Lyn Wallace-Greenberg accompanied by her partner Ken presented a thought provoking presentation on koalas.
Lyn is a talented artist who has exhibited in our Easter Show, but her day job is Koala Conservation, including experience with WIRES in NSW, and CHART (Coffs Harbour Animal Rescue Trust).
The modern koala Phascolarctos cinereus (grey bear) has evolved from 15 now extinct species of Diprotodontia, a family which includes wombats. Early koalas were much bigger than present day koalas.
Koalas have hands and feet. Their hands have 2 opposable thumbs, which allow them to climb trees.
They were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800's, when their pelts were sent to Europe to be made into hats.
The greatest threats to the survival of the species are
*Habitat destruction through land clearing and urbanisation
*Climate change- causes more frequent bushfires, and a change of leaf composition in preferred food trees
*Disease - chlamydia - causes infertility, and koala retrovirus (koala AIDS), cryptococcus (a fungal disease spread by inhalation) and sarcoptic mange.
There is only one species of koala, but there are differences in size and colour between northern Australia (average adult weight 7kg, grey in colour) and southern Australia (up to 14kg and brown, with denser fur.
Preferred diet - eucalypt leaves and flowers, also she-oaks and corymbia. They also ingest dirt as mineral supplement.
Gestation period is short- only 35 days. The koala joey is born jellybean sized and makes its way unaided from the birth canal to the vertically opening pouch, where it attaches to one of two teats. It remains in the pouch to 5-6 months before graduating to belly-rider status, then back rider at 8 months . At 12 months, joey leaves mother. Pouch joeys under 6 months do not fare well if mother is killed, as they need to receive a dose of microbe rich 'pap' from her before leaving the pouch to develop their gut microbiome
Life expectancy- male 12-13 years, female, up to 15 years.
Adult males are very territorial, and noisy lovers.
They sleep 18-20 hours / day, and drop about 300 poos (scat) , olive pip sized, each day.
What can we do to conserve koala populations?
Don't establish timber plantations in koala habitat. After harvest, it takes 25 years for new plantings to reach harvestable size.
Conserve existing habitat and establish wildlife corridors. Koalas are at their most vulnerable when moving at ground level- to traffic on roads, and hunting by dogs.
Do your bit to minimise climate change by buying locally sourced seasonal food (less transport, less packaging, less greenhouse gases).
Contact local wildlife rescue if you see a sick koala. Narbieview Animal Shelter, or Healesville Sanctuary.
Take care at night on our roads and slow down.
Dogs and koala don't mix. A colorbond fence can be a deathtrap to a koala which drops into a yard with a dog. Consider leaning a plank against the fence as an escape route.
Locally Upper Goulburn Landcare are trying to create a wildlife corridor by planting along GVRT to connect to Gobur. Manna gum, spotted and blue gums and Allocasuarina (she-oak).
