I’m

having to fight to maintain my

position.

I used to share with just Sweetie,

and we got along ok as we

generally kept out of each other’s

way, but these two new girls are

way too pushy, especially that

Myrtle. I’ve never known such a

guts. As soon as our supplements

and vitamins are brought in Myrtle

can’t control herself. She pushes

and shoves everyone out of the

way, grabbing

at anything

she can

reach

whether it’s

hers or not.

(Cont’d. page 11)

Koala Outcomes July 2018 – April 2019

LGA Sighted/

Advice Admitted Outcome Death Cause of Death

Ballina 32 15 Released

In Care

3

0 12

Collision – Motor Vehicle (5)

Disease – Chlamydia (3), Other (1)

Habitat loss (2)

Unclassified/Other (1)

Byron 212 58 Released

In Care

12

1 45

Collision - Motor Vehicle (13)



Unknown (1)

Clarence Valley

0 13 Released

In Care

3

1 9

Attack – Suspected (1)


Kyogle 19 25 Released

In Care

6

0 19

Abandoned/Orphaned (2)


Attack – Dog (3)



Unknown (3)

Lismore 240 169 Released

In Care

45

2 120


Attack – Dog (8)


Dependant on Parent Taken (1)


Geriatric (1)


Unknown (7)

Richmond Valley

46 25 Released

In Care

6

3 16


Disease -Chlamydia (5), Other (4)

Unknown (2)

Tenterfield 1 0 0 0 0

Tweed 86 23 Released

In Care

8

2 13

Attack – Dog (1)



Unknown (2)

TOTALS 636 328 Released

In Care

83

9 234



Koala Mystery: Are koalas functionally extinct? We know koalas are a most complex and, in many ways,

mysterious species but estimates of just how many koalas

remain are somewhat contradictory and confusing. The

Australian Koala Foundation says there are now just 80,000

koalas in the wild, that ‘only 41 of the koala’s 128 known

habitats in federal environments have any of the animals

left’ and that the koala is now functionally extinct (Tabart,

D. in New York Post, 17 May 2019). But as Christine Adams-

Hosking points out, functional extinction ‘can refer to a

species whose population has declined to the point where

it can no longer play a significant role in their ecosystem…..

can also describe a population that is no longer viable….

[and] can refer to a small population that, although still

breeding, is suffering from inbreeding that can threaten its

future viability’ (as reported in The Conversation, May 10,

2019). We know that in our patch, inbreeding can be a

problem, and that particularly in urban areas, koala

populations have experienced significant declines.

Meanwhile, a group of koala experts has estimated that

there are ‘329,000 (range 144,000–605,000) in eastern and

south eastern Australia (Adams-Hosking et al,

https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12400).

At virtually the same time, in South Australia a koala

contraceptive ‘is being rolled out in the Adelaide Hills to

curb a burgeoning population and preserve natural

bushland’, with the latest surveys estimating that there are

about 150,000 koalas in the Mt Lofty Ranges (The

Advertiser, 16 May 2019). The situation in South Australia

is one of over-population which is causing habitat loss in

both the Mt. Lofty Ranges as well as on Kangaroo Island,

which has seen translocation of some koalas to the

mainland. The same situation of over-population causing

habitat loss exists in Victoria, however in both Victoria and

South Australia, koala populations vary widely from

abundant to low or locally extinct. We may never know

exactly how many koalas remain, particularly as they’re

elusive animals that blend quite well into their habitat,

making the task difficult for even the most experienced

spotters. However, what we do know, and all the research

confirms this, is that habitat loss, whether in our forests or

elsewhere, is the underlying cause of the koala’s precarious

situation. This is why planting koala food trees is an

imperative for us and organisations like Bangalow Koalas,

particularly given the lack of legislative protection of their

habitat. If you want to do your bit, Mark Wilson, manager

of our tree nursery, supplies koala food trees at a

reasonable cost, and can be contacted by email at

[email protected].

