Tough little koalas make a recovery from last year’s fires

IN JULY 2020 we reported on the fallout of the raging bushfire and firefighter plane crash catastrophe at the Two Thumbs Wildlife Trust Koala Sanctuary at Peak View in Palerang. When we got there, recovery was underway, with new shelters and rehabilitation of fire-affected koalas directed by landowner and wildlife rescuer James Fitzgerald, with the help of generous rebuild donations and volunteers.

IMAGE: James Fitzgerald and newly-housed koala make acquaintance. (Credit: Jacob Howard)

Scientific studies were also contributing. Researchers had begun tracking released koalas to see how they used the burned and the unburned landscapes. Others were conducting habitat nutrition studies.

The story here from the ABC in October 2021, reports good news of resilient koalas making the most of the remaining habitat, as documented by the scientists who have been following their movements.

With the overall plight and decline in NSW koala populations thanks to human economic and housing developments and habitat removal, worsened by the 2019–2020 bushfires, that is something indeed to celebrate.