Koalas injured from the bushfires are finally released from the hospital back into the wild
It’s hard to imagine that five to six months ago, all the news outlets were filled with one issue, the Australian bushfires.
In September 2019, authorities reported that the bushfires in New South Wales had gone out of control. It would go on to burn more than 18 million hectares of land and killed a billion animals in the wild.
The animal hospitals in the affected area did their best to rescue the animals.
Port Macquarie Hospital was one of the hospitals that made this heroic effort. They worked closely with the Rural Fire Service, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, and National Parks and Wildlife Service to collect burnt or injured koalas and other fauna for treatment and care.
One of the first ones they rescued was Paul from the Lake Innes Nature Reserve. His fur was singed and his feet and hands were badly burnt.
Another koala they rescued was Anwen from the Lake Innes Nature Reserve as well.
Aside from burns, she also contracted a chlamydia infection, which they had to treat before they could release her.
All in all, they rescued and rehabilitated 37 koalas from the bushfires.
“They would have perished if they were left in the wild like this,” Koala Hospital President Sue Ashton remarked.
And with fewer than 80,000 koalas left in Australia, they are officially on the endangered list.
And with the bushfires killing and injuring thousands of koalas, their numbers have certainly gone even lower. It was even more important to rescue and rehabilitate the injured koalas so they can be released back into the wild.
And now, five months since they were rescued, they are ready to go back home.
Their injuries have healed and, more importantly, their home has also healed. They can’t release the koalas back into the wild prematurely if there’s no available food for them.
But six months after the bushfires went out of control, there is food for them finally.
“There’s good vegetation here and there’s plenty to sustain them so we’re really happy,” Koala Hospital’s clinical director Cheyne Flanagan said.
Anwen and 26 other koalas have been released back into the wild at the end of March 2020.
“To be able to release so many of our koalas back to their original habitats, even to their original tree in some cases – makes us very happy,” Sue Ashton exclaimed. “Anwen was our first-ever female koala to be admitted during the bushfires and her recovery has been extraordinary.”
“Anwen was our first-ever female koala to be admitted during the bushfires and her recovery has been extraordinary,” Sue added.
Koala Hospital did not forget to update their followers about Anwen’s recovery and release on their Facebook page.
“After five months of recovery from burns and Chlamydia infection, Anwen has been released back to her home range. The habitat is looking extremely healthy after much rain, and we’re sure Anwen will thrive now. Thank you to Anwen’s supporters for much-needed funding and the love she received from across the world!” they wrote.
Now that they’ve released most of the koalas they’ve rescued into the wild, they could focus on their next project.
Would you like to see how Anwen successfully recovered at the Port Macquarie Hospital a month before she was released back into the wild?
Watch the video below!
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Source: Koala Hospital Port Macquarie, Vogue, Metro, Mashable, Facebook