Vol 3 - June 2006 (Read-Only).mdi
Transcription
Vol 3 - June 2006 (Read-Only).mdi
KOALAS IN CARE Newsletter Servicing the Greater Taree, Great Lakes & Gloucester Areas KOALAS IN CARE INC. PO BOX 1249 TAREE 2430 koalasic@bigpond.net.au 1st 24 Hr Koala Rescue Service June 2006 02 6552 2183 Volume 3 Anniversary Edition - An Overview of our Area KOALAS IN CARE Inc. covers a vast area, some 843 000 hectares, which contains a wide spectrum of climates, soil types, vegetation communities and “people problems”. At our northern boundary, red volcanic soil is found south of Diamond Head around the Stewarts River area and then extends west to Moorland, Hannam Vale right through to the edge of the Comboyne plateau, Elands and further southwards to the Bobin and Killabakh zones. These fertile areas of higher rainfall contain koala food tree species such as Tallowwood, Forest Red Gum, Flooded Gum and Blue Gum. Human pressure across this area is lower relative to our more southern area but much of the escarpment is rugged hills or deep gorges. Dog attacks on rural properties as well as tick infestation and conjunctivitis are the major problems the koalas face in this area. Historically the population was indeed much higher. Moving further west the Enfield Range and Cooplacurripa area has less fertile soils with alluvial river and creek flats but shale and clay poorer soils on the steep slopes. Flooded Gum, Forest Red Gum and Cabbage Gum are found along river and creek flats with Grey Gum, White Mahogany, Ironbark and Stringybark along the drier ridge areas. Tallowwood appears sparsely with tablelands species blending in towards Nowendoc. Due to the past extensive clearing, few reports of koalas are received, the majority of these from the Knodingbul Road area. Again moving southwards the landscape levels into the Manning, Lansdowne and Wallamba River floodplains. Rich alluvial soils occur adjacent waterways but quickly change to shallow clay and shale away from rivers and up to low altitude peaks and ridges. Koala food tree species include Forest Red Gum, Tallowwood, Cabbage Gum, Flooded Gum, Blackbutt, Grey Gum, Ironbark, White Mahogany and Stringybark. Within a thin coastal strip, Swamp Mahogany is sparsely found. This is the area where most problems occur in our koala population with the Bucketts Way, Lansdowne Road and the Pacific Highway producing most of our MVA’s with rural residential properties producing the bulk of dog/cow/horse attacks. The widespread clearing of the landscape, many decades ago, has in many instances left only thin sparse corridor opportunities or hundreds of metres between small pockets of vegetation. The southern section of our area has a diverse range of soils from sandy loam around the coast, Wal- lis and Myall Lakes to fertile alluvial soil in the creek and river environs and low fertile clay podsol on the drier ridge country. Blackbutt and Angophora costata are quite common along with Tallowwood, Grey Gum, Forest Red Gum, Ironbark (sometimes square fruited variety), Flooded Gum and White Mahogany. The area also has a high number of National Parks and State Forest areas. Koala numbers are low with most problems stemming from the Pacific Highway MVA’s and lack of habitat connection opportunities around Pacific Palms, Smiths Lake and Coolongolook areas. Finally the area from Booral to Gloucester also has wider valley floors consisting of fertile alluvial soil where Forest Red Gum, Cabbage Gum, Grey Box and two Angophora species grow. Further up the adjacent slopes lesser fertile soils including clay types exist with three species of Grey Gum occurring, Craven & White Topped Box, Mahogany and Silvertop Stringybark. In general soil fertility decreases as you move southwards. This is an overview of the diverse range of soils and species found across our area. While there are some common species it is always a ‘fine art’ to provide the correct species for individual koalas we admit to our Koala Care Facility especially from the remote areas. President Paul’s Report Welcome to our ‘First Anniversary Newsletter’. Christeen and I would like to express our thanks to our Management Committee, our Working and Supporting Members, Vets and Staff at Taree Veterinary Hospital, and a host of others who have assisted us to make our first year of operation so successful. and Manager Bert Vandenburg who kindly donated some everyday products we use in the treatment of our koala patients. This has been a big saving to the group. There are many ways in which our community is supporting us which brings me to mention the local businesses who have allowed us to put our in for treatment from a remote area At this point last year, we were be‘Donation Boxes’ on their counters. and by pulling together we can usuginning to move into unchartered (See list page 7). ally