Recognition for commitment to koalas

Our former President and

current Patron Lorraine

Vass was honoured

recently by receiving the

Australian Wildlife

Society’s 2018 Serventy

Conservation Award. This

was a well-deserved

acknowledgement of her

many years leading

Friends of the Koala and,

through her networking

and strategic approach, lifting our profile and guiding us

to become the lead organisation in the Northern Rivers

Region for koalas. Well done Lorraine!

Adopt a Koala

Koalas are in trouble and it is our duty to protect them and

their habitat before we lose them forever.

Adopt a Koala for yourself or a loved one today! Adoption

packages last for 12 months and start from just $50. All

proceeds go towards rescuing and rehabilitating koalas in

the Northern Rivers.

The majority of koalas up for 'adoption' unfortunately due

to health reason cannot be released, therefore are in

permanent care. Our adoptees can be viewed during our

tours at 10am

and 2pm

Monday to

Friday. To

purchase a pack

or to find out

more

information

head to our

website.



Koala Watch out and about by Maria Mathes, Koala Watch Project Coordinator Rachel Nolde (another FOK volunteer) and I had a great

day delivering Koala Watch activities to many families

at Lismore City Council's latest Upcycle event with over

100 people who came to find out more about koala

watching.

We were very privileged on the day, with two koalas

putting on a display for some of the early koala watchers.

It provided a great opportunity for some real-life koala

watching. When I was setting up I could smell the scent of

a male koala in a big Forest Red Gum tree. Within half an

hour he was on the move crossing in front of everyone to

a smaller Swamp Mahogany. While he was grunting away,

we saw some extra movement, and there was a female

koala in the tree. We waited with anticipation of what was

about to happen. She went up to him, they had a short and

gentle tussle before settling into their own place in the

tree. Throughout the day there was the odd grunting and

a bit of feeding so we set up an exclusion zone so no one

could get too close and put the critical ‘be quiet koalas

don’t like noise’ tip into action. Koala Watch will be at

Lismore City Council's ‘Meet Your Wild Neighbours’ family

fun day at Tucki Tucki Creek Recreation Park (off

Ravenswood Drive) on the 1st June from 10 am - 12.30

pm. In addition to Koala Watch, kids can survey the creek

for bugs, meet, touch and learn about our feathered, furred

and scaly neighbours, while the parents meet other

neighbours and the local Landcare group over a

complementary barista coffee (please BYO reusable coffee

cup).

Over the next few months, the Koala Watch project will be

rolling out Understanding and Managing Fire for Koalas

workshops around the Region. Fire can have a terrible

impact on individual koalas, koala colonies and

populations and their habitat. In addition to activities

teaching how to identify signs of koala activity and about

fire behaviour, these workshops will provide information

on how:

• fire management can help koalas

• vegetation types and fire regimes affect fire

behaviour

• koalas and their habitat are impacted by fire

• climate change is and will affect koalas and fire

planning

• fire planning for koalas can reduce negative

impacts

• to prepare a property fire management plan.

All workshops are FREE 10 am - 2.30 pm. Morning tea and

lunch are provided. All attendees will receive a Koala Watch

Kit and a kit on Understanding and Managing Fire for

Koalas. Bookings are essential for catering numbers. If you

would like to attend one of the Koalas and Fire Workshops

contact me either by phone 0467 855 990 or Claire on 6621

4664 or by email to [email protected]. These

workshops are being held in partnership with the NSW

Rural Fire Service and with assistance from the NSW

Government through its Environmental Trust.

Understanding and Managing Fire for Koalas

Workshop Dates

Saturday 15th June - Billen Cliffs

Saturday 6th July - Meerschaum Vale

Sunday 7th July - Woodburn

Saturday 17th August - Uki

Sunday 18th August - Hanging Rock - Wadeville

Saturday 31st August - Rosebank

Under the gum trees, our stall at Lismore City Council’s Upcycle Event.

Volunteer Rachel Nolde teaching kids about koalas.



