Cute, cuddly and with a cause

Fairfax

PAWS FOR THOUGHT: The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital cares for and rehabilitates injured, sick and orphaned koalas.

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The image inspired the world – an embattled koala, desperate for a drink reaching out to a fire fighter after miraculously surviving the Victorian fires.

It was a sign of hope for those devastated by the tragedy but at the same time a poignant reminder to us all that these tiny furry animals from the Australian bush are desperate enough to reach out for help from the biggest threat to their own survival – us!

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is the only one of its kind in the world, dedicated solely to the care and rehabilitation of injured, sick and orphaned koalas.

Located on the scrubby outskirts of Port Macquarie on New South Wales' mid-north coast, the hospital is mostly run by a dedicated band of volunteers who can tend to over 300 koalas a year ranging from critical care to ready for release.

With no government funding, the hospital survives on little more than a hope and a prayer and public generosity to keep their doors open. Donations determine the ongoing operation of the hospital and day and night these cute, sleepy, docile creatures are arriving in need of a bit more than a cuddle and a cup of eucalypt tea.

Cars, fires, development, dogs, disease and global warming are all taking a toll on wild koala numbers at an alarming rate. While not endangered, koala conservationists are leading the fight to have koalas listed as "threatened" or at least "vulnerable" by the government's Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) which is scheduled to meet in 2010 to decide the koala's current threatened status.

Field reports indicate that the natural population of koalas may have declined as much as 40 per cent in the past six years.

Man is mortal enemy No 1 rapidly developing land for residential and commercial uses thereby pushing koalas into smaller and potentially less suitable treed communities. These smaller pockets mean more competition for food, increased battles over territories, mates and a greater susceptibility to urban threats like pollution, domestic animals and traffic.

Disease is claiming lives too. Chlamydia is rife in koala populations, transmitted sexually or passed on during birth. Koala Sam, the koala made famous by the bushfires, was as resilient as they come. While she was able to survive a ferocious fire that claimed so many, Koala Sam could not survive the progression of Chlamydia, which claimed her.

But perhaps her death is leading to increased awareness and possibly more funding and a cure.

With correct treatment, most koalas can recover from Chlamydia if their infections (unlike Sam's) have not yet progressed to a terminal stage. But with no known natural antibodies to fight the illness themselves, man is needed to administer the antibiotics. Unless sick, injured or in search for food or a mate, koalas rarely come out of the trees so it is a mammoth job to give much needed antibiotics to koalas in need.

Two full time staff members are employed by the Port Macquarie Koala hospital, their wages funded by donations. One volunteer, Brian, insists his job is a privilege and he is merely "lending a hand to a good mate".

Brian, along with other volunteers, is spreading the word via a daily tour at 3pm where visitors are invited to take a "walk and talk" to learn of the koala's plight and engage positively as they watch them being nursed back to health.

Koalas are spotted regularly in the wild and when injured, sick or orphaned they are rehabilitated through the hospital's program and released back into the wild – their chances of survival around here are better than good.

This is a regular country hospital in terms of facilities – treatment room, eight intensive care units, a 24 hour rescue and treatment service, ambulance and 33 recovery yards where koalas are hand fed a rich formula consisting of soy milk and vital nutrients along with four different types of fresh eucalypt leaves collected daily. Twenty thousand tourists visit the hospital each year, many generously making donations and participating in the popular "adopt a koala" campaign.

For $A40 ($NZ51.70) ($A50 for overseas adoptees), you can help save koala lives and in turn select your adoptee from a list of candidates, all as deserving as the next. Proud parents will receive a home delivered certificate of adoption with name, the adopted koala's photo, a short story about its life, vinyl sticker and information booklet.

Last year an awareness campaign to highlight the adoption option generated over $A100,000 both here and overseas.

IF YOU GO

The Koala Hospital is open seven days a week, 365 days a year from 8am to 4.30pm. Entry and viewings are by donations (free entry) and there is a daily 'Feed, Walk and Talk' tour at 3pm. The Koala Hospital is located at Lord Street, Macquarie Nature Reserve, Port Macquarie, a 10 minute scenic drive from town.

How to Adopt a Koala: View the profiles of adoption koalas online, select a koala, pay online ($A40 for within Australia and $A50 for overseas), and the package will be delivered to your nominated address. Visit: Koalahospital.org.au for more info.

Where to Stay: Port Macquarie boasts many accommodation choices ranging from luxury penthouses overlooking the Hastings River to spacious, well priced apartments perfect for the whole family.

Macquarie Waters Boutique Apartment Hotel

Rydges Port Macquarie

Mercure Centro: www.centrohotel.com.au.

* The writer was a guest of Greater Port Macquarie Tourism.

- AAP