MEET THE FARMER SAVING OUR KOALAS
Rob made a shock discovery about his furry friends and took action
Rob Frend’s eyes widened as he watched the footage. A cuddly koala had been caught on camera doing something very unusual on his NSW property.
The native Australian marsupial was drinking water from a specially designed bowl.
It was a hot March day when farmer and koala lover Rob, now aged in his 70s, noticed the furry friend perched on a tree not far from his homestead.
While there’s a long-held theory that koalas don’t need to drink because the eucalyptus leaves they love to munch on contain enough moisture to keep them hydrated, Rob had other thoughts. As part of a University of Sydney study examining the marsupial’s drinking habits, he had started designing special vessels he hoped the koalas might be tempted to sip from.
“I screwed half a go-kart tyre into the tree, filled it with water, mounted a motion sensor camera nearby and waited for nightfall,’’ Rob explains.
The next morning, footage proved the koalas were drinking!
“I always thought that was the case, but needed the evidence,’’ says Rob.
“I’ve always been fascinated by koalas and I didn’t want to see them lost to the area.”
But during a 2009 heatwave in the area, the koala population was decimated – with a quarter perishing. Researchers believed increasingly dry conditions might be sucking the moisture out the eucalyptus leaves koalas had been relying on.
“I figured the remaining koalas would be doing it tough,’’ says Rob.
As the research continues, Rob has modified his drinking vessels, which are named Blinky Drinkers after the lovable children’s character Blinky Bill.
His property boasts 14 of the special “drinkers”, which are used by 75 koalas.
The animals are microchipped, and each drinker has a camera to monitor the koalas, including how long they drink for.
“The more we understand koalas, the more we can help them,” says Rob proudly.
‘I didn’t want to see them lost to the area’