Treasured Trusty by Kim Lewis, Volunteer Volunteer Kim Lewis is lucky enough to have watched

generations of koala pass through her property. This is

Trusty’s story, the newest arrival to her koala colony.

If you ask me, Trusty is a pretty special koala, he is feisty,

cheeky and adored by all. When deciding on a name, I

knew I wanted to link him somehow with Pat Barnidge as

she shared many supportive words with me over the time I

knew her. One thing she said to me, involving trust, stuck

with me more than any so I named him Trusty.

Before they were officially Trusty’s mum and dad,

Thumbelina and Bungie were the first to enlighten me on

how a soft release works. For those who don’t know, a soft

release pen is a fenced tree that allows a koala to practice

climbing and eating leaf from a real tree in all types of

weather. Thumbelina and Bungie passed the soft release

with flying colours and were released soon after. To my

relief, they stuck together, never straying too far away and

allowed me to observe them.

Inevitably, excitable text messages with several

exclamation marks were sent to Marley and Susannah,

telling of the ‘affection’ Bungie was showing Thumbelina.

Eventually, the sound of Thumbelina complaining and

Bungie’s exultant bellowing, was heard. I ultimately found

Thumbelina sitting alone over in amongst some Blackwood

trees. She was there giving birth to the feisty one. I

suspected she was giving birth from the way she was

sitting, but of course, only time would tell. Thumbelina was

as dear, sweet and precious as any female koala could be.

Bungie was clearly of great intellect. He was cool, calm and

steadfast. I knew this new addition to the property was

coming from mighty fine stock.

To watch a joey being raised in front of our eyes is the stuff

of dreams. We would see mum and bub most days and the

ever-pleasurable shine of four eyes most nights. Luckily for

us, Thumbelina largely stuck around where we could easily

find her. I like to think that she stuck around because she

felt safe, and all her needs were met.

On 21 November 2018 we lost Thumbelina to Chlamydia. I

saw her a few metres up in a Tallowwood and her eyes were

watery. An ultrasound proved she was in a bad way, much

worse on the inside than what was evident from the

outside. The rapid onset stunned me. I thought she was

pretty safe living here under the watchful eye of humans. It

was the worst news imaginable.

But there was no time to grieve just yet. There was Trusty,

prematurely on his lonesome, at around 11 months of age,

and possibly infected with Chlamydia himself. This fact was

confirmed when I saw him with one eye shut.

Anyone who has had close dealings with Trusty will

appreciate what we went through to catch him. All these

prized neighbours were available to help out, and it took

all five of us, in our own ways, to successfully contain him.

His arrival at Friends of the Koala made him the third

generation to have been in care at FOK. His grandmother

Lucinda was also in care back when Thumbelina was a joey.

It was discovered at Trusty’s first visit to the Vet that he was

covered in ticks. What he was doing to survive in the days

after losing his mum was to stay hidden between visitation

to feed trees by travelling on the ground through chunks

of lantana, picking up ticks as a result.

From what I have heard, Trusty climbed the wall at the vets,

his legs turn into propellers when you pick him up, and he

has been capable of producing deep guttural growls at

such an innocent age. He is quick to tell you to get out of

his space. He demands respect.

After a couple of months in care Trusty was eventually

cleared of chlamydia and was released back home. Luckily,

he hasn’t strayed too far away, and I can watch him grow

into a strong alpha male.

Seeing Trusty back in the wild is the greatest result we

could have hoped for – thank you to everyone involved in

caring for him.

Trusty, chilling out while in care at Friends of the Koala .



Turning a vision into reality for koalas Linda Sparrow is the well-known public face of Bangalow

Koalas, but it’s not as well-known that she is one of our

much-valued members and also our ‘go-to’ rescuer for

koalas needing to be rescued in much of Byron Shire.