transport the patient quickly so it territory, with of course the obvious Our inaugural Annual General Meetcan receive the treatment needed. question being asked “Is this the ing will be held on 26 August 2006. right course for us to take?” The At present we are focusing on educaPlease mark this date on your calendecision to separate from the Koala tion and fundraising activities around dar. We hope you can come along Preservation Society was not made the area while we only have one koand take part. lightly but we can now quite confi- ala in our care. Our local community dently answer this question with seems to be accepting the group well Since the last Newsletter we have con“Yes” and we are looking forward and have been supportive of our ac- tinued to deal with koala habito KOALAS IN CARE Inc.’s continued tivities. tat issues and growth in the future. We take this opportunity to thank the you can read The vast area of 843 000 hectares local businesses (see list page 4) who more about that that is now the licensed area of our kindly donated items or vouchers to in the Habitat group can be somewhat daunting at our raffle without hesitation. This Report. times but we can usually rely on helped to raise funds for the ongoing Paul McLeod individuals and neighbouring groups flow of patients coming into care. to help when a koala needs to come We also thank Woolworths Taree Koala Care Facility Since the end of the breeding season, koala admissions have dropped considerably. We had no admissions during March and April but May was an exception. Five koalas required assistance and all five were either dead before we reached them or died after admission. Four of the five koalas were MVA’s. Two were found on the highway, dead, north of Taree at Moorland and John’s River. One adult male at Tinonee was hit after a motorist stopped to help him off the road but before she could do that, another car came along, failing to stop when flagged down, and ran straight over the top of him. The driver then drove off leaving the first motorist to help the koala. Unfortunately his injuries were many and so severe that he died shortly after the incident before veterinary care could be given. We also had a female killed at Tinonee who had a small furless joey in her pouch. On impact he was thrown from her pouch and skidded across the road. He weighed only 103 grams. NOT ONLY ONE LIFE BEING LOST BUT THE NEXT GENERATION AS WELL vival but despite all our efforts he died three days later. It is a timely warning for motorists that at this time of year especially, vigilance is required as there is the possibility of not only one life being lost but the next generation as well. The highlight of May was definitely the release of ‘Clara’. You can read her story on Page 3. At present ‘Boobook’ is the only koala in care. An application has been made to the DEC to have her made a ‘permanent resident’ due to her hind leg disability. ‘Boobook’ has always been a ‘star patient’ having been a ‘surrogate big sister’ for many joeys while she has been in our care. She is very good at keeping everybody in their place including her carers. Amazingly he was found by a passing motorist and brought into care. We don’t know how long he was lying on the road in the cold of the night. He was put into our ‘Humidicrib’ and everything possible was done for him to give him the best chance of sur- Christeen McLeod Page 2 Clara goes home to Hillville ‘Clara’, a young female koala, aged about three years old, was admitted for treatment in January in a very debilitated state, from the Hillville area. Her condition could best be described as ‘a fur coat over a skeleton’. She then developed a urinary tract infection. She was treated with antibiotics over several weeks and finally we saw an incredible improvement. Her appetite started to increase and she started to gain weight. Vet Donald Hood examined ‘Clara’ and blood tests were done to establish the nature of her illness. He feared she could be suffering a terminal illness. ‘Clara’ spent 20 weeks in care to get her back to a healthy state. She was released in May, back into the Hillville area, onto a property with an abundance of good quality habitat. While waiting for test results she was started on supplementary feeds, vitamins and plenty of fresh Eucalyptus leaves. She showed interest in leaf but ate little. Test results showed some minor abnormalities but nothing too serious, yet a question mark still hung over her. Over several weeks she demanded a lot of attention and was up and down in her recovery, so tests were repeated revealing only slight improvement. We couldn’t have wished for a better outcome after initially thinking she wasn’t going to survive. MVAs continue to claim koala lives! As usual motor vehicle hits remain one of the biggest problems faced by