I’m one of 120 volunteers who help to care for sick and injured koalas at the Koala Hospital Port Macquarie, NSW Australia. I’m not a vet, scientist, or animal specialist — just someone who can’t imagine Australia without koalas in it. You can help us help koalas by Adopting a Wild Koala!
Monday 2 March 2009
March Gum Tips out now!
The March issue of Gum Tips, the Koala Hospital newsletter, is out now!
Click on the cover to download it or browse other issues of Gum Tipshere.
Hi there! I love your photos and blogs. I am an international member of the Koala Hospital. I want to adopt one.. which ones are still in the hospital? I thought I might adopt one that will have to be there awhile :) I did want to adopt William Krystal but I guess they have been released!!
We very seldom place ‘current’ koala patients on our adoption list. It would be irresponsible of us to do this since the reason they are with us is because they are unwell and there is a possibility they will not survive.
This is one of the sad facts of life for a wildlife rehabilitation facility such as ours. We cannot save them all. Therefore, it is only when a koala is fit and ready for release that we consider them suitable for the adoption program. Wildlife organisations around the world follow this practice for their own sponsorship programs. This is why we call it the “Adopt a WILD Koala” program.
Koalas are wild animals and, in Australia, it is illegal to keep them in captivity except by express permission from the local wildlife authority. As a treatment facility, the Koala Hospital is only permitted to treat koalas in order to release them. We are allowed to keep a couple of koalas as permanent residents, those who could not be released because they could not survive in the wild. These koalas principally provide an educational function such as showing the effect of bushfire burns to the hands and feet of tree-climbing marsupials - as was the case of a couple of our former permanent residents. Currently, however, Kempsey Carolina is the only permanent resident who is available for adoption. She is completely blind and so will spend the rest of her days the Hospital. You can adopt her here: http://www.koalahospital.org.au/adopt/koalas/117
As for the other koalas available for adoption, they are all now back in the wild, living the life they were intended to live, not stuck in a Hospital where they would be dependent upon human beings. The koalas we release back to the wild are our success stories: those that are successfully treated and allowed to return to a normal existence in the wild and not institutionalised or worse, euthanased.
So if you choose to adopt a koala other than Kempsey, please be assured that your adoption fee goes towards helping to treat the hundreds of koalas that are admitted to the Hospital every year...many of whom are not lucky enough to make it back to the wild.
To koalawranger Emma:Hi,I'm Davide's mum and he loves that photo of Blaze and Fire!He's a very sweet boy loving all of your koalas-hope he'll visit one day Australia!He's very sick on the plane and it's far away...Hugs from mum Zsuzsanna
The March issue of Gum Tips, the Koala Hospital newsletter, is out now!
Yay!
ReplyDeleteOhh, Davide has my picture on his cake! I loved those stories -- I think they're a wonderful inclusion in Gum Tips.
xo
Hi there! I love your photos and blogs. I am an international member of the Koala Hospital. I want to adopt one.. which ones are still in the hospital? I thought I might adopt one that will have to be there awhile :) I did want to adopt William Krystal but I guess they have been released!!
ReplyDeleteoh, my email is belinda_42@msn.com if you want to email me :)
ReplyDeleteWe very seldom place ‘current’ koala patients on our adoption list. It would be irresponsible of us to do this since the reason they are with us is because they are unwell and there is a possibility they will not survive.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the sad facts of life for a wildlife rehabilitation facility such as ours. We cannot save them all. Therefore, it is only when a koala is fit and ready for release that we consider them suitable for the adoption program. Wildlife organisations around the world follow this practice for their own sponsorship programs. This is why we call it the “Adopt a WILD Koala” program.
Koalas are wild animals and, in Australia, it is illegal to keep them in captivity except by express permission from the local wildlife authority. As a treatment facility, the Koala Hospital is only permitted to treat koalas in order to release them. We are allowed to keep a couple of koalas as permanent residents, those who could not be released because they could not survive in the wild. These koalas principally provide an educational function such as showing the effect of bushfire burns to the hands and feet of tree-climbing marsupials - as was the case of a couple of our former permanent residents. Currently, however, Kempsey Carolina is the only permanent resident who is available for adoption. She is completely blind and so will spend the rest of her days the Hospital. You can adopt her here: http://www.koalahospital.org.au/adopt/koalas/117
As for the other koalas available for adoption, they are all now back in the wild, living the life they were intended to live, not stuck in a Hospital where they would be dependent upon human beings. The koalas we release back to the wild are our success stories: those that are successfully treated and allowed to return to a normal existence in the wild and not institutionalised or worse, euthanased.
So if you choose to adopt a koala other than Kempsey, please be assured that your adoption fee goes towards helping to treat the hundreds of koalas that are admitted to the Hospital every year...many of whom are not lucky enough to make it back to the wild.
To koalawranger Emma:Hi,I'm Davide's mum and he loves that photo of Blaze and Fire!He's a very sweet boy loving all of your koalas-hope he'll visit one day Australia!He's very sick on the plane and it's far away...Hugs from mum Zsuzsanna
ReplyDelete