Anyone who knows Linda knows that she works tirelessly

to compensate for the removal of koala habitat by planting

koala food trees. If governments won’t do it then locals

will rise to the challenge. We’ve been happy to auspice

some of Linda’s applications for grants, at which she has

been most successful. This has enabled Bangalow Koalas to

organise the planting of many thousands of koala food

trees that koalas in the future will enjoy and populate. Her

excellent media skills mean that there are always many

people from as far away as Queensland and south to

Wardell who spend a few hours doing something that

makes them feel good and is critical to the future of koalas

in the Region.

Bangalow Koalas will reach a milestone on Saturday June 1

planting 2,000 koala trees on a property in Talofa. This will

take the number planted over 18 months to 12,000 koala

and rainforest trees, which is an amazing achievement for

a small community group that started out protecting a 400

metre stretch of koala trees. Now it is well on the way to

creating a Koala Wildlife Corridor connecting properties

from Byron Bay and surrounds out towards Repentance

Creek. Linda says that so far this year they have planted

1,400 trees in Binna Burra, 2,550 on 3 properties in

Dudgeons Lane, 2,005 on 2 properties in Ewingsdale, 250

in Federal, and 720 on two properties in Coopers Shoot.

‘On June 29 we will be planting another 1,500 koala trees

on the neighbouring property in Ewingsdale thanks to

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). This will link

up to Coolamon Scenic Drive, which is a vital link for Byron

Koalas. Future plantings without a definite date yet are

Hilary Herrmann’s property in Bangalow, where we are

weeding and revegetating along the creek line with a

further 500 koala trees. News just in that we were

successful in another grant application to InGrained

Foundation, where we will be planting an additional 2,000

plus trees at Hilary’s property creating a forest for our

koalas! That will total almost 4,000 trees planted on her

property alone since March 2018, so a huge thank you to

Hilary for joining in our vision’.

There is another planting planned on Friday Hut Rd,

Possum Creek that as yet doesn’t have a final date.

Linda acknowledges that it’s been a super busy year. ‘I’ve

been up to my eyeballs in koala trees and a big thank you

to our wonderful committee, Rossco our bush regen guy,

Renae our ecologist and our fabulous members and the

community for showing such great support. Finally, thank

you to Friends of the Koala for supporting both Bangalow

Koalas and me over the past years. We appreciate it

enormously’.

And we, of course, appreciate Linda and Bangalow Koalas’

great vision for koalas that inspired such a mammoth effort

in our fight to save Northern Rivers’ koalas.

(Lauren’s Blog cont’d)

Once she’s finished hers she tries to

steal everyone else’s. One of these

days she’s going to pop, or the

frame will give out under her weight.

Serve her right I say! Then there’s

Charlotte – well, what a face she has.

Always looks like she’s been sucking

on a sour lemon. I don’t know what

her problem is but my mum always

used to warn me about pulling faces

like that.

It’s not only in our run that there

have been lots of changes. The

‘kindy’ run next door had seven

young koalas in there for a while.

When they were all getting feeds in

the morning it was hilarious

watching the volunteers trying to

cope with all of them together.

Most of the young’uns have gone

into soft release now, so they can

live natural lives back in the wild, but

that’s not for me. I have it nice and

cosy here, with fresh leaf, tasty and

healthy supplements and everyone

running around after me. I also have

my role as mentor to consider – if I

wasn’t here I don’t know how this

place would survive.

As it’s a little quieter now I’m having

a bit of a well-earned rest. To be

honest I’m quite tired and the winter

isn’t my favourite time, but there’s

always someone wanting a hand or

a bit of advice so I never get bored.

Anyway, that’s enough from me

for now – until next time.

Lauren xx

Bangalow Koalas tree planting working bee.


Treetops News

Page 12 Autumn/Winter 2019

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EAST LISMORE NSW 2480

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Koala Care, Research & Education Centre 23 Rifle Range Rd, East Lismore NSW 2480 Phone: (02) 6621 4664 24hr Koala Rescue Hotline (02) 6622 1233 [email protected] friendsofthekoala.org

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Documents

Treetops News - Friends of the Koala Inc. · Treetops News Autumn/Winter 2019 The world is their oyster for mum and bub, Pearl and Oyster ... that she had a young, male joey in the