Vol 3 - June 2006 (Read-Only).mdi

KOALAS IN CARE
Newsletter
Servicing the Greater Taree, Great Lakes & Gloucester Areas
KOALAS IN CARE INC.
PO BOX 1249 TAREE 2430
[email protected]
1st
24 Hr Koala Rescue Service
June 2006
02 6552 2183
Volume 3
Anniversary Edition - An Overview of our Area
KOALAS IN CARE Inc. covers a
vast area, some 843 000 hectares, which contains a wide
spectrum of climates, soil types,
vegetation communities and
“people problems”.
At our northern boundary, red volcanic soil is found south of Diamond Head around the Stewarts
River area and then extends west
to Moorland, Hannam Vale right
through to the edge of the Comboyne plateau, Elands and further
southwards to the Bobin and Killabakh zones. These fertile areas
of higher rainfall contain koala
food tree species such as Tallowwood, Forest Red Gum, Flooded
Gum and Blue Gum.
Human pressure across this area
is lower relative to our more
southern area but much of the
escarpment is rugged hills or
deep gorges. Dog attacks on rural properties as well as tick infestation and conjunctivitis are the
major problems the koalas face in
this area. Historically the population was indeed much higher.
Moving further west the Enfield
Range and Cooplacurripa area
has less fertile soils with alluvial
river and creek flats but shale and
clay poorer soils on the steep
slopes.
Flooded Gum, Forest
Red Gum and Cabbage Gum are
found along river and creek flats
with Grey Gum, White Mahogany,
Ironbark and Stringybark along the
drier ridge areas. Tallowwood appears sparsely with tablelands species blending in towards Nowendoc. Due to the past extensive
clearing, few reports of koalas are
received, the majority of these from
the Knodingbul Road area.
Again moving southwards the landscape levels into the Manning,
Lansdowne and Wallamba River
floodplains. Rich alluvial soils occur adjacent waterways but quickly
change to shallow clay and shale
away from rivers and up to low altitude peaks and ridges. Koala food
tree species include Forest Red
Gum, Tallowwood, Cabbage Gum,
Flooded Gum, Blackbutt, Grey
Gum, Ironbark, White Mahogany
and Stringybark. Within a thin
coastal strip, Swamp Mahogany is
sparsely found. This is the area
where most problems occur in our
koala population with the Bucketts
Way, Lansdowne Road and the
Pacific Highway producing most of
our MVA’s with rural residential
properties producing the bulk of
dog/cow/horse attacks. The widespread clearing of the landscape,
many decades ago, has in many
instances left only thin sparse corridor opportunities or hundreds of
metres between small pockets of
vegetation.
The southern section of our area
has a diverse range of soils from
sandy loam around the coast, Wal-
lis and Myall Lakes to fertile alluvial
soil in the creek and river environs
and low fertile clay podsol on the
drier ridge country. Blackbutt and
Angophora costata are quite common along with Tallowwood, Grey
Gum, Forest Red Gum, Ironbark
(sometimes square fruited variety),
Flooded Gum and White Mahogany.
The area also has a high number of
National Parks and State Forest areas. Koala numbers are low with
most problems stemming from the
Pacific Highway MVA’s and lack of
habitat connection opportunities
around Pacific Palms, Smiths Lake
and Coolongolook areas.
Finally the area from Booral to
Gloucester also has wider valley
floors consisting of fertile alluvial soil
where Forest Red Gum, Cabbage
Gum, Grey Box and two Angophora
species grow. Further up the adjacent slopes lesser fertile soils including clay types exist with three species of Grey Gum occurring, Craven
& White Topped Box, Mahogany and
Silvertop Stringybark. In general soil
fertility decreases as you move
southwards.
This is an overview of the diverse
range of soils and species found
across our area. While there are
some common species it is always a
‘fine art’ to provide the correct species for individual koalas we admit to
our Koala Care Facility especially
from the remote areas.
President Paul’s Report
Welcome to our ‘First Anniversary
Newsletter’. Christeen and I would
like to express our thanks to our
Management Committee, our Working and Supporting Members, Vets
and Staff at Taree Veterinary Hospital, and a host of others who have
assisted us to make our first year of
operation so successful.
and Manager Bert Vandenburg who
kindly donated some everyday products we use in the treatment of our
koala patients. This has been a big
saving to the group.
