Koalas are being released back into the wild following the devastating fires that ravaged large parts of the Australian landscape. Finally some good news after weeks of nothing but negative.
So far, four adult koalas and one young joey have been set free in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park in New South Wales. The Koalas were rehabilitated at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
These animals are the first of 12 koalas to be released back into the wild after they were rescued from the Blue Mountains area during the devastating bushfires.
Dr. Kellie Leigh, executive director of Science for Wildlife told the BBC:
‘We have been busy assessing the burnt area that we rescued them from, to establish when the conditions have improved enough that the trees can support them again. The recent rains have helped and there is now plenty of new growth for them to eat, so the time is right.’
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The release of the remaining koalas will be fast-tracked due to the coronavirus outbreak, and will bring the total amount of koalas released up to 13.
‘While they have coped well in care we are delighted to finally send our koalas home,’
The release of these koalas represents an important step towards the rehabilitation of the koala population.
According to Jen Tobey, population sustainability researcher at San Diego Zoo Global:
‘There is still a lot of work to be done to assess what is left of koalas in this region and plan for population recovery. We are dedicated to continuing to support this critical work to conserve a significant koala population.’
SOURCE: GETAWAY