Thank You: Your Support is Powering Our Koala Hospital Expansion

When six month old joey Brightheart arrived at Friends of the Koala on 22 May, she weighed just 324 grams and had lost her mum.

Brightheart came to us from South Gundurimba alongside her mother, Shadowheart, after Shadowheart was struck by a car. X-rays showed Shadowheart had sustained multiple skull fractures, and despite every effort from our veterinary team, she could not be saved. In an instant, Brightheart became an orphan.

Fortunately, Brightheart herself was uninjured. She went straight into Home Care with one of our experienced carers, Liz, who has been feeding and monitoring her around the clock ever since. Brightheart continues to prove just how resilient a little koala can be. She is feeding beautifully and steadily putting on weight, now up to 530 grams from that first weigh in at just 324 grams. She still has a long road ahead of her, but every gram gained is a reason to celebrate.

Stories like Brightheart’s are why Friends of the Koala exists, and they are why your support during this year’s End of Financial Year appeal meant so much.

Since 1989, we have cared for more than 6,600 koalas and returned over 2,300 to the wild. Since opening our licensed hospital in 2020, our release rate for koalas in ongoing care has reached 76 per cent, the result of decades of expertise, dedication and compassion.

But we have also been facing a real funding gap. Grants that once covered 93 per cent of our hospital costs now cover just 44 per cent, which means community support like yours has become essential to keeping the level of care our koalas deserve. It costs an average of $5,382 to care for each koala, and we never turn one away.

That is why we asked for your help this EOFY to expand our Koala Hospital, giving our veterinary team the ability to deliver treatments that simply were not possible before: advanced diagnostics, orthopaedic procedures and specialised dental care. For koalas in complex conditions, this can mean the difference between life and death.

Thanks to your generosity, we raised $194,768 towards our $500,000 hospital expansion goal. We still have a way to go, and fundraising efforts continue, but every tax deductible dollar brings us closer and goes directly towards koalas like Brightheart.

We are pleased to share that phase one of the expansion is now complete, and phase two is officially underway, fitting out the new space with the clinical equipment, additional enclosures and everything needed for top quality koala care.

We cannot thank you enough for standing with us. Because of you, our hospital will be able to do more, save more, and give koalas like Brightheart the best possible chance at a wild future.

Thank you for being part of the Friends of the Koala family.