There are many ways in which our
community is supporting us which
brings me to mention the local businesses who have allowed us to put our
in for treatment from a remote area
At this point last year, we were be‘Donation Boxes’ on their counters.
and by pulling together we can usuginning to move into unchartered
(See list page 7).
ally transport the patient quickly so it
territory, with of course the obvious
Our inaugural Annual General Meetcan receive the treatment needed.
question being asked “Is this the
ing will be held on 26 August 2006.
right course for us to take?” The At present we are focusing on educaPlease mark this date on your calendecision to separate from the Koala tion and fundraising activities around
dar. We hope you can come along
Preservation Society was not made the area while we only have one koand take part.
lightly but we can now quite confi- ala in our care. Our local community
dently answer this question with seems to be accepting the group well Since the last Newsletter we have con“Yes” and we are looking forward and have been supportive of our ac- tinued to deal
with koala habito KOALAS IN CARE Inc.’s continued tivities.
tat issues and
growth in the future.
We take this opportunity to thank the
you can read
The vast area of 843 000 hectares local businesses (see list page 4) who
more about that
that is now the licensed area of our kindly donated items or vouchers to
in the Habitat
group can be somewhat daunting at our raffle without hesitation. This
Report.
times but we can usually rely on helped to raise funds for the ongoing
Paul McLeod
individuals and neighbouring groups flow of patients coming into care.
to help when a koala needs to come
We also thank Woolworths Taree
Koala Care Facility
Since the end of the breeding season,
koala admissions have
dropped considerably. We had no
admissions during March and April
but May was an exception. Five
koalas required assistance and all
five were either dead before we
reached them or died after admission.
Four of the five koalas were MVA’s.
Two were found on the highway,
dead, north of Taree at Moorland
and John’s River. One adult male
at Tinonee was hit after a motorist
stopped to help him off the road but
before she could do that, another
car came along, failing to stop when
flagged down, and ran straight over
the top of him. The driver then
drove off leaving the first motorist to
help the koala. Unfortunately his
injuries were many and so severe
that he died shortly after the incident
before veterinary care could be
given.
We also had a female killed at Tinonee who had a small furless joey in
her pouch. On impact he was thrown
from her pouch and skidded across
the road. He weighed only 103
grams.
NOT ONLY ONE
LIFE BEING LOST
BUT THE NEXT
GENERATION AS
WELL
vival but despite all our efforts he
died three days later.
It is a timely warning for motorists
that at this time of year especially,
vigilance is required as there is the
possibility of not only one life being
lost but the next generation as well.
The highlight of May was definitely
the release of ‘Clara’. You can read
her story on Page 3.
At present ‘Boobook’ is the only koala in care. An application has been
made to the DEC to have her made
a ‘permanent resident’ due to her
hind leg disability. ‘Boobook’ has
always been a ‘star patient’ having
been a ‘surrogate big sister’ for
many joeys while she has been in
our care. She is very good at keeping everybody in their place including
her carers.
Amazingly he was found by a passing motorist and brought into care.
We don’t know how long he was lying
on the road in the cold of the night.
He was put into our ‘Humidicrib’ and
everything possible was done for him
to give him the best chance of sur- Christeen McLeod
Page 2
Clara goes home to Hillville
‘Clara’, a young female koala, aged
about three years old, was admitted
for treatment in January in a very
debilitated state, from the Hillville
area. Her condition could best be
described as ‘a fur coat over a
skeleton’.
She then developed a urinary
tract infection. She was treated
with antibiotics over several
weeks and finally we saw an incredible improvement. Her appetite started to increase and she
started to gain weight.
Vet Donald Hood examined ‘Clara’
and blood tests were done to establish the nature of her illness. He
feared she could be suffering a terminal illness.
‘Clara’ spent 20 weeks in care to
get her back to a healthy state.
She was released in May, back
into the Hillville area, onto a property with an abundance of good
quality habitat.
While waiting for test results she
was started on supplementary
feeds, vitamins and plenty of fresh
Eucalyptus leaves.
She showed interest in leaf but ate
little. Test results showed some minor abnormalities but nothing too serious, yet a question mark still hung
over her. Over several weeks she
demanded a lot of attention and was
up and down in her recovery, so tests
were repeated revealing only slight
improvement.
We couldn’t have wished for a
better outcome after initially thinking she wasn’t going to survive.
MVAs continue to claim koala lives!
As usual motor vehicle hits remain one of the biggest problems faced by koalas in this area. Vehicles pose a threat not
only for adult koalas but also to those not even ready to face
the world - unfurred joeys. ‘Kenny’ was one such victim.
Weighing only 103 grams, eyes still unopened, was thrown
on impact from his mother’s pouch - he died 3 days later from
injuries and trauma. His mother was dead on the roadside.