koalas in this area. Vehicles pose a threat not only for adult koalas but also to those not even ready to face the world - unfurred joeys. ‘Kenny’ was one such victim. Weighing only 103 grams, eyes still unopened, was thrown on impact from his mother’s pouch - he died 3 days later from injuries and trauma. His mother was dead on the roadside. ‘Tanker’, prior to MVA, was a beautiful healthy male koala. He suffered horrendous multiple injuries including a fractured jaw in at least 2 places, a fractured elbow and severe internal injuries, resulting in his death shortly after impact. Two other victims were found on the roadside in May. A lot of the offending motorists just simply do not care that they are contributing to the ultimate endangerment of the survival of Australia’s most recognisable national icon. MOTOR VEHICLE HITS REMAIN ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS FACED BY KOALAS IN Thomas - an Aged Patient ‘Thomas’ was admitted in January, from the Great Lakes area, suffering bilateral conjunctivitis. He was very thin and it was obvious the disease was taking its toll. Fortunately he ate leaf voraciously on admission. Treatment was started on his eyes and over the next couple of weeks we saw a good improvement in his eyes and general condition. Due to Thomas’ advanced age, it was decided to keep him in care to build him up and ensure his eyes would not flare up again. He progressed well, but unfortunately developed a urinary tract infection, requiring antibiotic treatment. He responded well to this and the infec- tion was soon under control. Thomas plodded along over the next couple of weeks but then started to have trouble climbing. Thomas was euthanased as he deteriorated suddenly and was experiencing severe pain. Regardless of age, condition, or gender each individual koala is given a chance for survival and, while not successful with Thomas, we can all learn from the experience of caring for an aged animal. Page 3 Fundraising Report By Barbara Witham How time flies, it seems no time which have been very productive since I wrote the last report for for us. our newsletter. We are currently running a raffle The Team have been busy over which will be drawn at the Envirothe last three months with sev- fair on Saturday 10 June. The eral fundraising activities. prizes for the raffle have all been donated by local businesses and We started with our “Hot Cross individuals. Buns’ and followed that with our ‘Spring Bulbs’. These were both Fundraising and very successful and we will be donations are the repeating both next year. The basis for providing bulbs were beautifully presented in small boxes and very for the koalas in reasonably priced. They were our care! particularly good sellers at the local markets. The first prize is made up of The Team have attended the goods and vouchers to the value Hub Markets, John’s River Mar- of $264, second prize is vouchers kets and Tinonee Markets to the value of $40 and third prize is goods to the value of $30. Our thanks to all who donated these prizes, we couldn’t do it without your kind generosity. We have also sold a variety of greeting cards at the markets. These cards are handmade by Di Wells of Harrington. These are beautifully made with koala themes. We thank Di for her generous ongoing donation. My thanks to all the Management Committee members for their ongoing support in our fundraising endeavours over the last three months. NB We have postponed our Film Premiere Night until further notice. A HUGE thank you to the following Businesses who donated to our Raffle: Wingham Hardware - Wingham AutObarn - Taree Auto Brakes & Service - Taree Townhead Wholesale Meats - Taree Bushland Tavern - Taree Townhead Fruit & Vegetables - Taree Wingham Nursery & Florist - Wingham Saxby’s Chemist - Taree KOALAS IN CARE Inc.’s Management Team says ‘Thank you very much for your generosity’!! Reader’s Comments - 2nd Edition Paul & Chris, Paul & Chris, Enjoyed reading Newsletter & Awesome edition of was very impressed. Newsletter Amanda Boardman, Dr. Donald Hood NPWS Discovery Ranger & FAWNA Volunteer Taree Vet Hospital Page 4 Habitat Issues In contrast to my last report the continuing dry conditions will likely see our area deteriorate into official drought status shortly, despite some scattered sections receiving rainfall. Many immature trees are burning off while even mature Spotted Gum, E. glaucina and White Mahogany are showing signs of stress on the ridges, with Forest Red Gum and Cabbage Gum deteriorating on the usually moister creek bank areas. Fortunately we are in our ‘quieter time’ for koala admissions as leaf collecting is certainly challenging. We have been able to rest some of our leaf harvesting areas as we have been given permission by a landowner to harvest from his private property in the Wingham