Mika from Dorroughby after a cuddle with his friend was successfully rehabilitated and realeased

Last Gazette I told you of the successful recovery of two local koalas. But not all rescues attended to by Friends of the Koala have a happy ending. Some koalas are too ill or injured by the time they come into care to be rehabilitated.
Recently three koalas came into care. A male from Lismore who was extremely anaemic, thin and weak, was found on the ground. He was euthanased as his immune response system had been lost which resulted in him suffering from various incurable conditions.
A female from Goonellabah suffering from cystitis, very thin and weak, was also found on the ground. An ultrasound showed the Chlamydia had caused huge cysts to form on her ovaries. This condition is incurable, causes infertility and eventually results in a very painful death. She was quietly put to sleep by the vet.
A male was rescued from Dorroughby, he was on the ground covered in ticks and with very mild conjunctivitis in one eye. Tests showed he was extremely anaemic. Because his overall condition was not too low, he was bright, alert and eating and the anaemia could be attributed to the tick overload, it was decided to wait for further testing at the Australian Wildlife Hospital for confirmation of his condition. A trip was arranged and he is receiving ongoing treatment.
Maurice was the next to come into care in the wee hours of the following day, he was a beautiful young male who had been hit by a car and was suffering from a broken jaw. Initial treatment was administered by our local vets to reduce his pain and the recommendation was made to transfer him to AWH. At AWH he would receive specialised vet treatment and appropriate drugs and pain relief.
It is hoped one day Friends of the Koala will be able to provide this service locally but this depends on the provision of ongoing funds and resources. In the meantime we are extremely lucky the Hospital is not that far away (a 3-4 hour drive) and that we have people willing to undertake that drive, often at short notice. AWH are very accommodating in looking after koalas from the Northern Rivers. In addition to the koala care, they provide Friends of the Koala with up to date medical advice and treatment programmes for our koalas.
Jesse the lovely little Dunoon Koala I reported on last edition, has been released and appears to be coping well on her own. She is vulnerable to the local conditions.. therefore I would ask that you please be aware that she, and many other koalas, are near our homes and roads to feed on the few remaining food trees available to them. It has been such a long process to get this little koala to the stage where she can cope on her own... it would be so unfair if she were to fall victim to dog attack or someone not noticing her near the road verge. Containing your dogs, or tying them up at night, and being aware while driving on the roads at dusk and dawn may be sufficient to save the life of Jesse and many other native animals. It is an easy trap to fall into to assume that koalas will be here for evermore. Without our action NOW… they may not survive past the near future. If you see a koala, especially one in need, check our website for information www.friendsofthekoala.org or phone our 24 hr hotline 6622 1233 for assistance. No charge is made for any treatment resulting from your contacting Friends of the Koala.
The date for the next training day is fast approaching - April 12. Call the hotline to enquire about it or to register and there should be pamphlets available around the village early April. If you wish to see the koalas in care or assist in our work, call in at the Care Centre on Rifle Range Road, behind SCU, or call 6622 1233 for a tour booking. School groups are welcome and we would gladly assist any school koala awareness project.
While we cannot save all koalas that come into care, there are many that are successfully rehabilitated. Mika is our pin-up koala this issue. Mika comes from Dorroughby and was in need of a little TLC. He is pictured here having a cuddle with his new friend from Clarence Valley. After minimal treatment and a thorough assessment he was released and is doing very well. Often the key to koala recovery is getting them into care quickly. Many koalas that die from disease may have been saved if they were given medical treatment sooner, so if you are at all concerned by a koala not being active, having a dark stain around the bottom or sitting low in a tree contact us for an immediate assessment. We appreciate all calls to inform us of koala sightings, we need to know where the healthy ones are too!
Since the last Gazette issue, I have been offered access to local trees to collect food for the koalas in care. This is very generous and I would offer a public thank you to those people.
Karen