KOALA NEWS & SCIENCE
An informative monthly newsletter about successes & important announcements in koala conservation, and the latest scientific publications about koalas.
October 2022
Subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/808fc4af1ee0/koala-news-science
Amazing speakers line up at successful NSW Koala Conference “The Vanishing” 29 October
Speakers included: author Danielle Clode, Catherine Cusack, Dr Steve Philips, Dr Kara Youngentob ANU, Prof. Mark Krockenberger University of Sydney, Julie Taylor Mills Nature Conservation Council, Josie O’Connell Koala Action Network, Pat Durman Save Sydney’s Koalas, Sue Ashton Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Rob Frend Farmer, Lorraine Vass Friends of the Koala, Paula Flack Great Koala National Park, Nick O’Malley SMH Environment and Climate Editor, Penny Sharpe MLC NSW Shadow Environment Minister, Cate Faehrmann MLC Greens spokesperson for koalas, Nathan Brennan Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation, Dailan Pugh North East Forests Alliance, Gary Dunnett NSW National Parks Association, Dr Stuart Blanch WWF-Australia, Cerin Loane EDO, Sally Townley Deputy Mayor, Coffs Harbour, Cheyne Flannagan Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Justin Field – Independent MLC, Ed Mortimer NSW Nature Conservation Council, Susie Russell North East Forest Alliance, Gary Dunnett NSW National Parks Association, Stephanie Carrick – Sydney Basin Koala Network, Georgia Wallace-Crabbe & Gregory Miller – Film Projects.
https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2022/10/30/nsw-koala-conference-wraps-up-in-coffs-harbour/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-29/koala-conservation-under-spotlight-ahead-of-nsw-election/101578082
Save the Koala bill goes to second reading in Senate 26 October
Speeches made by Sarah Hanson-Young GRN, Nita Green ALP, Jonathan Duniam LP, David Pocock IND, Janet Rice GRN. Read full transcripts here:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansards/26117/&sid=0007
Koala Leaders Unite rally in Melbourne
A group of Koala conservation leaders from all over Victoria, frustrated by inaction from the state government, will gather at the office of the Victorian Premier to demand protection for koalas. The rally, the first of its kind in Victoria, will occur at 12noon on Friday 18 November at Dan Andrews electoral office in Noble Park.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/koala-rally-koala-leaders-unite-to-demand-protection-for-victorian-koalas-registration-457737634587
Koala advocate wins AG Conservationist of the Year! 30 October
Linda Sparrow, President of Bangalow Koalas win the Australian Geographic Conservationist of the Year at a gala award ceremony in Sydney. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2022/10/australian-geographic-society-gala-awards-2022-conservationist-of-the-year-award-winner-linda-sparrow/
Koala rescued from dam wall NSW 6 October
The young male koala was found by a bushwalker at the bottom of the sheer Cordeaux dam wall, near Wollongong. Wildlife rescuers were called and succeeded in rescuing the koala, who is being treated for dehydration.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-06/koala-rescued-from-cordeaux-dam-wall/101509292
Big plans for Campaspe koala biolinks VIC 19 October
37 landholders from Greenhill to Black Hill, near Kyneton, are collaborating with Biolinks Alliance to restore wildlife habitat.
https://midlandexpress.com.au/latest-news/featured/2022/10/18/greenhill-to-black-hill-biolink-project-begins/
Koala sighting helps drive protests against Sydney housing development 18 October
The koala was sighted in an area close to the proposed Woronora Heights housing development by Sydney Water. In more recent news, Sutherland Shire council will urge Sydney Water to reconsider.