area. As mentioned in my last report the Draft Conservation and Development Strategy has been under scrutiny and we were invited to address a Councillor Workshop to personally present our concerns. I vigorously pushed for better outcomes and highlighted the obvious lack of conservation areas to ensure long-term survival of our koalas. Christeen and I met with Council staff to discuss the Koala Programs Review and presented a compilation of points raised by our Management Committee and other colleagues. Many of the Review’s proposals are ‘people friendly’ and lack the opportunity to address our koala issues. We put forward a strong case for improvement to what is on offer and hopefully the Recommendations will reflect this. Industrial land at Kolodong which was previously offered to us for use for a plantation site is now subject to a new proposal. A proposed subdivision which includes an access road dissecting ‘prime koala habitat’ will undoubtedly jeopardise the long-term survival of the koala population in this area. We have written to Council expressing our objection to this proposal. While willing to have further talks with Council regarding this issue we cannot possibly support such a proposal in its current form. On a positive note ten additional Koala Warning Signs are to be purchased by Council and installed at our worst Black Spot areas. Most of these will be placed around the Tinonee/ Hillville area where MVA’s continue to claim koala lives, three of which have occurred in May alone. We raised many issues regarding the Draft Environmental Management Plan and are pleased that many of these have been incorporated into the final draft of this important document. By Paul McLeod Shooting in State Forests It is somewhat of a concern to us to have the Minister sign off on allowing shooting in our State Forest areas, supposedly to eradicate feral species. This would have to be one of the most potentially dangerous actions to ever be allowed. REPORTEDLY THERE WAS LITTLE PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND WITHOUT DOUBT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS BEEN PUT AT RISK Reportedly there was little public consultation and without doubt public safety has been put at risk. On many occasions we travel through State Forest areas in our work to rescue or release koalas back to their home range areas. Sometimes these areas are the only suitable release points when koalas have been found on nearby roads or sparsely vegetated properties. Forest areas, eg Yarratt Road from Wingham to Lansdowne, Dingo Tops Road from Wingham to the Oxley Highway, Kiwarrak State Forest, Giro State Forest between Gloucester and Nowendoc to name but a few. There has been serious doubts raised as to how these hunting activities will be monitored. Will there be any action taken against shooters who make mistakes - but then again we probably will not know if they do. Will the precautions taken to warn the public be enough? It will only be a matter of time before it is bound to cause problems, whether it be for our native animals or an innocent person. There are many instances where the There were 31 State Forests opened up only access to properties, tourist to hunting in March and another 67 to drives or picnic spots is through State be added on 9 June. Page 5 KOALAS IN CARE Admissions March - May 2006 Date Name Age Sex Reason for Admission Area Result 26/5/02 *Boobook AY F Debilitated - Rump ulcer Tinonee Treating/In care 2/1/06 Clara AY F Extremely underweight/ unwell Tinonee Released 21/5/06 6/1/06 Thomas AA M Bilateral Conjunctivitis Forster Deteriorated suddenly Euthanased 20/3/06 3/5/06 Kenny FJ M Found on road injured (mother dead) Tinonee Died 6/5/06 5/5/06 Talabah AM F Conjunctivitis (advanced) Rainbow Flat Died 25/5/06 5/5/06 Koala A M MVA Moorland Dead on road 5/5/06 Koala A ? MVA John’s River Dead on road 18/5/06 Tanker AY M MVA - multiple injuries; # jaw; # elbow; internal injuries Tinonee Dead on arrival * This koala was in care at the time of the establishment of KOALAS IN CARE Inc. MVA - motor vehicle accident FJ - Furless Joey J - Joey (to 1 yr) Juv - Juvenile (1 - 2 yrs) AM - Mature Adult (5 - 10 yrs) AY - Young Adult (2 - 5 yrs) AA - Aged Adult (10+ yrs) Volunteers needed Our Koala Facility has a couple of vacancies to fill on the morning shift roster (weekdays only). We require you to be reliable and be able to work as part of our small team. Activities do require bending and lifting. Volunteers must be 18 years or over. Morning shift operates from 8.30am - 10.30am. If you have a free morning and would like to know more please contact Christeen on 6552 2183 after 11am weekdays. Membership Renewal Members are reminded that memberships are now due and should be paid by 1 July 2006. Membership forms have been sent by separate mail so if