It's Save the Koala Month!
Save The Koala Day is celebrated on September 30 every year. It is a part of the Save The Koala Month celebrations organised by the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF).
The objective of these celebrations is simple — to save the koalas and their natural habitats, and raise awareness to prevent them from going extinct. Koalas are an important part of Australian wildlife. However, today they face the danger of disappearing due to human activities and the climate crisis.
You can do your part to prevent the unthinkable from happening by raising funds, donating or joining one of our tree plantings to do your part in this vitally important month.
Little Koel's Big Adventure
Just over a week ago we were advised of a young dispersal-aged koala being sighted in the middle of the urban area of Peregian Springs, making his way from west to east in the direction of the Sunshine Motorway.
After several days Noosa & Sunshine Coast Region Koala Rescue Team - Wildcare Australia were able to finally locate him off a busy roundabout near the major shopping centre and only a stone throw from the Motorway and more dangerous areas.
He was out searching for a new home and territory after dispersing from his mum, but heading in a less than desirable direction!
The team quickly erected one of our custom-designed koala traps (completely safe and humane), and successfully caught him that night.
He had a brief stint at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to be thoroughly checked over for any interactions with cars and dogs, and came back clear also for disease.
On Saturday, little Koel was released into safe beautiful habitat nearby, vaccinated for chlamydia and ready for his first big year out on his own.
A huge thanks went out to the local residents and workers of Peregian Springs for reporting him in and helping him get found.
A good outcome and crisis averted!
If you see ANY koala in a dangerous spot or in trouble please report it in. You can find all the contacts by visiting our Emergency Resources page here
Long-term research on Koalas on St Bees Island show population fluctuations due to climate
On a tropical island in North Queensland, an iconic marsupial lives its best life away from predators.
Despite being listed as endangered in February, on St Bee's Island the koala does not die from land clearing, being hit by a car, eaten by a dog or disease.
In fact, what regulates the population, which can fluctuate up to 200 per cent some years, remains mostly a mystery.
Farmer rescues mother koala and joey from cattle
The farmer at Gin Gin, near Bundaberg, found the distressed mother koala being attacked by cattle. He helped her, then called a wildlife carer. Mother and joey are now doing well in care.
Terri is a natural leader. Drawing upon her experience leading koala rescue organizations for several years and bringing her professional experience in managing a successful company, Terri joined QKC in 2021.
She brings a passion for the environment, for the sustainability of the koala as a species, and her ability to lead to QKC.
She’s helped us foster great relationships with all kinds of stakeholders, including governments and other like-minded organizations.
Terri has been instrumental in kicking the planting program into high gear in 2021 and late in that year, she agreed to assume the role of Vice President, where she’ll continue coordinating our planting program.
Detection Dog Recognition
Great day out today at Alsahwa with Bear the koala dog and the team from University of the Sunshine Coast detection dogs and IFAW Australia.
We have supported the detection dog team from its inception, were there when Bear was trained and are so grateful for their contribution to koala conservation. Bear charmed the crowd with his incredible focus and helped to make dreams come true for Jo Walker as she met her hero.
We heard from the amazing team at IFAW and after a search in the bush with Bear, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous BBQ sharing conservation stories and celebrating the collaborative, work we all do.
Many thanks to the team that made it all happen!
Ocean View Planting
The third weekend in August saw some of our volunteers participating in 2 tree plantings in Ocean View. The prep work was done on Saturday afternoon with delivery of the trees, weed mats and guards as well as the digging of the holes using our newly acquired planting auger. Purchase of the auger was made possible following a donation from St Joseph’s School in Bracken Ridge.
More of our team, some of whom travelled from the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, and Brisbane, joined some local volunteers on Sunday morning to set about planting trees in the two beautiful Ocean View properties.
These locations were chosen not so much because they are close to existing koala habitat (although they are) but because they when they mature, the trees will provide a eucalyptus leaf harvesting opportunity for our treasured koala carers. Sourcing suitable fodder leaf is a constant challenge for both our carers and koala hospitals.
Upcoming Events
Queens Jubilee Tree Planting PREPARATION event at Alsahwa, Verrierdale 23rd September 2022
Join us as for the preparation for the event on the 25th.
We need a few volunteers to assist with the cutting of the guards, spreading some of the mulch and marking out where holes for the trees will be.
Date: 23rd September
Time: 8am
Location: Will be advised address when you RSVP
If you are interested in assisting on this day then please email us to express your interest please email [email protected]
Queens Jubilee Tree Planting event at Alsahwa, Verrierdale 25th September 2022
Join us as we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years as Monarch by planting 500 native trees at Alsahwa, a farm-based eco wellness retreat located at Verrierdale, near Noosa.
