THE newest addition to the Phillip Island Nature Parks family – a baby koala – has been given a clean bill of health in the annual medical checks at the Koala Conservation Reserve.
The eight-month-old male joey, which his yet to be officially named, is now out of his mother’s pouch and is spending time getting to know the surroundings, learning to grip and feed on branches of fresh eucalyptus leaves.
The joey is the first for mum, two-year-old Trixie, who is taking motherhood in her stride despite a few hiccups, including the joey swapping mothers for a few days.
Both mother and son underwent medical checks in October, along with a cohort of other koalas aged between eight-months and 16 years, ahead of the Koala Conservation Reserve’s peak visitation season.
Senior Ranger at Phillip Island Nature Parks, Lachlan Sipthorp said the rangers managed to check 14 of the reserve’s 17 koalas over three days in October, with the outstanding koalas to be checked opportunistically in coming weeks.
“Unfortunately, there were no joeys in pouches this year. We only have the one back-young this year, Trixie’s male joey who is yet to be named,” Mr Sipthorp said.
The rangers are taking name suggestions from the public via the Penguin Foundation facebook page.
Health checks involve weighing the koalas, examining their teeth and eyes, making head measurements, checking muscle tone and obtaining chlamydia swabs.
Chlamydia is a common disease in koalas that can result in blindness, infertility and sometimes death. Scientists are currently researching a cure for chlamydia in koalas.
Once pathology tests are returned, rangers will assess the results and make the final moves to have the koalas back in their natural habitat, where they can be viewed from tree-top boardwalks.
Koalas are not native to Phillip Island and were introduced in the late 1800s, but the population has been in decline, largely due to a loss of habitat.
Phillip Island Nature Parks Attraction Manager, Daniel Kallstrom said check-ups were done annually and the most recent examinations showed the colony was in good shape. “Weights are steady and body condition and teeth wear are what we would expect for their ages. We only have nine koalas that are chlamydia-free, but the eight chlamydia positive koalas are currently symptom-free,” Mr Kallstrom said.
“These medical checks are important as they allow us to keep an eye on the health of the koala population at the Koala Conservation Reserve.
“As the koalas are semi-wild in a captive environment, we need to ensure they have enough food, aren’t succumbing to disease and any previous ailments and injuries are fully healed.”
The Koala Conservation Reserve is a state-of-the-art rehabilitation sanctuary that provides a haven for koalas in need of care and those that cannot be released into the wild. There are currently 17 koalas who call the reserve home.
The reserve is open to the public to view the koalas, and money raised from the eco-tourism goes towards koala research and welfare. To adopt a koala or donate to help protect koalas, visit penguinfoundation.org.au
To suggest a name for this adorable koala joey, go to facebook.com/PenguinFoundation