‘Tanker’, prior to MVA, was a
beautiful healthy male koala. He suffered horrendous multiple injuries including a fractured jaw in at least 2 places, a
fractured elbow and severe internal injuries, resulting in his
death shortly after impact.
Two other victims were found on the roadside in May. A lot
of the offending motorists just simply do not care that they
are contributing to the ultimate endangerment of the survival
of Australia’s most recognisable national icon.
MOTOR
VEHICLE
HITS
REMAIN
ONE OF THE
BIGGEST
PROBLEMS
FACED BY
KOALAS IN
Thomas - an Aged Patient
‘Thomas’ was admitted in January, from the Great
Lakes area, suffering bilateral conjunctivitis. He was
very thin and it was obvious the disease was taking
its toll. Fortunately he ate leaf voraciously on admission.
Treatment was started on his eyes and over the next
couple of weeks we saw a good improvement in his
eyes and general condition. Due to Thomas’ advanced age, it was decided to keep him in care to
build him up and ensure his eyes would not flare up
again. He progressed well, but unfortunately developed a urinary tract infection, requiring antibiotic
treatment. He responded well to this and the infec-
tion was soon under control.
Thomas plodded along over
the next couple of weeks but
then started to have trouble
climbing. Thomas was
euthanased as he deteriorated suddenly and was experiencing severe pain.
Regardless of age, condition, or gender each individual koala is
given a chance for survival and, while not successful with Thomas, we can all learn from the experience of caring for an aged
animal.
Page 3
Fundraising Report
By Barbara Witham
How time flies, it seems no time which have been very productive
since I wrote the last report for for us.
our newsletter.
We are currently running a raffle
The Team have been busy over which will be drawn at the Envirothe last three months with sev- fair on Saturday 10 June. The
eral fundraising activities.
prizes for the raffle have all been
donated by local businesses and
We started with our “Hot Cross
individuals.
Buns’ and followed that with our
‘Spring Bulbs’. These were both
Fundraising and
very successful and we will be
donations are the
repeating both next year. The
basis for providing
bulbs were beautifully presented in small boxes and very
for the koalas in
reasonably priced. They were
our care!
particularly good sellers at the
local markets.
The first prize is made up of
The Team have attended the goods and vouchers to the value
Hub Markets, John’s River Mar- of $264, second prize is vouchers
kets and Tinonee Markets
to the value of $40 and third
prize is goods to the value of
$30. Our thanks to all who donated these prizes, we couldn’t
do it without your kind generosity.
We have also sold a variety of
greeting cards at the markets.
These cards are handmade by
Di Wells of Harrington. These
are beautifully made with koala
themes. We thank Di for her
generous ongoing donation.
My thanks to all the Management Committee members for
their ongoing support in our
fundraising endeavours over the
last three months.
NB We have postponed our Film Premiere Night until further notice.
A HUGE thank you to the following Businesses who donated
to our Raffle:
Wingham Hardware - Wingham
AutObarn - Taree
Auto Brakes & Service - Taree
Townhead Wholesale Meats - Taree
Bushland Tavern - Taree
Townhead Fruit & Vegetables - Taree
Wingham Nursery & Florist - Wingham
Saxby’s Chemist - Taree
KOALAS IN CARE Inc.’s Management Team says ‘Thank you very much for your generosity’!!
Reader’s Comments - 2nd Edition
Paul & Chris,
Paul & Chris,
Enjoyed reading Newsletter &
Awesome edition of
was very impressed.
Newsletter
Amanda Boardman,
Dr. Donald Hood
NPWS Discovery Ranger & FAWNA Volunteer
Taree Vet Hospital
Page 4
Habitat
Issues
In contrast to my last report the continuing dry conditions
will likely see our area deteriorate into official drought
status shortly, despite some scattered sections receiving
rainfall. Many immature trees are burning off while even
mature Spotted Gum, E. glaucina and White Mahogany
are showing signs of stress on the ridges, with Forest Red
Gum and Cabbage Gum deteriorating on the usually
moister creek bank areas. Fortunately we are in our
‘quieter time’ for koala admissions as leaf collecting is
certainly challenging.
We have been able to rest some of our leaf harvesting
areas as we have been given permission by a landowner
to harvest from his private property in the Wingham
area.
As mentioned in my last report the Draft Conservation and
Development Strategy has been under scrutiny and we
were invited to address a Councillor Workshop to personally present our concerns. I vigorously pushed for
better outcomes and highlighted the obvious lack of conservation areas to ensure long-term survival of our koalas.
