Blue Mountains rescue mission for Australia’s koalas
RESEARCHERS supported by San Diego Zoo Global are getting ready to go into the Blue Mountains of Australia to look for koalas following the wildfires that recently spread through the region.
The Blue Mountains World Heritage Region is home to the most genetically diverse population of koalas in the world, and mega-fires racing through the region over the past few weeks have devastated more than one million hectares of habitat.
Due to tall trees and the rugged terrain of the area, visual observation of koalas in the region was not feasible, the organisation said.
“We have been working in this area for many years now, tracking koalas to learn about them and to assess their population numbers,” said Kellie Leigh, a PhD researcher with San Diego Zoo Global and executive director of Science for Wildlife.
“The population of koalas in the Blue Mountains has high levels of genetic diversity. This makes this particular population very important for the survival of the species.”
As an international non-profit organisation, San Diego Zoo Global works to fight extinction through conservation efforts for plants and animals worldwide.
Since 2015 researchers have used radio-tagging to track individual koalas.
As the wildfires threatened the area, Leigh and volunteers with Science for Wildlife were able to locate 12 koalas, removing them from the area to the Taronga Zoo, where they could be protected until the crisis passed.
As the team now gets ready to go back into the area to assess the damage, they are expecting to need support for activities that go beyond the scientific work they had previously been engaged in.
“These fires are completely changing how wildlife management will be carried out in future in Australia. In
“Our long-term goal will be to re-wild the koalas that were rescued Kellie Leigh San Diego Zoo Global
the short term, we will be engaging in search and rescue for wildlife that needs assistance, and putting in water sources for the wildlife that has been left behind.
“Our long-term goal will be to re-wild the koalas that were rescued and recover the population in the region,” Leigh said.