We’ve had a very busy couple of months with nearly 100 koalas brought into our Koala Rescue and Care Centre since July 1. Last year we rescued 443 animals, which was 33% more than previous years, and it looks like this year is going to be equally as busy.
The weather has meant that koalas are on the move early, and with everything so dry there’s little moisture for them in their leaf. Recently we’ve had two koalas drowned in swimming pools, no doubt having fallen in attempting to drink from the pools. Whilst koalas can swim, it’s difficult for them to gain purchase on the hard surfaces around swimming pools, so it’s important if you have a swimming pool to provide some support for them to pull themselves to safety such as a rope with a float firmly tethered to a tree or other firm upright.
As well as taking care with swimming pools, placing non-metal bowls of water under trees, particularly koala food trees known to be visited by koalas, so they can have a drink, will really help. Of course, other wildlife will also benefit from this. Even though we’ve had some rain, throughout summer these are a good practice.
