As a result of bush fires, urban sprawl and disease, the koala is now threatened with extinction. But Australians are hard at work protecting the little marsupial, a world-famous symbol of the country’s unique ecosystem.
Last September, a baby female koala was found orphaned on the outskirts of Sydney. WIRES, which rescues wildlife in Australia, was notified and a volunteer from the organization who had completed all the necessary training was quickly dispatched to help the animal.
The speaker, Tracey Maguire, welcomed the young koala into her home, in a secure enclosure adapted to his needs, while he grew up and gained strength before he could return to live in the wild. She named this female Sophie.
For nearly a decade, Tracey Maguire has worked with the WIRES network, which helps a myriad of species — from birds, to snakes, to opossums.
“No country should have an endangered species,” she says. However, this is the fate of the koala, this small herbivore which was classified in February 2022 as an “endangered” species by the Australian government in the Australian Capital Territory, in New South Wales and in Queensland. .
In just twenty years, the population of koalas has halved – from 185,000 individuals in 2001 to 92,000 in 2021, according to the Scientific Committee for Endangered Species, an independent government agency.
One survivor at a time
In early March, Tracey Maguire gave us an appointment at the Avian Reptile and Exotic Pet Hospital, a veterinary clinic affiliated with the University of Sydney. “Today, we are coming for a health check to check if Sophie can be released soon,” she explains, lifting the blanket that covers the cage where the little ball of hair is, hidden under the leaves. eucalyptus.
As baby koalas usually cling to their mother, Tracey Maguire gave little Sophie a stuffed animal to hug.
“It is better to give them a stuffed toy that looks like them. Not only will this remind them of their mother, but it’s also best not to give them another stuffed animal, such as a dog. The koala could become familiar with it and no longer be afraid of it, ”explains Tracey Maguire.
Throughout the medical examination, Sophie, now one year old and weighing barely 2.8 kilos, never separates from her cuddly toy. “He’s a healthy animal. I have no fear that this koala will soon be released into the wild, ”underlines veterinarian Annabelle Olsson, while examining her with her stethoscope.
She takes a blood sample, tests for chlamydia and inserts a microchip the size of a “grain of rice” under his skin with an identification code, which will be associated with all of his medical information. .
Several threats
The veterinary clinic where Sophie is followed is located “in an area surrounded by a population of koalas, so we treat a lot of them here”, says Annabelle Olsson.
“In recent years, koalas have been greatly affected by a combination of factors, including the loss or fragmentation of their habitat. The fragmentation of their natural environment is almost as dangerous as their destruction, because koalas move to eat. If they cannot jump from tree to tree, they descend to the ground. There is then the risk that they will be hit by a car, or attacked by a dog,” explains the veterinarian.
When a koala or any other animal is the victim of an accident, it is then very important to report it, explains Tracey Maguire, even if it has already succumbed to its injuries. If it’s a marsupial — as in the case of the koala or the kangaroo, a crashed female could have a baby in her pouch. “Sometimes the mother dies of her injuries, but her baby survives,” she explains.
And then, a lesser known thing is that “the excrement of a deceased koala can save another”, explains the volunteer of WIRES. “Eucalyptus leaves are toxic to most animals and humans. Except for koalas, which can ingest them without fear. But before they can do that, baby koalas have to eat their mother’s feces. These feces give them the natural defenses to eliminate toxins from eucalyptus leaves. Thus, if we find a young orphan koala, we will have to give him the excrement of an adult to save him.
Another blemish that threatens the species: chlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which can cause blindness and painful cysts in the animal’s reproductive tract, which can also lead to infertility or even death. Fortunately, Sophie is not infected. And it will be released in an area where its congeners are not either.
“Everyone cracks up in front of koalas, because they are harmless, furry and adorable”, admits Annabelle Olsson, herself moved by these little beasts that she calls from time to time ” teddies or teddy.
“This makes them great ambassadors for biodiversity. Because if we protect this unique species, we also preserve the whole environment in which it lives, so the hundreds of faunal or floral species that are also found there, ”explains the veterinarian.
For Tracey Maguire, rescues like that of little Sophie are a balm on the heart, which help her through “the more difficult days”. Because not all rescue missions have such a happy outcome. “It pushes us to continue what we do. »
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.