Christeen and I met with Council staff to discuss the Koala
Programs Review and presented a compilation of points
raised by our Management Committee and other colleagues.
Many of the Review’s proposals are ‘people friendly’ and lack
the opportunity to address our koala issues. We put forward a
strong case for improvement to what is on offer and hopefully
the Recommendations will reflect this.
Industrial land at Kolodong which was previously offered to us
for use for a plantation site is now subject to a new proposal. A
proposed subdivision which includes an access road dissecting
‘prime koala habitat’ will undoubtedly jeopardise the long-term
survival of the koala population in this area. We have written
to Council expressing our objection to this proposal. While willing to have further talks with Council regarding this issue we
cannot possibly support such a proposal in its current form.
On a positive note ten additional Koala Warning Signs are to
be purchased by Council and installed at our worst Black Spot
areas. Most of these will be placed around the Tinonee/
Hillville area where MVA’s continue to claim koala lives, three
of which have occurred in May alone.
We raised many issues regarding the Draft Environmental Management Plan and are pleased that many of these have been
incorporated into the final draft of this important document.
By Paul McLeod
Shooting in State Forests
It is somewhat of a concern to us to
have the Minister sign off on allowing
shooting in our State Forest areas,
supposedly to eradicate feral species.
This would have to be one of the most
potentially dangerous actions to ever
be allowed.
REPORTEDLY
THERE WAS
LITTLE PUBLIC
CONSULTATION
AND WITHOUT
DOUBT PUBLIC
SAFETY HAS
BEEN PUT AT
RISK
Reportedly there was little public
consultation and without doubt public safety has been put at risk. On
many occasions we travel through
State Forest areas in our work to rescue or release koalas back to their
home range areas. Sometimes these
areas are the only suitable release
points when koalas have been found
on nearby roads or sparsely vegetated
properties.
Forest areas, eg Yarratt Road from
Wingham to Lansdowne, Dingo Tops
Road from Wingham to the Oxley Highway, Kiwarrak State Forest, Giro State
Forest between Gloucester and Nowendoc to name but a few.
There has been serious doubts raised as
to how these hunting activities will be
monitored. Will there be any action
taken against shooters who make mistakes - but then again we probably will
not know if they do. Will the precautions taken to warn the public be
enough?
It will only be a matter of time before it
is bound to cause problems, whether it
be for our native animals or an innocent
person.
There are many instances where the
There were 31 State Forests opened up
only access to properties, tourist
to hunting in March and another 67 to
drives or picnic spots is through State
be added on 9 June.
Page 5
KOALAS IN CARE Admissions
March - May 2006
Date
Name
Age Sex Reason for Admission
Area
Result
26/5/02
*Boobook
AY
F
Debilitated - Rump ulcer
Tinonee
Treating/In care
2/1/06
Clara
AY
F
Extremely underweight/
unwell
Tinonee
Released 21/5/06
6/1/06
Thomas
AA
M
Bilateral Conjunctivitis
Forster
Deteriorated suddenly
Euthanased 20/3/06
3/5/06
Kenny
FJ
M
Found on road injured
(mother dead)
Tinonee
Died 6/5/06
5/5/06
Talabah
AM
F
Conjunctivitis (advanced)
Rainbow Flat
Died 25/5/06
5/5/06
Koala
A
M
MVA
Moorland
Dead on road
5/5/06
Koala
A
?
MVA
John’s River
Dead on road
18/5/06
Tanker
AY
M
MVA - multiple injuries; #
jaw; # elbow; internal injuries
Tinonee
Dead on arrival
* This koala was in care at the time of the establishment of KOALAS IN CARE Inc.
MVA - motor vehicle accident
FJ - Furless Joey
J - Joey (to 1 yr)
Juv - Juvenile (1 - 2 yrs)
AM - Mature Adult (5 - 10 yrs)
AY - Young Adult (2 - 5 yrs)
AA - Aged Adult (10+ yrs)
Volunteers needed
Our Koala Facility has a couple of
vacancies to fill on the morning shift
roster (weekdays only). We require you
to be reliable and be able to work as part of our small
team. Activities do require bending and lifting. Volunteers must be 18 years or over. Morning shift operates from 8.30am - 10.30am. If you have a free morning and would like to know more please contact
Christeen on 6552 2183 after 11am weekdays.
Membership Renewal
Members are reminded that
memberships are now due and
should be paid by 1 July 2006.
Membership forms have been
sent by separate mail so if you
haven’t received yours please
contact us.
Instruction and training will be provided.
Page 6
A Thank You to our Supporters!
