A funding agreement has been secured to progress the Schrinner Council and The University of Queensland’s Koala Recovery and Resilience Project.
Announced during the 2024 Brisbane City Council election, the project aims to reinforce koala populations in key areas identified by koala experts.
The project will assess several Brisbane bushland locations for the release of koalas.
In many of these areas, koala populations are dwindling so the release of new healthy individuals will improve their long-term prospects.
This program is based on the recent success of Council funded research projects at Pooh Corner and Wacol Bushlands reserves, in Wacol.
Koalas had become locally extinct in these areas until the reintroductions began and now Koalas Sean, Francois, Adam, Matilda, Karri, Lady Jane, Glenda, Chandler, Heaven, Attie, Olive, Oscar, and two yet-unnamed baby joeys call the reserves home.
All evidence suggests the furry locals are thriving with one young already weaned and two new joeys recently born through the reintroduced population.
The potential release locations will soon undergo thorough site inspections by UQ’s Koala Ecology Group to assess habitat quality and the health and abundance of resident koalas, and to identify any potential threats.
Koalas will be sourced through local wildlife hospitals and bushland areas where they are abundant, with a focus on young dispersing individuals that are searching for new habitat. All koalas will be given veterinary health checks prior to release and will be monitored with tracking devices.
Koalas released into these areas will also receive the groundbreaking koala chlamydia vaccine, created by the Queensland University of Technology.
The Schrinner Council is helping fund the registration fee for the vaccine which will make it available for use by wildlife hospitals and veterinarians across eastern Australia.
Chlamydia has been detected in around 21 per cent of Brisbane’s koala population so tackling this key threat is critical to supporting a healthy and resilient koala population into the future.