you haven’t received yours please contact us. Instruction and training will be provided. Page 6 A Thank You to our Supporters! Donald Hood, Stuart Knox, Rob Brudar & Staff at Taree Veterinary Hospital for their caring attitudes, advice & ongoing support in the treating of our special koala patients. Kevin Carter (Manning Area Manager NPWS) - for ongoing support & guidance. Terry Evans (Area Manager Barrington Tops NPWS) - for ongoing support & guidance. Bushland Fair Newsagency - for charging for plastic bags & donating the proceeds to KIC. *Please support the people who help the Koalas of our area. Manning River Times Woolworth’s Taree - for donating products used for koala treatments to our Koala Care Facility. Gloucester Advocate Colin Mulcaster of ‘Diversey’ for donating washing powder & hand cleaner to our Facility. NBN TV Wingham Chronicle Great Lakes Advocate Prime TV *See other pages for more supporters of our group’s work. Annual General Meeting Supporting Memberships Members are advised of our upcoming Want to help the Koalas of our area but can’t volunteer your time because of other commitments? Annual General Meeting to be held at Taree Showground Tearooms on Saturday 26 August 2006 at 11am. 11am Management looks forward to your attendance at this important meeting. Further advice will be mailed to each member during July. Please mark it on your calendars now! Donations Thank you to the following: Mr & Mrs J. Orr Mrs S. Billingsley No problem, you can still help and not have to do a thing - become a Supporting Member! Simply fill in the attached ‘Supporting Membership’ form and send the completed form and your cheque for $27.50 to KOALAS IN CARE Inc. It is that simple - your membership will help provide for the koalas being admitted to our Care Facility and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to their care. Do it today! Donation Boxes Thank you to the following businesses for housing our Donation Boxes: Bushland Fair Newsagency - Taree Marloy’s Pastries - Taree Mr & Mrs W. Gluyas Wingham Newsagency - Wingham You can make donations to KOALAS IN CARE Inc. by sending a money order/cheque to PO Box 1249, Taree 2430 McKeough’s Cake Shop - Wingham Tinonee General Store - Tinonee Tinonee Hotbake - Taree Store Please support these local businesses!! Page 7 Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in reports/articles published in this newsletter are not to be necessarily taken as being the opinion of KOALAS IN CARE INC. but rather the author’s personal opinion. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of any information in the newsletter published in good faith as supplied to the Editor. The President & Editor reserve the right to edit any article submitted for publication. DEC General Licence No: 11611 ABN 78 337 974 646 KOALAS IN CARE Inc. Servicing Greater Taree, Great Lakes & Gloucester Areas Management Committee 2005 - 2006 Office Bearers: Paul McLeod - President Christeen McLeod - Vice President/Secretary Joan Rolls - Treasurer Committee: Barbara Witham - Fundraising Coordinator Terry Rolls - Tree Coordinator KOALAS IN CARE INC. relies on the generosity of the public for donations and support to enable us to care for and rehabilitate koalas for release back to the wild. We cannot achieve this without your kind donations, so please make a donation or become a Supporting Member today. Why not tell your family and friends about how they can help save the koalas in our area. CALENDAR Marie Smith - Committee Member Fundraising & Awareness Stall at Taree City Centre Car Park Sale - 25 June 2006 at 9am. Other Positions: Aimee McLeod - Newsletter Coordinator/Editor Christeen McLeod - Public Officer Ken Stanmore - Auditor Postponed • Koala Data Analysis Report due to insufficient preparation time • Film Premiere Night until further notice Management Meeting - Saturday, 5 August 2006 at 11am. Inaugural Annual General Meeting at Taree Showground Tearooms Saturday, 26 August 2006 at 11am. Contact 6552 2183 if you would like further information on any of the above. STOP PRESS Readers Comments Winners of our Raffle drawn at Envirofair 1st Prize In the coming editions readers will be able to have their comments published in our Reader’s Comments section. Comments can be pertaining to our Newsletter, the KOALAS IN CARE Inc. group, our work within the community, habitat issues or koalas in general. Suggestions for improvements to the Newsletter, fundraising ideas or events we should attend, will also be welcome. Let us know what you think! Phone, fax or email us. If you didn’t receive this newsletter by email but would like to in the future, please contact us by email to arrange this. Alison Freeman - Blue A 21 2nd Prize Karen Tuck - Blue A 3 3rd Prize Mel Salter - Red B 23
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