Donald Hood, Stuart Knox, Rob
Brudar & Staff at Taree Veterinary
Hospital for their caring attitudes,
advice & ongoing support in the
treating of our special koala patients.
Kevin Carter (Manning Area Manager NPWS) - for ongoing support
& guidance.
Terry Evans (Area Manager Barrington Tops NPWS) - for ongoing
support & guidance.
Bushland Fair Newsagency - for
charging for plastic bags & donating
the proceeds to KIC.
*Please support the
people who help the
Koalas of our area.
Manning River Times
Woolworth’s Taree - for donating
products used for koala treatments
to our Koala Care Facility.
Gloucester Advocate
Colin Mulcaster of ‘Diversey’ for
donating washing powder & hand
cleaner to our Facility.
NBN TV
Wingham Chronicle
Great Lakes Advocate
Prime TV
*See other pages for more supporters
of our group’s work.
Annual General Meeting
Supporting Memberships
Members are advised of our upcoming
Want to help the Koalas of our area but can’t volunteer your time because of other commitments?
Annual General Meeting to be held at
Taree Showground Tearooms on
Saturday 26 August 2006 at 11am.
11am
Management looks forward to your attendance
at this important meeting. Further advice will be
mailed to each member during July.
Please mark it on your calendars now!
Donations
Thank you to the following:
Mr & Mrs J. Orr
Mrs S. Billingsley
No problem, you can still help and not have to do a
thing - become a Supporting Member!
Simply fill in the attached ‘Supporting Membership’
form and send the completed form and your cheque
for $27.50 to KOALAS IN CARE Inc.
It is that simple - your membership will help provide
for the koalas being admitted to our Care Facility
and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you
are contributing to their care. Do it today!
Donation Boxes
Thank you to the following businesses for housing our Donation
Boxes:
Bushland Fair Newsagency - Taree
Marloy’s Pastries - Taree
Mr & Mrs W. Gluyas
Wingham Newsagency - Wingham
You can make donations to KOALAS
IN CARE Inc. by sending a money
order/cheque to PO Box 1249, Taree
2430
McKeough’s Cake Shop - Wingham
Tinonee General Store - Tinonee
Tinonee Hotbake - Taree Store
Please support these local businesses!!
Page 7
Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in reports/articles published in this newsletter are
not to be necessarily taken as being the opinion of KOALAS IN CARE INC. but rather
the author’s personal opinion. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of any
information in the newsletter published in good faith as supplied to the Editor. The
President & Editor reserve the right to edit any article submitted for publication.
DEC General Licence No: 11611
ABN 78 337 974 646
KOALAS IN CARE Inc.
Servicing Greater Taree, Great Lakes & Gloucester Areas
Management Committee 2005 - 2006
Office Bearers:
Paul McLeod - President
Christeen McLeod - Vice President/Secretary
Joan Rolls - Treasurer
Committee:
Barbara Witham - Fundraising Coordinator
Terry Rolls - Tree Coordinator
KOALAS IN CARE INC. relies on the
generosity of the public for donations
and support to enable us to care for and
rehabilitate koalas for release back to
the wild. We cannot achieve this without your kind donations, so please
make a donation or become a Supporting Member today. Why not tell your
family and friends about how they can
help save the koalas in our area.
CALENDAR
Marie Smith - Committee Member
Fundraising & Awareness Stall at Taree
City Centre Car Park Sale - 25 June 2006
at 9am.
Other Positions:
Aimee McLeod - Newsletter Coordinator/Editor
Christeen McLeod - Public Officer
Ken Stanmore - Auditor
Postponed
•
Koala Data Analysis Report due to insufficient preparation time
•
Film Premiere Night until further notice
Management Meeting - Saturday, 5 August 2006 at 11am.
Inaugural Annual General Meeting at
Taree Showground Tearooms Saturday, 26 August 2006 at 11am.
Contact 6552 2183 if you would like further information on any of the above.
STOP PRESS
Readers Comments
Winners of our Raffle drawn at Envirofair
1st Prize
In the coming editions readers will be able to have their comments published in our Reader’s Comments section. Comments
can be pertaining to our Newsletter, the KOALAS IN CARE Inc.
group, our work within the community, habitat issues or koalas
in general. Suggestions for improvements to the Newsletter,
fundraising ideas or events we should attend, will also be welcome. Let us know what you think! Phone, fax or email us.
If you didn’t receive this newsletter by email but would like to in
the future, please contact us by email to arrange this.
Alison Freeman - Blue A 21
2nd Prize
Karen Tuck - Blue A 3
3rd Prize
Mel Salter - Red B 23