https://www.theleader.com.au/story/7947092/new-koala-sighting-at-engadine/
Victorian koala rescued from cave 25 October
A male koala stranded in a cave on the Glenelg River was rescued by wildlife carers after they were alerted by canoeists. It is believed the koala may have fallen into floodwaters.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/koalas-miracle-rescue-from-deserted-cave-absolute-fluke-014424332.html
Koala rally in Manly, NSW 4 October
A group of 50 concerned citizens attended a rally and marched to the electoral office of the NSW Environment Minister James Griffin to demand greater protection for koalas. Speakers included Julia Walsh Save Manly Dam Catchment, Susan Sorensen AJP Northern Beaches, Nicola Beynon Humane Society International, Dorothee Babeck Bob Brown Foundation and Matt Stellino AJP, City of Campbelltown councillor
https://manlyobserver.com.au/save-the-koala-rally-lobbies-james-griffin-mp-for-increased-protections/
Koala advocates Jade & Charlie Lewis praised at tree planting event QLD 15 October
Koala trees were planted north of Toogoolawah to launch the Greening The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail project. Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said “I want to praise people like Jade & Charlie who have been advocating, irritating and annoying governments at all levels for years about this,” at the event attended by the Governer of Qld, and Somerset local councillors. The tree planting was organised by Brisbane Valley – Kilcoy Landcare Association.
https://issuu.com/thelockyerandsomersetindependent/docs/19_october_2022
Council buy koala habitat on Gold Coast QLD 20 October
The 19 hectare property in Pimpama was bought to link existing conservation reserves with a wildlife underpass through the M1 freeway. The new reserve should help the critical East Coomera koala population.
https://www.mygc.com.au/council-snap-up-crucial-wildlife-land-on-the-northern-gold-coast/
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LATEST KOALA SCIENCE:
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Cooley, M., Whiteley, P., Thornton, G. and Stevenson, M., 2022. Health surveillance representative of koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) distribution in Victoria, Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/avj.13208
Health surveillance of wildlife populations is essential for conservation and reduction of the impacts of disease. Population declines and areas of overabundance of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) can disrupt the overall survival of the species as well as its habitat. This retrospective study was conducted to describe population distributions, identify areas which need increased surveillance and improve koala health surveillance methodology by Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance (WHV:S) at the Veterinary School of The University of Melbourne. Twelve years of Victorian koala observation data from the Atlas of Living Australia combined with surveillance data from WHV:S were used to create choropleth maps, using Quantum Geographic Information Systems of populations and surveillance events, visually representing hot spots. This data was further used to calculate health surveillance efforts between 2008 to the beginning of 2020. Analysis ranked postcodes throughout Victoria from low surveillance efforts to high, using standardised surveillance ratio’s 95% confidence interval upper limits which were mapped using a colour gradient. This identified postcodes which need increased surveillance effort, corresponding to areas with high koala observations and low surveillance submissions. This analysis can guide surveillance for postcodes with koalas that were under-represented and inform improved methodology of future surveillance by WHV:S. The specific advice for improvements to WHV:S includes utilisation of citizen science and syndromic surveillance, website improvement, increasing community awareness and more. The limitations of this study were discussed.
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FEATURE PAPER
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Jiang, A., Tribe, A., Phillips, C.J. and Murray, P.J., 2021. Do livestock injure and kill koalas? Insights from wildlife hospital and rescue group admissions and an online survey of livestock–koala conflicts. Animals, 11(9), p.2684.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465571/
Koala populations in Australia are declining and the species is vulnerable to extinction. In the past decade, grazing livestock emerged anecdotally as a threat to koala survival; cattle and horses were reported to have trampled koalas to death when encountered on the ground. In this study, we investigated the scale, frequency, and outcome of livestock-inflicted incidents to koalas via an online survey, and analysed koala admission records from Queensland wildlife hospitals and a wildlife rescue group (Wildlife Victoria) in Victoria. The results provide evidence of both livestock-inflicted injuries and deaths to koalas, especially as these have been confirmed by witness statements. The outcomes for the koala victims of the incidents were severe, which had a 75% death rate. The reported frequency of livestock–koala incidents was low but increasing, with 72 cases (0.14% out of 50,873 admissions) in Queensland wildlife hospitals during 1997–2019, and 59 cases (0.8% of 7017 rescue records) in Wildlife Victoria during 2007–2019, but it is recognised that this was likely to be under-reported. Future research is encouraged to explore the causes of livestock–koala incidents and to develop management strategies to minimise the livestock threat to koalas.
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Previous Koala News & Science here: https://www.wildkoaladay.com.au/koala-news-science/koala-news-science-september-2022/
Written by Janine Duffy President, Koala Clancy Foundation.
with support from Cheryl Egan, Organiser, Wild Koala Day.
Please send your positive, important news & publications to president@koalaclancyfoundation.org.au before 29th of each month for possible inclusion.