Friends of the Koala are proud to share an exciting update in our ongoing work with the Chlamydia vaccine research trials with Professor Peter Timms, Dr Nina Pollak and Dr Samuel Phillips from the University of Sunshine Coast. This week, our team welcomed 100 doses of Koala Chlamydia Vaccine, the world’s first approved koala Chlamydia … Read more
Hospital
High Koala Fatalities This Breeding Season – Please Drive with Care
It has been a heartbreaking few weeks in the Northern Rivers, with five koalas hit on the Bruxner Highway in just the last seven days. Each of these losses is a stark reminder of how fragile our local koala population is. It also highlights the need for drivers to take extra care during breeding season … Read more
Koala Kindy and Care Centre Sept 2025
We have a short update for you this month, as the Friends of the Koala team has experienced an unexpected run of heartbreak. It has been a particularly challenging period, with several koalas arriving in critical condition or having developed complications from their injuries and/or disease and, sadly, they were unable to recover. Despite every … Read more
Koala Kindy and Care Centre May 2025
Welcome to May at Friends of the Koala. It’s been a very wet beginning to the month here in the Northern Rivers with steady rainfall in the region, and some areas recording up to 100 mm of rain. Luckily though we haven’t been as severely impacted as other regions on the mid North Coast which … Read more
Hospital Expansion
The Northern Rivers Koala Hospital officially opened in 2021 although we employed our first Veterinary Surgeon and received the approval to operate a specialist Koala Hospital in 2020, 5 years ago now. Since then, the demand for our services has continued to grow in response to the increasingly challenging environment for koalas. We now tend … Read more
Meet Dr Kate Thomas: Compassionate Care at the Heart of Koala Medicine
We’re thrilled to introduce Dr Kate Thomas, our new Superintendant Veterinarian taking over from Dr Jodie Wakeman. With over a decade of experience in animal care, Dr Kate brings a powerful mix of compassion, clinical expertise, and a deep commitment to conservation. Since joining us in September 2024, Dr Kate has been making an incredible … Read more
Koala Kindy and Care Centre March 2025
Hello from the Northern Rivers where we continue to rescue koalas in the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred as well as clean up the destruction left behind. As our recovery efforts continue, we acknowledge our amazing heroes – our volunteers who stood strong, ensuring our koalas in need were reported and rescued under extremely challenging conditions. … Read more
Koala Kindy and Care Centre February 2025
G’day from everyone at Friends of the Koala – especially the furry ‘nap champions of the world’ in our Koala Care Centre! The vibe here is – you guessed it – laid back, koalas (like Australians) are known to be pretty unfazed about most things – except perhaps a male adversary and a good eucalyptus … Read more
Koala conservation review
The beginning of a new year always gives us cause for hope and renewed energy for koala conservation. Whilst the challenges of Chlamydial disease, vehicle collisions, dog attacks and the other threats facing our beautiful koalas persist, so do we at Friends of the Koala and all the other koala conservation organisations and advocates – … Read more
Help us protect koalas in 2025
We know if you are here now, you are most likely already on the right side of conservation, whether it is because of our beautiful furry Koala friends or due to a dedication to preserving the environment at large. As it is the beginning of a new year, it’s the perfect time to think about … Read more