This event will feature our local elected officials and members of the media and will pay respects to Her Majesty The Queen’s dedication to the environment.
We will begin the day at 9.00AM with a commemorative ceremony and plaque dedication, where remarks will be delivered by local elected officials and leaders from QKC and Alsahwa. At 9.30, we will commence planting and when completed, be treated to a BBQ lunch.
Please RSVP here as spaces are limited. We hope to see you there!
Koala Supporter Program
This program was initially set up so that we could offer the option of supporting wild koalas that were known to us on the Sunshine Coast.
The intention was to keep supporters updated throughout the support period as to the current situation for each individual.
As you can possibly imagine, keeping track of wild koalas is not an easy process. They can have wide home range in which they travel and are very difficult to spot in these locations. In addition, QKC is expanding our presence into other parts of the state which have been largely left unaddressed until now. Thousands of koalas need our help all across the state.
As much as we would love to see these local koalas regularly and keep our supporters informed of their progress, sadly this is not possible logistically.
It is therefore our decision to discontinue this program into the future.
If you are one of our wonderful Koala Supporters you will have received an email and a certificate as recognition of your support.
Thanks once again from all of us at QKC and the wild koala population that we all hold so dear to our hearts.
If you do wish to support the continuing efforts of QKC then why not become a monthly donor
National Threatened Species Day 7th September
National Threatened Species Day was held on the 7th September.
In February 2022, it was announced that koalas would be listed as an endangered species for the first time in eastern Australia.
It's estimated that there are fewer than 100,000 koalas left in the wild, maybe even as few as 43,000.
We at QKC want to be part of the solution in turning this story around. We will plant trees to connect habitat, care for our carers and continue to be a “Voice for Koalas”.
If you want to be a part of our team why not become a member today
Koala Spotting in Toowoomba
It absolutely takes a village.
In Crows Nest, in the Toowoomba Region, we were invited to go koala spotting with a group of fascinating people from diverse backgrounds with different skill sets.
The aim being to document the presence of koalas in this lovely area which is currently not in the SEQ koala habitat map.
There were rescuers, local residents, teachers, researchers with the University of the Sunshine Coast detection dog program, ecologists, a representative from the Jane Goodall Institute Australia and government policy influencers.
Over lunch, we brainstormed ideas to keep the koala from going extinct. It was a great day and we have some terrific allies!
The news of our successful koala sighting day has spread. Linda Barnes was contacted the following day to hold a radio interview to discuss the sighting event which gave QKC an opportunity to once again share the fact that koalas are known to exist in areas not previously contained in habitat maps.
More presentations and citizen engagement events are being planned, and new projects are now in the works. Good news travels fast!
Further advocacy
The QKC management team has been busy in the last month continuing to advocate for koalas with meetings and engagements including Moreton Bay Regional Council, who presented us with details of their “Green Infrastructure Program” which clearly makes significant progress in protecting koalas in the region.
Linda and David also represented QKC at the Ipswich Koala Forum, held at Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, where speakers from Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, DES, Ipswich Council, Ipswich Koala Protection Society and university researchers shared important information about the status of koalas in the Ipswich area.
As part of our commitment to Advocacy, we’re expanding into exciting new directions.
First, we’re planning to ramp up our education work for school children, with support from Kurt Jones, one of our Board Members who has great ideas about bringing engaging programs to schools.
In addition, we’re planning to apply for grants to fund areas of research, at the University level, to explore ways to improve what we know about koalas as a species.
These are new areas of focus for QKC and we’re excited to have potential partners who are looking to work with us.
VIDEO: Unexpected sightings of koalas popping up in NSW mountain ranges
Unexpected sightings of koalas near the Blue Mountains in NSW have given hope a disease-free colony is recovering after the black summer bushfires.
High numbers of native animals using wildlife underpasses
Have you ever driven past special road crossings for wildlife and wondered if they actually work?
There's new evidence to suggest they are effective, based on the first long-term study of road underpasses in Australia.
The research from Southern Cross University (SCU) was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution and based on a two-year study of underpasses located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.
Read more here (includes video footage)
New koala vaccination facility at Tweed Coast NSW
The new research facility at Pottsville will support koalas between their two chlamydia vaccinations before they are released to the wild. The centre has been funded by Tweed Shire Council, WWF Australia and NSW government and is operated by Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
Koala joey rescued during floods released to wild
Gulliver was found alone near Ballina on February 28 and cared for by Friends of the Koala, supported by IFAW, until he was deemed fit for release last month.