A healthy and happy Toby back where he belongs.

Hello everyone.
As we come into the season of good cheer I thought it only appropriate that I follow suit and provide a bit of my own good cheer.
Some of you may remember the stories I have posted about Jesse…our Dunoon koala joey that came into care a very very sick little girl with not a lot of hope for a full recovery.  Well, after much love and care she was considered fit and was returned to the wild here in Dunoon and in September I was fortunate enough to see her with a healthy young joey of her own.  Jesse and joey were high in a Tallowwood and it was interesting to watch her guide the little one in tree survival skills. So to the young boy in Munro Road that called me to rescue Jesse…thank you, you saved her life and as a result we now have another young koala to add to our Dunoon population.
We also had a very ill cranky adult male koala that went to Australia Wildlife Hospital then received extensive treatment at Friends of the Koala.  This boy, Toby, was suffering extremely bad conjunctivitis and cystitis. Toby also recovered and was released here in Dunoon. I have seen him round his usual haunts but recently he has moved further a field and is looking very fit and healthy and even supports a pair of fluffy ears…they were a bit moth eaten in appearance when he was ill. I have enclosed a photo taken by his new ‘family’ who monitor his movements and behaviour to ensure we get him back into care if he suffers a relapse.
There have been several people express their concerns to me about calling in regarding a sick koala. The common perception is that if it is sick it will be euthanased and they will lose ‘their’ koala.  Yes…that can happen, but it is also true that there are many many koalas that recover from apparently insurmountable odds and return to the wild to live a pain free life. If the koala is to be euthanased then you can feel reassured to know that it is only a last resort and only if the animal is unable to recover. Koalas suffer from the illnesses they contract, wounds from dog attack and trauma of car hits but they should receive a trained wildlife carer or vet assessment to determine their prognosis for recovery.  The local vets, the Friends of the Koala volunteers, Currumbin Hospital and Australian Wildlife Hospital are involved in the assessment and treatment of any koala coming into care and no decision to end a koala’s life is taken lightly. Don’t hesitate to call 02 6622 1233 to report a koala or to seek assistance.
Have a safe and happy holiday…drive carefully and keep an eye out for our silly furry friends that play on the roads.
Karen from FOK