Australia’s koalas could face extinction in 30 years, but a charity is nursing them back to health
The iconic marsupials are under increasing threat. Steven Scott meets staff at a koala hospital who are helping them following fires and drought
By Steven Scott
July 24, 2020
Baz and Sue Ashton at Port Macquarie Koala Hospital


As he lies back on the operating table, Baz is distracted by a eucalyptus leaf as a vet tends to his injuries. The young koala’s singed feet were already swaddled in bandages and he had burns to his hands, feet, chest, nose and ears.

Since being rescued from fires last summer, Baz has been nursed back to health by volunteers at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on Australia’s east coast.

But he is one of the lucky ones, according to those at the frontline of the battle to save the iconic Australian marsupials.

Just months after a series of wildfires destroyed large swathes of forest, a report found the koala could face extinction within 30 years.
Protecting species

The warning by a New South Wales (NSW) parliamentary inquiry is not just a sign of the devastation wrought by the summer of bushfires. It also points to the impact of shrinking habitats as agriculture, industry and housing developments encroach into bushland along large parts of Australia’s east coast. The trend has been escalating for decades – but according to conservationists in Australia’s most heavily populated state of NSW, the case for protecting the koala is now stronger than ever.


Sue Ashton, who runs the Port Macquarie koala hospital, says the recent fires have fast-tracked the decline in the species. “We were coming out of a terrible drought and we were losing a lot of koalas already to dehydration,” she said.

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“A lot of the burn victims we got in after the fires were already in a bad way because of the drought. The fires then exacerbated that. Without doubt, loss of habitat is going to have a huge impact on the koala. If they’ve got no food they can’t survive.”

More than 600 of the animals died in the recent fires near Port Macquarie – a fraction of the estimated tens of thousands that perished across Australia last summer.

Ecologist Mark Graham told the inquiry there were “only a few areas now of significantly unburnt blocks of koala habitat” in the state. “We have lost such a massive swathe of koala habitat that I think we can say, without any doubt, there will be ongoing declines in koala populations from this point forward,” he said.
Reduced habitat

Reduced habitat can increase other threats faced by the animals, according to conservationists. Chlamydia, which is one of the most deadly diseases suffered by koalas, spreads more easily within confined populations that cannot move between regions to breed.


Koalas are also increasingly venturing into urban areas, living in parks and trees in backyards. As a result, more of them are being hit by cars or attacked by dogs.

It’s a warning familiar to conservationist Ian Morphett from Hawks Nest, about 130 miles north of Sydney. Mr Morphett says the number of koala sightings in his seaside town have fallen from 709 to 113 in the past decade.

Baz has demonstrated a resilient spirit

While urbanisation has had a dramatic impact, Mr Morphett said a rule allowing homeowners to fell trees within 10 metres of their properties – a measure designed to prevent fires – has also damaged koala habitats. “We lost 20 per cent of our trees in the town within about six months,” he said.

Those koalas that are spotted are often in precarious situations. One, known as Princess, has been rescued repeatedly in the past decade. “We saw her running down the road on New Years’ Eve,” he said. “She created a traffic jam.”


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Mr Morphett runs a koala support group that is lobbying the local council to oppose plans for a new housing development that he says will destroy a koala corridor linking his town to a nearby forest.


Tougher restrictions on development are among the 42 recommendations by the NSW inquiry. Other proposals include farmers being paid to protect trees in areas with koala populations, funding more rescue facilities and developing sanctuaries for the animals including a mooted “Great Koala National Park”.

The inquiry chair, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, said “urgent intervention” was needed to save the koala. The state government is yet to respond to the recommendations. NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean has defended existing state spending – but also suggested more would be done.

“Koalas are an iconic Australian animal recognised the world over and a national treasure which we will do everything we can to protect for future generations,” he said.

The international attention drawn to the plight of the koala after the summer fires has helped with recovery efforts.Baz receiving treatment

Ms Ashton’s charity received millions of dollars in donations and is now planning to breed animals that will be released into the wild.


Baz is one of those she plans to use in the breeding program. While the koala has recovered from most of his injuries, he has permanently lost claws, which were burnt to stubs. As a result, he could not survive in the wild because he is unable to climb large trees, Ms Ashton said.

‘Resilient spirit’

Instead, he wraps his limbs around small branches and tries to pull himself up. It’s a sign of a resilient spirit that Ms Ashton said was already evident when the creature was on the operating table.

“He was the only koala we didn’t have to anesthetise to change his bandages. All we had to do was have someone in there feeding him a leaf at a time,” she said. “He would just keep eating while we dressed all his wounds.”

Asked why Baz was able to withstand the pain when other animals needed medication, Ms Ashton chuckles.

“He’s just a pretty laid-back koala, I think,” she said. “As long as he gets fed, he’s happy.”